My name is Donna Fox- Keidel and I am a life-long resident of Louisville, Kentucky. I am writing this letter as one of the 66 million Americans, who live their life with the daily challenges of arthritis and related diseases.

I know you may think that arthritis is merely a few aches and pains and as we get older we may deal with it. The reality is, arthritis is so much more than that. Arthritis is a painful and debilitating chronic disease that can limit a person's quality of life and life expectancy. It is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Arthritis does not discriminate! Arthritis and related diseases affect all Americans, not just older Americans. It disproportionately affects women and nearly three of every five people with arthritis are younger than 65 years of age. Most importantly, did you know Kids get Arthritis, Too?

Approximately 300,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with childhood rheumatic diseases. 3,000 of those children live in the state of Kentucky. Our great commonwealth also has the unfortunate distinction of ranking 2^nd in the United States with the highest prevalence of arthritis in adults.

Like my fellow American, Martin Luther King, “I Had A Dream”. That was until the nightmare of arthritis interrupted my very young life. I know first hand the life altering affects of arthritis. I was diagnosed at age 4 with Scleroderma (related to arthritis), a life threatening autoimmune disease of fibrosis or hardening of the skin and internal organs and at age 6, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), which predominantly affects joints and eyes.

To summarize my life with arthritis is no small feat and quite difficult to do. Do I speak of being five years old and waking up in the middle of the night crying out from pain and an inability to move? I crawled more than I walked because it was easier to crawl or scoot than walk on my legs with excruciating pain. What about all the times I had to sit on the sidelines in gym class because I was not able to partake in the activities? Maybe I should speak of all the medications my frail body had to endure, or should I speak of all the side effects of these medications. The stories are never-ending and the problems only grew larger as I got older.

I may have arthritis, but arthritis does not have me. I have spent much of my life fighting my arthritis and thanks to the Arthritis Foundation, I have learned to take control of my disease and like millions of Americans just like me, I will continue to lead the best possible quality of life I can despite my chronic pain. The Arthritis Foundation provides people of all ages living with arthritis with the necessary support, programs and services to empower them to take back their quality of life. They are lighting the way for those affected by arthritis and giving a voice to those in need.