A joint effort in the battle against arthritis

BY LAUREL MYERS

The community is invited to put its "sole" into the fight against arthritis by joining in the annual Arthritis Walk, to be held Sept. 21.

The Arthritis Walk is the Arthritis Society's signature event that will take place in communities across Canada to raise funds to fight arthritis.

Fourteen-year-old Dax Law was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the age of seven. He said the doctors weren't sure what it was at first because the diagnosis wasn't very common with children.

"There's 4.5 million people living with arthritis in Canada and the majority of them are adults. But what a lot of people don't realize, is arthritis is becoming more and more prevalent in children," he said.

In fact, a recent study showed that one in 250 children living in Ontario have juvenile arthritis.

"I'm going to be going to high school in September and there's 750 kids there," Dax said. "There's technically three kids with juvenile arthritis there and that's three too many.

"A cure is definitely needed and that's why the arthritis walk is set up, to raise awareness and funds for finding a cure."

In Ontario alone, 1.7 million people are currently living with arthritis, making it the most common chronic condition in the province. It occurs in about 100 different forms and costs an estimated $4.4 billion annually.

The walk will start and end at the James Jerome Sports Complex. Registration begins at 10 a.m. with the walk set to begin at noon. It is a non-competitive five-km course with a 2.2-km option for those who wish to walk a shorter distance. A variety of lifestyle stops will be offered along the way, featuring topics from the right foods to the benefits of exercise and relaxation, such as Tai Chi and massage.

"The funds raised through this walk will go toward our community programs and research as we search for the cause and subsequent cure of arthritis," said Deputy Mayor Ron Dupuis, honourary chair of the 2008 Arthritis Walk. "Imagine a future where there is no arthritis."

For the first time, the walk will welcome four-legged friends, "because dogs are affected by arthritis as well," Dupuis said. Dogs must be leashed throughout the walk.

For more information, contact Genevieve Poulin at the Arthritis Society at 673-4641 ext. 102 or by e-mail at [email protected] . To register online, visit www.arthritiswalk.ca .