PNW PGA 100 Hole Marathon

Did you know that kids get arthritis? If not, you are certainly not alone! Cowan, my 15 year old son, has always loved playing sports, including playing two years on a PGA Junior League team and will be playing on his High School Golf Team. A few months before he turned nine, while playing football, he began to have difficulty running. Soon after he was diagnosed with Polyarticular Juvenile Arthritis, meaning he had swelling in five or more joints.

The process has been hard on Cowan. His treatment began with weekly injections of medicine to suppress his immune system and slow the swelling. He has shown unbelievable perseverance during this process, and while I won’t go too deep into the details, I want you to have an understanding of his journey.

As adults, we know that as we age our bodies cannot do what they once could… but imagine yourself as an active 8 years old, and suddenly your body won’t work like its supposed to. You can’t run, can’t jump, can’t keep up with other kids in the sports and activities you love. Every week you get a shot, and those shots make you so nauseas that you throw up because you know they’re coming. To say it has been hard for him is an understatement.

It has been crushing to watch Cowan go through this. As a father, it is heartbreaking, to not have answers, to feel helpless against something that is causing so much pain. I am SO proud of Cowan and how he has never complained, NOT. EVEN. ONCE. He is my inspiration and why I am playing in support of the Arthritis Foundation!

If you didn’t know that kids get arthritis soon, you definitely do now! Cowan and I ask that you join our team, support the research and donate in honor of all the kids who deal with Juvenile Arthritis every day! Someday soon our children won’t have to go through this!

TOGETHER WE CAN BEAT JUVENILE ARTHRITIS!!