Kaylan Berry’s story:
Senior year is a time when teens begin focusing on the future. Where will they go to college? What is the right career? For Kaylan, who is one of the more than 300,000 children affected by Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, she must also prepare for a total replacement of her TMJs. What started as pain in her knee at night when she was four years old has progressed to include pain and inflammation in her fingers, wrists, elbows, toes, ankles, knees, and jaw,which classifies her subtype of JIA as polyarticular. Even with aggressive medical intervention, 15 years of chronic inflammation has caused Kaylan’s right TMJ joint to deteriorate and her left must be replaced as well.
JIA occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissue. Kaylan’s symptoms of JIA may include pain, swelling, stiffness, redness and warmth, fatigue, and poor sleep. These symptoms lead Kaylan and the other JIA warriors to juggle multiple medical procedures, therapies, and school. Kaylan goes into her doctor’s office for a monthly infusion and takes a handful of medicine and supplements so that she can function each day.
Arthritis affects more than 50 million Americans, including our 300,000 children.
Please join Team Kaylan at the 2018 Walk to Cure Arthritis – Austin, on Sunday, June 2, 2018 at Concordia University.
https://events.arthritis.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.team&teamID=6997
From now until June 2, please enjoy the Kaylan Special at your favorite Maudie’s Tex-Mex location to help support the Walk to Cure Arthritis!