Syra Walia
Juvenile Idiopathic Polyarticular Arthritis
Youth Honoree
 Syra is a fifteen-year-old high school junior who was first diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic polyarticular arthritis at nine years old when she started to have swelling and pain in her wrist, knee, and ankle. Syra is currently serving as a national delegate for Girl Scouts San Diego and has completed her Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. In her free time, Syra enjoys baking, traveling, volunteers with animals and performing a traditional North Indian dance called Bhangra. In the future, she hopes to go into something STEM related whether it is food science, pharmaceuticals, or helping to find a solution to arthritis.
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The High-Quality Chiropractic Care You’ve Been Searching For. Our Element Wellness Center team provides the highest quality, compassionate chiropractic care to our patients in San Diego County. Our focus is to provide a holistic approach for the prevention and treatment of disease, pain, and illness, combining the Elements of your life to ensure that you and your family enjoy a long, happy, and healthy life.
Dr. Johanna Chang is the clinical chief pediatric rheumatologist at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and clinical professor at UC San Diego. Dr. Chang is interested in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of rheumatologic disorders. She is a member of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance and is currently recruiting patients for ongoing clinical studies. Dr. Chang is also a mother of three children and enjoys yoga, cooking and music.
Kalea is a dedicated ICU Nurse from San Diego who in her free time loves being outdoors, so she decided to compete in her first triathlon. She spent four months practicing and started to experience swelling and aches in her joints. She completed her triathlon on July 17, 2022, with beaming pride! Eventually her whole body was inflamed head to toe, and she could no longer walk or move. After multiple doctor visits, Kalea was diagnosed on December 22, 2022, with rheumatoid arthritis. This journey of discovery has been difficult but with the power of positive mindset and treatment Kalea continues to live out her dreams.
As Ryland was playing in his soccer game, he crumpled to the ground in pain. Days turned to weeks and his pain was still lingering. At age 8, Ryland started attending physical therapy weekly, but his symptoms worsened. Fortunately, with the help of his healthcare team, Ryland was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). In the early stages, the pain was so significant that he couldn't get out of bed on his own. Being diagnosed led to the turnaround. He was put on a biweekly injection and slowly but surely, Ryland’s pain faded away. Ryland hopes that all with JIA can live an everyday pain free life and that arthritis doesn't hinder anyone's aspirations.