Chloe
by Ann Casey Updated: Wednesday, 14th October, 2009 4:55pm
A brave 10 year-old Bettystown girl who has suffered from arthritis since she was just two years-old is now a keen swimmer and takes part in all PE activities at her school.
Ten year-old Chloe Sheridan is living a normal life despite her illness and her mother, Patricia, spoke of her daughter's condition this week to highlight National Arthritis Week and the Jasper Pin fundraising campaign for a new range of services for children and parents living with Juvenile Arthritis.
Chloe is in fourth class in Scoil an Spioraid Naomh, Laytown, and, like most girls her age, is bubbly, interested in school and keen to learn. But, unlike most girls her age, Chloe has arthritis. She was first diagnosed when she was just two years-old, and has been receiving treatment for this chronic condition ever since.
A daughter of Patricia and Colm Sheridan, Chloe's mum recalls that when she was around two years-old, they noticed that she was starting to walk in a funny way. "We then discovered a swelling in the joint of her left knee and took her to the doctor who suggested she might have arthritis. We brought her to Temple Street Children's Hospital where she had scans and blood tests and was diagnosed with arthritis."
Patricia recalls that Chloe was started on steroids straight away to get the inflammation under control. "The arthritis is well under control now. She takes folic acid every day and methotresate every week. She loves swimming and participates in all PE activity at school," Patricia says.
It was, however, a terrible shock for the family when Chloe was diagnosed. "I had never heard of kids having arthritis before and seeing the pain they go through was not a pretty sight, but now with the right medication, it is under control and she is great," she said.
Juvenile Arthritis (JA) is the number one cause of acquired childhood disability. It is widely misunderstood but is one of the most common childhood autoimmune diseases and severely restricts the lives of up to 1,000 children and their families in Ireland today.
Arthritis Ireland is calling on people nationwide to sell Jasper Pins this week to make a real difference to the lives of children living with this disease. Anyone who would like to help should log onto www.arthritisireland.ie, contact Caroline on (01) 647 0209 or email fundraising@arthritisireland.ie
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