Sammy Farrell
Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Youth Honoree
 In the Summer of 2020, Sam was diagnosed with a rare form of arthritis called systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA). She has been bravely facing the disease and its treatment for the past three years.
Sam’s flares come in the form of uncontrolled system-wide inflammation, which damages organs like the lungs, heart and liver. These flares can be life threatening and when not successfully controlled, they can lead to a very serious complication called Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS). In 2021 Sam faced MAS during a months-long hospitalization, where she spent three weeks battling in the ICU. Currently Sam is stable and is a happily thriving preschooler. While Sam’s current treatment affords her stability, it also leaves her with a suppressed immune system. This often means being isolated from others and missing out on a lot of common activities. Remarkably outgoing and super friendly, Sam is a true one-of-a-kind goofball, but she has also proven to be a very resilient young girl. Read More |
Dr. Senada Arabelovic is a Rheumatologist in the Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She has been practicing for over 20 years. She is passionate about her profession as it allowed her to develop close, long-term relationships with her patients. She began her career in rheumatology when the field was discovering new treatments and better understanding for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. She has seen treatment of rheumatic diseases improve significantly over the past 20 years which would not be possible without all the incredible research the Arthritis Foundation supports.