Callie is 19 and a creative soul who loves photography and fashion. When she was 14, she had numbness and tingling in her hands. Within a week, she had no feeling in her right arm. After countless tests, she was referred to the lovely Dr. Parsa, who with much compassion, diagnosed Callie with Connective Tissue Autoimmune Disease.
Callie has a hard time opening up about her arthritis, as the conversation tends to make people uncomfortable. She wants to share her story to help fellow warriors feel less ashamed. (She is also tired of the “but you’re so young” response). Callie runs the Instagram page to create an online community of support in the SB area.
To join Callie in the fight to conquer arthritis click here
My name is Tobin and I’m fourteen years old. I’ve always lived in Santa Barbara and my favorite things to do are play volleyball at the beach and basketball at the gym. I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was ten years old. I’m a very athletic kid so it sucked that a disease like this shut me down. I went to physical therapy twice a week where I worked my butt off, and now I’ve almost outgrown it! I was on Celebrex for two and a half years and now I only take it as needed.
To join Tobin in the fight to conquer arthritis click here.
Tori is 39 and a mama bear of two who loves walks on the beach and anything creative. As of now, she has been diagnosed with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease. However, her diagnosis changes often since it has been incredibly difficult to get any answers. Her symptoms such as her arthritis, facial swelling, rashes, pain, neurological problems, etc. started in high school. Since then, Tori has dealt with countless anti-inflammatories, pain meds, surgeries, weight gain/loss, delayed healing, and depression. As disheartening her journey has been, Tori knows she’s not alone and wants to share her story to raise awareness.
To join Tori in the fight to conquer arthritis click here.
In 2015, Brady was working on their backyard and the next morning he was in a lot of pain. He could barely climb out of bed and couldn't stand without holding onto something. The pain in his lower back was severe and was shooting down his leg. He was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine. He now does an injection every 14 days and this has helped with the pain.
Brady and Jen (plus their awesome kids) are participating and chairing the Walk to help raise funds so we can bring more awareness to all the different types of arthritis and that it affects people of all ages.
To join the Bowman's in the fight to conquer arthritis click here
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