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Holly Dwyer never knows when shes going to wake up in pain and unable to move.

The 21-year-old college student from Hill Point has a condition many associate with old age: arthritis. Dwyer has lived with the condition since she was about 6 years old, and now shes working to spread the word about juvenile patients.

Holly has been chosen as the adult honoree for this years Walk to Cure Arthritis in Dane County. Prior to the May 6 event, Hollys family will host a few fundraisers to raise money for their team. The funds will support research efforts to find a cure.

Most days Holly can find a way to stretch and manage her pain and stiffness but there are times where she needs to stay home. She said shes studying psychology at Viterbo University in La Crosse and doesnt like to miss out on school or work but sometimes her body gives her no choice.

There are days where I try to make it down the steps of my apartment and Im crying, she said. Its days like that where you have to hope for a better tomorrow.

Hollys struggles started in kindergarten when her gym teacher noticed her unusual gait while running. Her mother, Kathy Dwyer, was advised to take her daughter in for medical evaluation. Kathy said she hadnt noticed anything off about Holly but heeded the teachers advice. Holly said she initially believed she was flat footed but doctors finally figured out what was wrong around her 8th birthday.

Kathy remembered being shocked by the diagnosis.

Your initial reaction is you just cant believe a child can have this, she said.

Holly said she has juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which differs from rheumatoid or osteoarthritis. No one knows what causes this condition and it affects everyone differently.

To this day, Holly needs to take NSAIDs and low-grade chemotherapy medication to treat this autoimmune disease. She started with pills but ended up needing injections. Kathy said adults administered the shots in the beginning but Holly was brave enough that she could do them on her own by age 10.

The chemotherapy has lovely side effects like grogginess and nausea, she said.

Shes also had several surgeries. She had her first total hip replacement at age 16, followed by the other at age 18. She also needed nerve relocation in her hand and elbow to prevent muscle atrophy and loss of sensation. Holly said almost all her joints are affected in some way by arthritis.

The surgeries were necessary for her to attend college and pursue a career, so she perseveres through the pain. Stiffness is common in the morning so she uses stretching and monitors her physical activity. Its been this way ever since she was a little kid.

My family used to joke and call me Grandma, she said.

Sometimes she needs crutches to get to class but she does all she can to make it, she said.

Juvenile arthritis is more frequent than most people think. More than 300,000 children and teens are living with arthritis in the U.S. Of those, about 6,000 live in Wisconsin, said Hana Johnson, market relations coordinator for the Arthritis Foundations Madison-area office.

Johnson said the walk not only tries to raise money but also spread the word about the far-reaching effects of arthritis.

A lot of people think of arthritis as an old persons disease, she said.

She said the office chose Holly as an honoree because she has been active with the Foundation since she was a little girl. She previously attended Camp MASH for children with autoimmune disorders and now volunteers as a counselor. Holly has also been willing to tell her story.

Holly will speak during the Dane County walk and will help kick it off with other honorees. Participants do not need to be residents of Dane County to participate, Johnson said.

Holly said shes glad to be part of the Arthritis Foundations efforts to support patients and their families.

We dont have to accept the pain as a forever situation, she said. We may have arthritis but arthritis doesnt have us.

Follow Heather Stanek on Twitter @HStanek1.

View post:
Hill Point 20-something endures through arthritis - Reedsburg Times Press

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