Thank You, Coach Huggins!

West Virginia University Men's Basketball Coach, Bob Huggins, graciously recorded several promotional audio spots for The Arthritis Foundation West Virginia!

Thank you so much to Coach Huggins and his support of our amazing organization.

Our vision: A world FREE or arthritis pain! 

Preparations Have Begun!

The preparation for Mrs. International has
officially begun! The SUV is cleaned out, if I can keep it that way for a week, haha, and the clothes hanger is installed! Next Sunday, we hit the road for Chicago!



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An Amazing 4th of July!

Wow! The 4th of July was such an amazing experience this year as Mrs. West Virginia International!

I started at The Ripley 4th of July. It was amazing! The whole community was out to watch the parade and enjoy the day. I had so much fun seeing this loving and supportive community come together to celebrate America's Birthday!




After they, we headed to Hurricane, WV for the Hurricane 4th of July Celebration! I was the Mrs. Hurricane 4th of July Queen when I was crowned Mrs. West Virginia International, so this title is very close to my heart! We have an amazing new group of queens to represent Hurricane this year and we are so blessed!



Unfortunately, a thunderstorm cut my time short at this celebration, but it was certainly great to ride in the parade and see the people of Hurricane! I am Co-Director now of the Hurricane 4th of July Pageant, so it was great to see our queens looking beautiful and representing their titles so well.

A special thank you to my Hubby for driving me in the parades and spending the day with me. He's so supportive and loving, I truly am blessed!




The evening ended as we went to my parent's 2nd home on the Elk River to have some much needed family time. Even our dogs went!




It truly was a day to remember. I'm so thankful for this amazing opportunity as Mrs. WV International and love making the most out of it at every opportunity!



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It's Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month!

Our Children Shouldn't Hurt From Arthritis Pain!

Juvenile Arthritis is one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting children. However, it often goes undetected or misdiagnosed when symptoms fist appear.

The Arthritis Foundation has declared July as Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month and plans on increasing awareness of early signs and symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis. They also hope to increase the resources available for families affected by the disease.

While sometimes called "growing pains" when a child complains of achy joints, some believe this is a part of the natural growth process. However, it is known that joint pain, stiffness and swelling in or around the joint may be early signs of a serious, inflammatory rheumatic disease.

Susan Carter, Chief Executive Officer of the Arthritis Foundation South Central Region explained, "Early medical treatment of juvenile arthritis can prevent serious, permanent damage to your child's joints and enable him or her to live an active, full childhood. When joint pain, swelling or stiffness occurs in one or more of your child's joints for at least six weeks, it is important not to assume these symptoms are temporary and to get a proper diagnosis from a pediatric arthritis specialist.

Arthritis is generally believed to be a disease for older individuals, which is not true at all. Approximately 300,000 children are affected by juvenile arthritis with no known cure. Advances in research have produced new treatments that do assist in moderating and even stopping the effects of juvenile arthritis which prevents significant disability in later years.

The resource of this article and for more information about programs from The Arthritis Foundation:

http://www.gilmermirror.com/view/full_story/22959369/article-ARTHRITIS-COMMON-IN-CHILDREN--YET-OFTEN--MISDIAGNOSED?instance=home_news_bullets

Rheumatoid Arthritis - Some Facts

As an individual who has now been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis for over 5 years, it has taken a lot of research and involvement with the amazing Arthritis Foundation to learn exactly what Rheumatoid Arthritis is. There are so many misconceptions of what the disease actually is, I think people don’t realize just how different this disease is from typical aches and pains of joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis, also known as RA, is caused by a severe inflammation in the joints because of a malfunction in the body’s immune system.

Typically our bodies respond to injury or illness by triggering temporary inflammation which allows us to know we have a problem and that we should get it treated or rest the joint. In RA, the immune system turns against healthy tissues and it is chronic rather than temporary.

Over time, the persistent inflammation does more than just cause pain. It actually can break down our joints and damage them permanently. It can also affect internal organs like the liver, heart, spleen and eyes.

People with RA typically have flares of pain caused by sudden onsets of severe inflammation. These flares can last for days or weeks. The body can move from joint to joint all over a person with RA’s body with no specific reason for the change of location.

Individuals with RA can see a doctor for diagnosis and to start medicines that work best for their specific arthritis. The more they can get involved with The Arthritis Foundation to learn about decreasing pain techniques, healthy activity, staying active, good nutrition, etc. the better they can control their disease and their flares!

It’s scary when pain hits, but the great news is that arthritis most definitely can be a part of our lives without controlling our lives. Here’s to staying active and working hard to help The Arthritis Foundation with their vision of creating a world FREE of arthritis pain!

I obtained the great information in this article from:

http://www.arthritistoday.org/about-arthritis/signs-and-symptoms/types-of-pain.php

Thank You to the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation!

Thank You!

 

The Great Kanawha Valley Foundation graciously funded a one-year grant to the Arthritis Foundation in West Virginia for serving the Boone, Clay, Kanawha, Lincoln and Putnam Counties!

 

 

Grants like this allow us to extend our efforts to reach even more in the fight against arthritis. We appreciate you so much!

West Virginia Sesquicentennial Celebration

I am SO thankful to have had the amazing opportunity to attend the Sesquicentennial Celebration at our beautiful state Capitol yesterday!




From vendors to live music to food and fun for every age, the event was truly incredible. The 3D movie and fireworks have been amazing since our birthday on Thursday, too!

Here is Michael, he has severe arthritis and I am SO proud to say that I've not only met him and his wonderful family during my reign, but we've become friends! He's dancing with a great group of teens from WV, along with his sister!



Here are a few photos from the day. What an amazing experience to represent WV on this landmark year!








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