Christopher D. Mudd, MD
Medical Honoree

Christopher D. Mudd, M.D., is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the operative and nonoperative management of hip and knee injuries and conditions. He graduated from Saint Louis University with his Bachelor of Science degree and went on to attend their medical school. After earning his medical degree, Dr. Mudd completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital before receiving advanced training in adult hip and knee reconstruction through a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Dr. Mudd has dedicated his practice to helping patients manage arthritis, and he is committed to patient education and preventative medicine in the fight against arthritis. He specializes in both surgical and nonsurgical care for adult hip and knee arthritis. Additionally, Dr. Mudd remains on the forefront in the latest evidence-based treatment options and minimally invasive techniques to provide the best in comfort for his patients. He is an expert in performing direct anterior hip replacement, partial knee replacement, joint revision, and fracture surgery.

When he is not seeing patients, Dr. Mudd enjoys spending time with his family and children as well as staying active with exercise and weight training.

Join Dr. Mudd in the fight against arthritis, register or donate today!

Angela Gifford
Ankylosing Spondylitis &
Crohn's Disease
Adult Honoree

Angela’s arthritis story is as unique as she is. Angela will first tell you that she has been given a lot of titles in her life. Angela’s newest title came in the summer of 2017. After her second youngest child was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), Angela started thinking how she had similar symptoms as her daughter. Over the 5 years prior to that summer, Angela started to feel a lot more severe chronic pain in her spine, feet, shoulders, hands, knees and ribs...to name a few.

Angela made an appointment with a rheumatologist. After the normal blood work, X-Rays, MRIs and so on, Angela as diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Since 2017, Angela has done the trail and air with biologics, only to have severe injection reactions and not so much relief. Playing the approval game with insurances and having to go to an infusion along with anti-Inflammatories and pain meds, she tried to get a handle on her arthritis. Angela is still trying to find her go-to medication and treatment that will give her the best relief.

Even with all that, Angela would not change for a minute her newest title of an adult living with AS. She may not have chosen to have AS but she has chosen not to let AS have the last word. Angela plans to use this platform to help others who are in her shoes and educate those who do not know the facts of AS, but more importantly letting others know she “gets it”.

Angela is honored to be the Arthritis Foundation’s Adult Honoree for this year’s Jingle Bell Run. When Angela is not advocating for adults with arthritis, she enjoys being a stay-at-home mom to her teen daughter and watching her three adult children make their way in the world.

Learn more about Angela and Britney, our Mother-Daughter Duo Honorees.

Join Angela in the fight against arthirtis, register or donate today.

Britney Gifford
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Youth Honoree

Britney started experiencing significant pain and stiffness about five years ago. She had a hard time opening and closing things, or simply just walking and standing. All her life, she has danced and cheered so when she began to have difficulty doing the things she loved, her family knew something wasn’t right.

After multiple trips to the doctor and tests to determine why she was feeling so lousy and in so much pain, her family found a pediatric rheumatologist who listened and provided her with a solid diagnosis. Britney was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in June of 2017. Following her diagnosis, she tried different medications, each one failing to give her the best relief it could. After months of trying to see what drug combination would give her the best benefits, she had to take Methotrexate. Methotrexate is a type of chemotherapy that is used to treat arthritis in small amounts. In Britney’s case, her body didn’t respond to it, so after a while, she was taken off of the drug and started taking Enbrel. Enbrel has been the most beneficial medicine for her. She now takes Enbrel on Wednesdays, which include two shots in her legs or stomach.

Although this is not the journey Britney and her family would have planned, she has learned to take it with pride and find the joy in everything. Since her diagnosis, she has started a blog in hopes of getting more awareness out there that arthritis is not just an old people disease. Her hope and prayer are that one day there will be a cure for juvenile arthritis so that no other kids have to go through the pain.

Join Britney in her fight against arthritis, register or donate today!