N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 8 • M a r i e m o n t, O h i o • Vo l u m e X L I I I , N o . 3
Mariemont Youth Chosen as Honoree for 2018 Arthritis Foundation’s Cincinnati Jingle Bell Run By Laura Young
Grace’s Story In October of 2016, when Grace Wellinghoff was 20 months old, she started to limp. After weeks of seeing orthopedists and having multiple rounds of x-rays, an MRI and bloodwork officially confirmed that Grace has Oligoarticular Juvenile Idopathic Arthritis (affecting two joints, the cause being unknown). Grace’s eyes are also affected (thankfully discovered before there was any permanent damage). After steroid joint injections, an intense regimen of medications and eye drops, Grace’s disease is currently “managed” by her weekly, at-home injections and some maintenance medications. But her disease is also unpredictable. Some days are better than others. Grace experiences pain with extreme weather changes and large amounts of physical activity. Grace works closely with the rhuematology team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, specifically Dr. Jennifer Huggins, as well as physical therapists to improve her walking and running. This year, Grace was chosen as the 2018 Arthritis Foundation’s Cincinnati Jingle Bell Run Honoree. The Jingle Bell Run is a fun run/holiday event featuring a 5K and shorter Kids Fun Run, followed by an after-party that includes a visit from Santa! “The run raises money to help find a cure for the chronic pain JIA patients face that is often invisible to others,” said Grace’s
The Wellinghoff family Kentucky Convention Center. The expo opens at 8:30 a.m., with the 5K starting at 10 a.m. You can join team Warriors for Grace to walk or run the 5K OR simply support their mission through a donation by going to https://events. arthritis.org/team/8482 and selecting either “Join Our Team” or “Support Us.”
Juvenile Arthritis Facts Grace Wellinghoff mother, Jessica Wellinghoff. “We’ve put a team together called Warriors for Grace. Community members in the Village can support our team by joining our team for the family-friendly 5K (run or walk) or by donating financially to our team.” The Cincinnati Jingle Bell Run takes place Saturday, December 8 at the Northern
(from the Arthritis Foundation’s website): • Approximately 300,000 children in the U.S. suffer with Juvenile Arthritis. • JIA is considered an autoimmune disease. A healthy immune system fights invaders such as viruses and bacteria. In people with autoimmune diseases, the immune system doesn’t work properly—it becomes overactive, even when there is no infection to fight, and mistakenly attacks healthy cells and tissue.