The Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis will bring the Franklin community together on Saturday, Dec. 6, to raise funds to fight and cure arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability. The annual holiday-themed event will be held in Historic Downtown Franklin’s Public Square at 7:30 a.m. The Arthritis Foundation expects more than 1,200 participants to take part in Jingle Bell Run/Walk this year.
Voted as one of the nation’s “Most Incredible Themed Races,” the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis raises funds for Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) research, which affects more than 300,000 children in the U.S. Contrary to popular belief, arthritis is not an “old person’s” disease. Two-thirds of people with arthritis are under the age of 65.
The Arthritis Foundation, Southeast Region’s Tennessee offices serve all 95 counties across the state and actively works to reduce the unacceptable impact of arthritis on the lives of 1.2 million adults and nearly 6,000 children in our state.
One of those children, six-year-old Madeline Carrico, will serve as the youth honoree for this year’s Jingle Bell Run/Walk. She was diagnosed at 15 months with Polyarticular Rheumatoid Arthritis (or JRA) after weeks of doctor’s and even a stop at the emergency room.
In the four years since her initial JRA diagnosis, Madeline has increased her medication levels from one Biologic drug to another that must be infused. Once a month, Madeline bravely enters the chemotherapy lab and receives an IV, which infuses this medicine into her body so that she can keep the arthritis in her joints at bay.
“Madeline’s ultimate hope is that one day the medications used to treat this debilitating disease will cure her arthritis, instead of helping it not to hurt as much,” said Claire Carrico, Madeline’s mother and Nashville resident. “We just want her to live her life the way every six-year-old should – with movement and joy and freedom from pain. This is why we participate in the Jingle Bell Run/Walk and are so passionate about raising funds for arthritis research.”
“When people think of arthritis, they automatically think minor aches and pains, which is far from the truth,” said Meagan Fulmer, chief development officer for the Arthritis Foundation. “Various forms of arthritis can seriously affect joints, muscles, internal organs, eyes, and also claims the lives of nearly 10,000 people each year. This is why the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis is so important for this community to raise funds and fight to put an end to this serious disease.”
To learn more about the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis or to register, visit www.franklinjbrw.org. Gold event sponsors for 2014 include GM Spring Hill Manufacturing, Walker Chevrolet, Loden Vision, Vanderbilt Bone & Joint and Mix 92.9.
About the Arthritis Foundation
The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is the largest and most trusted nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the needs and challenges of those living with arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability. Since 1948, the Foundation has remained committed to leading groundbreaking research for better treatments and a cure; fighting for patients’ access to affordable and effective health care; and providing trusted information and resources to the more than 50 million adults and 300,000 children living with the disease.
