Havertown Teen Takes Healthcare Issues to Capitol Hill
Hundreds to Urge Congress for More Arthritis Support
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Philadelphia—March 13, 2014—Zachary Eddy of Havertown, PA will be traveling to Washington, D.C. this month to ask Congress to support people with arthritis through policies that will ensure more research, better treatments and greater access to care. Over 50 million Americans suffer from arthritis, 300,000 of whom are children. Arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability.
Find out what's happening in Haverford-Havertownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Zachary Eddy, an 8th grader at Haverford Middle School, has suffered with Juvenile Arthritis since he was only 5. Zachary has been selected to join nearly 300 other Arthritis Foundation advocates March 24-26 on Capitol Hill for the annual Arthritis Foundation Advocacy Summit. Zachary’s mother Cindy and sister Naomi will also accompany him.
“I was riding my bike the day before a family trip to California and fell. The next morning, I woke up with a lot of pain in my ankle. After a visit to the ER, my parents were told it was either a slight fracture or bad sprain. We made our flight the next day but by the end of that vacation, not only was my ankle still swollen and in pain, I couldn’t move my wrist, hand or fingers and had to be carried from room to room,” said 14-year-old Zachary. “When we got back home, I saw my pediatrician who referred me to a rheumatologist and I was finally diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis. I was very lucky to live in an area where we even have pediatric rheumatologists—so many kids just don’t,” he stressed.
Advocates will urge Congress to support legislation that will make medications more affordable for patients with arthritis; reauthorize a pediatric subspecialty loan repayment program to address the critical shortage of pediatric rheumatologists in the U.S.; and include post traumatic osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in the Department of Defense research program.
“It was really hard to be so young and have arthritis. School was tough because kids didn’t understand why I limped or couldn’t run fast. And I didn’t understand why I had to take all of those medications that made me feel sick to my stomach or why I had to do physical therapy exercises every day,” said Zachary. “Now things are a lot better. I’m on the right medication and all my hard work with physical therapy has paid off—I can use my wrist and ankle normally, without pain,” added Zachary, who has a junior black belt in martial arts, plays trumpet in the school band, and is a Boy Scout. This year, Zachary will begin work on his Eagle Scout Service Project giving back to the hospital where he is treated, St. Christopher Hospital for Children. His project will include building two book carts and stocking them with children’s books.
Patients now have access to the benefits of research through the discovery and development of drugs like biologics, but excessive cost-sharing makes it extremely difficult for many to afford.
“The Arthritis Foundation is committed to educating our lawmakers on the devastating toll arthritis takes on our nation’s health and economy,” says Dr. Patience White, vice president of public policy and advocacy for the Arthritis Foundation. “The support of the U.S. Congress in improving access to care for the millions of adults and children living with arthritis is critical to alleviating the burden of arthritis in our country,” she added.
About the Advocacy Summit
Arthritis Foundation’s 16th annual Advocacy Summit will be held March 24-26 in Washington, D.C. The summit will bring together nearly 300 key arthritis advocates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia to meet with members of Congress to educate them that more needs to be done for people with arthritis.
About the Arthritis Foundation
Striking more than 50 million adults and 300,000 children, arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability. The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is committed to raising awareness and reducing the unacceptable impact of this serious and painful disease, which can severely damage joints and rob people of living life to its fullest. The Foundation funds life-changing research that has restored mobility in patients for more than six decades; fights for health care policies that improve the lives of the millions who live with arthritis; and partners with families to provide empowering programs and information. ###
