Lex Suchocki
Polyarticular Juvenile
Idiopathic Arthritis
Youth Honoree
 Lex was born adventurous and charismatic—a natural performer and athlete, from singing and dancing to biking, swimming, and tearing around the playground. At age seven, in September 2022, she started complaining about her ankles hurting with no apparent injury, just the onset of pain, swelling and immobility. She was repetitively sent home from school with a low-grade fever and fatigue as the swelling and immobility spread to her fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and knees. After many visits to different doctors within Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, she was diagnosed in December 2022 with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, an autoimmune disease. Read More
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Dr. James Bistolarides graduated from the University of Michigan, and obtained his medical degree at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency at the University of Chicago and worked for four years as a community-based pediatric hospitalist in metro Detroit before returning to rheumatology fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He will complete his pediatric rheumatology training in June 2025. James was drawn back to training in rheumatology to contribute to treating pediatric rare diseases, and to assist the children and their families in their journey. He is board-certified in Pediatrics and will be board-eligible in pediatric rheumatology upon graduation.
Lindsey Suchocki is the HR Coordinator at MSI General Corporation, a family-owned design-build construction firm in southeast Wisconsin. MSI General’s “True Blue” giving program encourages and endorses employees to donate time and money to local charities in need. When Lindsey‘s young daughter Lex was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in 2022, MSI General began supporting the Arthritis Fund and Camp MASH of Wisconsin to raise community awareness that kids get arthritis too.
Hannah was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 15. As a competitive figure skater and active teen, she faced this new challenge with a lot of uncertainty about what it would mean for her sport and her life. The past few years have included many trips to Children’s Hospital for doctor appointments, cortisone shots, fluid removal and, most recently, a wrist surgery. Through it all, Hannah has continued skating and progressing in her sport and while her life is different, she’s on a medication that is working well for her and is looking forward to heading off to college next year. Hannah credits her awesome Rheumatologist and Orthopedic Surgeon for their help, support and hopefulness as she navigates this new chapter of her life.