Cleveland Arthritis Walk Steps off May 4 at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

CLEVELAND – Lace up your sneakers and step off to raise arthritis

awareness and funds at the 10^th Annual Cleveland Arthritis Walk,
Saturday, May 4, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. May is designated National Arthritis Month.

The walk is presented locally by
the Arthritis Foundation, Great Lakes Region, Northeastern Ohio and University
Hospital’s Department of Orthopaedics and features Walk Honorary Chair, Matthew
J. Kraay, M.S., M.D., an Arthritis Foundation local board member. Other local
sponsors include Lutheran Hospital, Abbvie, Genentech, Walgreens, North Coast ExecuSearch, Inc., 19ActionNews and Taft.

The non-competitive 5K walk (3.1
miles), with a one-mile option, is expected to raise $156,000 to support local
Arthritis Foundation programs, services and research. Zoo and Rainforest
admission are included with walk registration and donation. Walkers who raise $100 receive an official 2013
Arthritis Walk T-shirt. For the safety of zoo animals, dogs are not permitted
on zoo property.

Ella Snyder, 8, of Chagrin Falls,
Ohio, is the 2013 Cleveland Arthritis Walk Honoree. Diagnosed before her second
birthday with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) affecting four or fewer
joints, she has struggled through the pain of her arthritis and its treatment. Despite
prescription medications, physical therapy, and injections of steroids and
biologic medications, Ella has found ways to take control of her JIA. A second
grader, she plays basketball, swims and practices Kuk Sul Do, a Korean martial
art, every week.  

“Ella has been a fighter the entire
way, understanding at a young age that arthritis is a part of her, but that it
does not define her,” said her mother, Beth. Today Ella is in remission with
the hope of being medication-free soon. “We’re so thankful for her health and
all the support we receive from the medical community and the Arthritis
Foundation,” she said.

Join Ella and her team, Ella’s
Skywalkers, and thousands more at the 2013 Cleveland Arthritis Walk to raise
awareness and funds that will improve the quality of life of  people with arthritis. Arthritis affects
nearly 50 million Americans nationwide, including 300,000 children like Ella.
In Northeastern Ohio, nearly 1.3 million people of all ages are diagnosed with
arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability. Arthritis is Unacceptable
and more must be done to combat this disease for Ella and other affected
individuals – the Faces of Arthritis.

Festivities include live music by Forgetting Frank, complimentary
refreshments, exhibit booths, raffle prizes and Kids’ Korner. The Cleveland
Cavaliers’ mascots - Moondog and Sir C.C. – as well as the Saint Ignatius High
School Circus Company will also be on-hand.

Sign up as an individual walker or
form a Walk team of family members, friends or co-workers. For information
about sponsorship opportunities or to register, contact Angela Smith, Community
Development Manager, at 216-285-2829 or 800-245-2275, ext. 6409 or angelasmith@arthritis.org.  Or register online at: www.arthritiswalkcleveland.kintera.org.

The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is committed to raising
awareness and reducing the unacceptable impact of arthritis, which strikes one
in every five adults and 300,000 children, and is the nation’s leading cause of
disability.  To conquer this painful, debilitating disease, we support
education, research, advocacy and other vital programs and services.

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