~about Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis~
As Anna's Mom, I went through all kinds of emotions when she was diagnosed (even with a mild case!). I spent hours at the computer researching every page I could find with some sort of information on JRA. That's why I wanted to do this page. I wanted to include many links to the varied sites available to make research less time-consuming for other parents and families. Over five years later (2005), I can tell you that life DOES go back to almost normal--with just a few extra things to think about and take into consideration. Things don't knock me off balance like they used to, but that's also in part to getting some of my own health issues taken care of (so parents--make sure you take care of yourself, too!)
For any parent whose child has been diagnosed with a chronic illness, it is vital for you to surround yourself with friends and family who will listen to you and encourage you and keep you from feeling totally overwhelmed by everything. For me, it was my quest for information which helped me feel a little more in control, and my friends and family who helped me to regain my emotional balance. I found a message board where other friendly and caring JRA moms (and a few dads occasionally) talk and ask questions and share information and give advice. It has been an additional great system of support, hope, and encouragement.
The JRA journey is not always (and for many kids, never) a short or easy journey--rather, there are many ups and downs. We have come to value the expertise of many caring professional people to help us in this battle.
If you are on this JRA journey, I hope you find this information helpful. Please e-mail me to ask questions, to tell me what you think about this page, or just to say "hi". We'd love to hear from you. For a little more about Anna's JRA story and updates, please visit Anna's JRA Journey. I haven't wanted to change this page too much, since it has been helpful to parents whose children have been newly diagnosed--and that's when they seem to research the Internet the most. However, as of October 2005, I've decided to create blog which will serve as an update page and a guestbook. Please visit Anna's JRA BLOG, where you can see how she's doing, and post a "hello" or anything else. I did move the links for other websites to different pages (this page was getting cramped!).
Tammy Zeigler (Anna's Mom) last update: October 2005
Links for Personal Pages about JRA
MESSAGE BOARD
at Network54
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