Home » Children and Youth Articles » At Nine Years Old Emma Alonso is Proof Kids Get Arthritis Too; Alonso to be Honored Nov. 12 at Arthritis Walk Miami-Dade
At Nine Years Old Emma Alonso is Proof Kids Get Arthritis Too; Alonso to be Honored Nov. 12 at Arthritis Walk Miami-Dade
Emma Alonso has lived with arthritis for more than half of her life. This might not be surprising except for the fact that she is only nine years old. Emma will be honored as the Child Honoree for the Arthritis Walk Miami-Dade at the Nov. 12 event.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, July 15, 2011 /Children and Youth PR News/ -- Emma Alonso has lived with arthritis for more than half of her life. This might not be surprising except for the fact that she is only nine years old. Emma is the Child Honoree for the 2011 Let's Move Together Arthritis Walk Miami-Dade and will be honored at the November 12 event.
Emma was born a healthy, beautiful girl March 2, 2002. Right before her fourth birthday she began to complain that her legs were hurting. Her parents, David and Erika, noticed that she had difficulty with normal everyday activities. She also began to show signs of skin rashes on her face. She was diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), an auto-immune disease marked by muscle weakness and skin rash, at Miami Children's Hospital a few weeks later.
There currently is no cure for JDM but there is treatment.
Thanks to medication and an active lifestyle Emma has improved tremendously and continues to be a normal kid who enjoys ballet, riding her bike, playing with her baby sister and spending time with her family and friends. Her family is hopeful that one day she will be in remission.
Emma is just one of the more than 500,000 adults and children in Miami-Dade County, and one of the 300,000 children nationwide, living with arthritis. As the Child Honoree for the Arthritis Walk Miami-Dade she will bring awareness to the plight of those with arthritis.
The Walk will take place at Greynolds Park, 17530 West Dixie Highway in North Miami Beach and will include entertainment, refreshments, healthy activity, a kids' corner, educational opportunities and goodie bags. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and the Walk will start at 9 a.m., rain or shine.
Funds raised from the event will help the Arthritis Foundation, Florida Chapter provide summer camp for children like Emma with juvenile arthritis, community outreach, local programs, health education and arthritis research to improve the lives of people with arthritis.
Sponsors for the Walk are the Saul and Theresa Esman Foundation, CarePlus Health Plans, Goya Foods of Florida, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and Leon Medical Centers. National event sponsors are Amgen-Pfizer, Nature Made TripleFlex, Tylenol Arthritis Pain, Zimmer, Massage Envy and Arthritis Today.
Walk information is available at http://www.MiamiWalk.kintera.org.
About Let's Move Together
Let's Move Together is a nationwide movement led by the Arthritis Foundation that encourages daily physical activity for better health. Visit http://www.letsmovetogether.org for creative exercise tips, uplifting stories, information about local Arthritis Walk events, and a physical activity tracker to help keep you moving all year.
The Arthritis Foundation (http://www.arthritis.org) is the leading health organization addressing the needs of the 50 million American adults and 300,000 children living with arthritis, the nation's most common cause of disability. The Foundation helps individuals take control of arthritis by providing public health education; pursuing public policy and legislation; supporting research and conducting evidence-based programs to improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis.
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Press Release Contact Information:
Brad Koogler
Arthritis Foundation
Community Development Specialist
3405 NW 9th Ave., Ste. 1206
Fort Lauderdale, FL
USA 33309
Voice: 954-616-1233
Website: Visit Our Website |
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