Mary Nagel has been advocating for the Arthritis Foundation since 1984. She volunteered for the AF while working on her thesis for her master's degree in nursing. She served on the Local Leadership Board in Buffalo, NY until she moved to New Hampshire in the Fall of 1988. Since 1989, she has been a very active volunteer. She was a board member and chairperson for the patient and community services committee. She a has taught the self-help courses and ran support groups in various cities throughout NH. Additionally, she has taught other volunteers how to be teachers of the self-help program and how to be support group leaders.
In 1994, she was awarded “Volunteer of the Year" for the Arthritis Foundation in NH. She has participated in the Jingle Bell Run for the last 28 years and enjoys the Walk to Cure Arthritis event. As a nurse practitioner, she refers individuals to the services provided by the Arthritis Foundation and encourage individuals to support the Arthritis Foundation's mission. She is now on the Local Leadership Board to help raise awareness and funding for the Arthritis Foundation.
She is challenging her team members and other runners to go the extra mile to raise money for such a great cause!
To support Mary or join her team, "Jingle All the Way", please click here!
Georgia is 7 years old and has been living with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) (and macrophage activation syndrome) for about 6 years. Despite living with a serious, chronic illness, Georgia is an active first grader and enjoys soccer, T-ball, and playing with her dog Winter. She also enjoys art, including drawing and painting. Georgia is excited to be the youth honoree for northern New England so she can raise money for the Arthritis Foundation, and raise awareness of SJIA. Even though she is young, she is already a powerful advocate for kids living with rare diseases!
To support Georgia or join her team please click here!
Kimberly Field loves to stay busy at her small farm with her flower gardens, vegetable gardens and the animals including her three cats and two Old English Sheepdogs. When she in not gardening in the good weather you will usually pass you on her motorcycle as she heads off for camping or some other get together. Slowing down for arthritis is not an option. “Just keep swimming”.
When she was asked to tell her story about her arthritis; her first thought was “just keep swimming” . Kimberly went to the orthopedic doctor in her late thirties for “weird” knees noises and pain. Multiple x-rays later discovered arthritis in both knees and hips. She thought “wow” only old people have arthritis- he can’t be right. The doctor was amazed that there wasn’t more pain in my hips as the x-rays present like someone in their eighties. He also told her that a bilateral hip replacement before fifty would be necessary.
She thought he was crazy until her 48th birthday. Walking with a cane and debilitating pain, she completed back to back hip replacement surgeries. “Just keep swimming”.
The hip pain is gone, but arthritis did not give up. The pain moved to knees and ankles. To combat this pain, her doctor put her on medication, and she finds relief in various herbal and homeopathic remedies. She focuses on “eating clean” and educating herself on anti-inflammatory foods. “Just keep Swimming.”
Now, her free time is different. She needs to carefully weigh her options not to overdue her joints. Her best advice to keep learning as much as possible about new treatments for battling arthritis. Always weigh out the risks versus the benefits—keep positive thoughts, keep hope, and “just keep moving”.
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