Arthritis. When you hear that word, what comes to mind? Pain. Suffering. Age. My whole life I grew up thinking that arthritis was something that only elderly people could have and, as a result, the only way a person could have it is if they are well over the age of 60. It wasn't until a year ago when I became a sister of Alpha Omicron Pi, that I learned just how wrong I was. The Arthritis Foundation is the national philanthropy for Alpha Omicron Pi and once I joined this sorority I learned just how debilitating this disease truly is, and just how blinded I was by the stereotypes that the media has imprinted upon us. So, for those of you who are as in the dark about this disease as I was, here are a few facts that open your eyes to the truth about arthritis:

Arthritis is not just an old person's disease.

According to a 2008 report from the National Arthritis Data Workgroup, about 294,000 children age 0 to 17 are affected with arthritis or other rheumatic conditions . Does that surprise you? Children all over the world are suffering with hundreds of types of arthritis, which at the moment does not have a cure. The most common kind of arthritis is juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and is a lifelong condition.

Arthritis can affect almost every part of your body.

Until Alpha Omicron Pi opened my mind I assumed that arthritis was something that could only affect joints within the fingers and knees. This is far from the truth. Arthritis can cause swelling and stiffness in almost every join on a person's body, young or old. The Arthritis Foundation has an interactive body part pain explanation diagram. If you are interested in learning more, here is the link: http://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/where-it-...

Arthritis has lots of causes.

Arthritis can be caused by an old injury, family history, age, etc. Anyone who tells you that it's caused by cracking your finger joints or your knees is only taking into account one potential cause.

It is the #1 cause of disability in the United States.

Over 50 million adults are affected by Arthritis in America alone. The suffering of arthritis can cause joint locking, swelling, and extreme discomfort. All of this limits the mobility of the afflicted joints and, without a cure, this disability will continue to ravage those suffering with it.

So what can we do?

If you are interested in helping to end this horrible disease the Arthritis Foundation is always taking donations and looking for volunteers/advocates. The link below gives you several places and ideas about how to get involved.

http://www.arthritis.org/get-involved/

If it weren't for Alpha Omicron Pi, I may never have been introduced to the severity of this horrible disease. I have forever been changed since I learned about how debilitating this disease can be and now that I have formed such a deep connection to this philanthropy I have spent countless hours volunteering and fundraising in an effort to find the cure. I sincerely hope that you find your connection to the Arthritis Foundation, and the amazing things it accomplishes because, whether you know it or not you are being affected by arthritis too, and we cannot rest until the cure has been found.