Mikayla Grassi
Juvenile Arthritis
JA Honoree
 Mikayla Grassi is a strong and loving 13 year old from Barrington, NH. Her symptoms began in early childhood but didn’t receive answers until age ten. Mikayla’s diagnosis is relapsing polychondritis with chronic joint pain, Raynaud’s phenomenon, and osteochondritis dissecans. Regardless of Mikayla’s health issues, her determined spirit pushes her to regain strength from her recent knee surgery. She hopes to return to soccer, futsal and basketball. Mikayla loves hanging out with friends, making her own jewelry, painting, and participating in Girl Scouts. Mikayla is proud to be the 2024 Youth Honoree at the Walk to Cure Arthritis New Hampshire.
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Dr. Brendan Higgins is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgeon specializing in injuries and disorders of the shoulder, hip and knee. As a former collegiate athlete and Marine Corps Special Forces Platoon Commander he understands the teamwork, dedication and leadership required to provide compassionate care to each of his patients. He applies the same patient-centered focus to elite athletes and weekend warriors alike in order to get them back moving and return them to their desired level of activity.
Dr. Stephanie Mathew is a rheumatologist with fifteen years of clinical expertise. Her passion lies in the intricate field of rheumatology, where she has dedicated her career to improving the lives of patients dealing with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. She has been at Dartmouth Hitchcock since 2015 and has been the fellowship program director since 2020. Prior to this was a major in the Air Force and was the chief of rheumatology at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Jen Ellms-Munroe lives in the Upper Valley of NH with her husband on a small hobby farm. Jen was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (spondylitis) in 2020 after many year of symptoms. Jen competes in the equestrian sport of Eventing with her pony, Pia. They compete throughout New England and have qualified and competed at the American Eventing Championships in 2021. With a strong network of family support, a great medical team, and a commitment to remain as active as possible, Jen has been able to thrive in spite of inflammatory arthritis.
Brandon, 7, was born with pectus excavatum and diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis at the age of 4. He has a wonderful team of doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has never let his diagnoses slow him down, in fact he never stops moving! He loves playing baseball, basketball, and football and most recently racing go-karts in the Claremont Motorsports Karting Series. Brandon has had a strong support system in his family, friends, school, and coaches. The Arthritis Foundation has been amazing and Brandon is excited and proud to be an honoree at the 2024 Walk to Cure Arthritis!