My team
My Story…
When Charlie was just 2 years old, she had a big swollen toe. We questioned it but thought it was just a break or bruise. We began to worry after a few days when Charlie refused to walk on it without crying. Our local hospital thought it might have been a mild break, but didn’t see anything on x-rays. We trusted my gut and knew it was something more. We went to the Children’s Hospital in London, ON where they didn’t give up until they knew exactly why our little one was experiencing so much pain. It took almost a year, multiple referrals, some scary ideas and tests until finally a doctor said to us “this looks like Juvenile Arthritis.”
We were shocked – and confused. We had never heard of JIA! Kids could get arthritis?! 8 years have passed since that strange big toe – Charlie has tried more than 10 different medications, had multiple joint injections, daily physiotherapy, types of braces and supports and struggled with the physical and emotional toll of her condition. She now is taking daily medications and has to go for Biologic infusions every 4 weeks just to keep her pain under some sort of control – and it still isn’t perfect.
