Arthritis only affects the elderly, right? Wrong. That is probably the most common misconception of the disease, but in fact, arthritis can strike anyone at any age.
Out of the 70 million people with arthritis, half of them are under the age of 65. First-year College student Bryan Lescanec, the 2005 Charlottesville Arthritis Walk Hero, is one of them--and he's also no. 14 on the Virginia football team. Surprised?
Early yesterday morning, the Charlottesville Arthritis Walk Corporate Breakfast was held at Lord Hardwick's restaurant. Those in attendance were there for all sorts of reasons--there were company representatives, students from Western Albemarle High School, Arthritis Foundation members, those affected by arthritis and others that came in support of family and friends.
Lescanec arrived sporting a blue MPC Computers Bowl jacket, family members in tow. Last year's Charlottesville Arthritis Walk Hero, 8-year-old Lauren Shifflett, was also in attendance with her family. She playfully chased her brother around the restaurant as if she was oblivious to her disease.
As this year's Hero, Lescanec gave a speech describing his own ordeal with arthritis.
While playing for a Little League baseball team when he was 11, Lescanec began to suffer from pain in his feet and would return from practice with his feet bruised from wearing cleats.
"Originally I was told I had growing pains," Lescanec said. "They increased throughout my body, into my fingers, so kind of a last resort was to run blood tests for arthritis, since it was in my family, and that's how they found out."
Lescanec's father described his son as "a very active child, always had to have a ball in his hand," which made things difficult once he was diagnosed with the disease.
"It was then that I learned that you don't realize what you have until it's gone," Lescanec said.
After being put on a couple of medications, doctors finally found one that worked.
"For the past couple years, I've been getting regular blood work, and as long as I keep up with my medication, I'm able to train, compete and do what I love," Lescanec said.
At Western Albemarle High School, Lescanec was named All-State in both football and baseball in his junior and senior years, and also was honored with the 2004 Daily Progress Male Athlete of the Year award.
Lescanec said the disease does not prevent him from playing football.
"It never held me back," he said. "I have to stretch a lot and take care of my body, maybe more so than other athletes, but I really don't think about it that much."
While the arthritis has not impeded his athletic skills, Lescanec's experiences with the disease have given him a new perspective on life.
"I truly cherish every day, and I feel truly blessed," he said. "I'll take nothing in my life for granted."
Third-year College student Stacy Woodley, an Arthritis Walk Committee member in charge of University recruitment, is all too familiar with the disease.
"When I was a senior in high school, my mom started taking an experimental treatment for arthritis, and it actually caused her to have a heart attack and die," Woodley said.
Woodley has since been devoted to helping the Arthritis Foundation raise both awareness and funds to find a cure.
"A lot of people think that it's your grandma's disease, but it's really serious," Woodley said. "Pretty much every drug on the market is up in question for the [Food and Drug Administration] right now because, while helping to cure arthritis, it's causing another part of your body to deteriorate."
Woodley is the team captain of "Woodley's Warriors," a group of family and friends from her hometown who are participating in the 2005 Charlottesville Arthritis Walk on May 7 at the University.
Woodley has also encouraged others to form teams of their own. The marching band, in which Woodley is involved, has already created two teams. Third-year College students Katie Boyette and Tanya Harrison, who both went to the breakfast to support Woodley, decided to be team captains for the band groups.
"I hope that we kick everyone in Virginia's butt as far as raising money," Woodley said, and it appears as if they are well on their way.
"We've started the Arthritis Walk in 14 communities across Virginia, and Charlottesville's actually leading the way so far," said Lydia Grammer, vice president of Community Development at the Arthritis Foundation of Virginia. "We have now, after this morning, about 25 teams signed up, and $10,000 in sponsorship money alone. We're looking forward to a really successful event."
Grammer, who has had juvenile arthritis since she was two, said she can identify with others battling the disease and is devoted to the cause.
"Our goal is to basically find a cure for arthritis," Grammer said. "Every step that we take, in the Arthritis Walk and raising money for the Arthritis Walk and teaching more and more people about arthritis, I think it gets us a little bit closer to that goal."
The Arthritis Foundation, spinning off Lance Armstrong's yellow "Live Strong" bracelets, now offers their own variation of the latest trend.
Woodley glanced at the blue "Take Control" bracelet dangling from her wrist. She smiled. "I like it," she said.
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