Matthew Weyhreter
Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Youth Honoree

On his 3rd birthday, Matthew started having fevers and total body inflammation. After 10 days of suffering he was admitted to the hospital. A full week of testing led to his diagnosis, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Hearing this diagnosis was hard and the future was unclear. After trying multiple steroids and biologics, Matthew’s rheumatologist found a dosage that worked best for him. After five years of treatment, Matthew has hopefully received his last injection in May 2022. He can now participate in school activities and sports! Matthew and his family are grateful for Children's Hospital of Orange County and the physical therapists who have helped him get back to being a kid without chronic inflammation and pain.

 Robin Dore, MD
David Geffen School of Medicine
Medical Honoree

Dr. Robin Dore is a private practitioner in Orange County. She also holds an appointment as clinical faculty/clinical professor of medicine, clinical instructor in rheumatology with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Dore has been committed to the California area for her own personal education, having graduated with her undergraduate degree from Pomona College; medical degree from University of California, Irvine; internship, internal medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship from the UCLA Medical Center. She keeps active memberships with the American Medical Association, ASBMR, California Medical Association and the Orange County Medical Association and has been active with the local Arthritis Foundation.

You can view Dr. Dore's bio and join her team here.

Alan H. Beyer, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Hoag Orthopedics
Medical Honoree

Alan H. Beyer, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, arthroscopic surgery of the knee and total knee replacement. Since his involvement with Hoag Orthopedics began in 1983, he has been a pivotal member of and is currently the medical director for Hoag Orthopedic Institute which is consistently rated in the top percentile of the nation for orthopedic surgery.

Dr. Beyer generously lends his services to many organizations including serving on the Board of the Arthritis Foundation of Orange County/Inland Empire.

Ross Case
Osteoarthritis
Adult Honoree

Originally from Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, Ross was diagnosed with arthritis in his knee six years ago. His passion for tennis developed as a child when his father built a backboard on their dairy farm. He moved to Orange County in 1972 and joined the Big Canyon Country Club where he started to play pro tennis. Highlights of his career include winning 2 grand slam doubles titles, 26 career doubles titles as well as 4 career singles titles. Ross was ranked as high #14 in the world in singles and was a member of 9 Davis Cup Teams for Australia and became the 1977 Davis Cup champion.

His wife of 40 years, two daughters and grandson serve as his support system to help him through his journey with arthritis.

Dariusz Lukowski
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Youth Honoree

Dariusz, a passionate athlete, ran into physical challenges on the field at the young age of 11. Debilitating pain in his hips and legs forced him to the sideline in 2016.

Dariusz’s orthopedist ran bloodwork for the genetic marker HLA-B27, which is an indicator for certain autoimmune disorders. While waiting for test results, Dariusz’s father ran into a work colleague, whose daughter had similar symptoms. The colleague reached out to the Arthritis Foundation to get an appointment with a rheumatologist. Dariusz was able to meet with a rheumatologist and was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis.

The last 4 years have been filled with plenty of ups and downs, but he has persevered and is playing baseball at JSerra HS.