Help Danica raise money

Growing up, I was a super athletic and loved being involved in sports, particularly soccer. Over the years I played on many high level teams and at one point was the number one draft pick in Vancouver which meant playing on three teams simultaneously which was a commitment of 7 days a week. It was my love and passion, it was what I was known for. Then in March of 2016, everything changed, I got injured playing, tearing my MCL as well as my knee cap was displaced. At the time I wasn't super worried about my recovery as I had sustained injury before, though little did I know it would quite literally change my life. 

From then on I was dragged from specialist to specialist which all seemed to lead back to the diagnoses of JIA, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. My family was hesitant to accept this diagnoses as a lot of intense medications came along with it. I got a couple surgerys to help the healing process of my knee but nothing made the swelling go away fully and this is what kept leading us back to JIA. Though finally in 2018 I was officially diagnosed with JIA and started full time treatments which included naproxen, methotrexate, and steroid injections. After my diagnosis I had to quit soccer and give up my goals within that sport. I was devastated and felt like I had lost my identity. Though by taking a step back in soccer I found a love for competitive show jumping which was something that I was able to do! I was able to set new goals and continue being competitive in sports. Now in 2021, I have been diagnosed with arthritis in 6 joints and deal with the effects of the medication everyday, but I have found a way to push past this barrier and continue being active and living everyday to the fullest.