How Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis was first detected in the eye

Posted on June 21st, 2010 by Lisa P. |

Guest Blogger: Casey Knopik, winner of VSP’s Amgen Tour of California Scavenger Hunt. Casey shares a personal story about how his niece was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The term arthritis conjures up images of a disease that affects individuals in the retirement age. But the truth is that arthritis can affect you no matter what age you are. And no one knows that better than my family.

Brooklynn

My niece Brooklynn was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) the day before her fourth birthday. Brooklynn’s mom was getting her ready for daycare when she noticed that Brooklynn’s eye was very red and irregular looking. They immediately went to the doctor and blood tests confirmed that Brooklynn had JRA. No one had seen it affect a child’s eye before and after seeing specialists and doctors, Brooklynn eventually had to undergo surgery to remove her left eye.

Now at 10 years old, Brooklynn is a happy and active little girl. She has a prosthesis eye but it is uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. She also has glasses that she wears to help protect the good eye from rocks and flying objects. They are transitional to help protect the eye from sunlight too. However, JRA will always affect her. “My shins and ankles are pretty good as long as I take my medicine and don’t overdue in gym or on the playground especially with a lot of running!” said Brooklynn. “Rainy days and when it is really cold or snows a lot makes them hurt. I try to stay in as much as possible when it is really cold.”

Team Brooklynn

On behalf of Brooklyn, I formed a team with my dad and friend to race in the People’s Coast Classic Bicycle Ride, a benefit ride for the Arthritis Foundation to help raise funds and awareness about this terrible disease. If you are interested in donating to this cause, please check out our Team Brooklyn donation page to find out more about us. If you’re unable to donate, please feel free to leave us a comment wishing us well with our training and on our ride. Thank you.