Thursday, May 8, 2014

Quinn Hughes - A Young Face of Arthritis!

Quinn Hughes a teen from Marlington High School freshman is a young faces of arthritis. Even if she has arthritis she enjoys choral singing, dancing and archery. You all must read her journey of fight against arthritis and emerging as a winner.

She was in her fifth grade of arthritis and that make her very difficult to walk even for a short distance. She was having severe finger and hip pain. Her mother Connie Hughes, say that she initially was unable to understand what was happing with her little girl. She says that she remembers when Quinn was attending Washington Elementary and when she starts getting ready she was unable to get up and down the steps. 

Quinn did too not understand why she is not normal like other children. She couldn't walk, she couldn't play. All she was during is just crying all night long. This was a horrible thing that a mother can see happing with her child.

Photo Courtesy: Review Photo/Kevin Graff Quinn Hughes, who suffers from arthritis, has been chosen as youth honoree for the Walk to Cure Arthritis to be held Saturday in Cleveland. She will lead Team Q Girl to raise money for arthritis research and programming for the Arthritis Foundation.
After all this happing Connie took her to pediatrician, she was examined and was thought that she might have broken a hip and thus she was sent to Akron Children's Hospital. This was just a misdiagnosed by doctors. But finally she was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This is an autoimmune and inflammatory arthritis that mainly affect children under age of 16.

Initially all the family members were in shock, but they still stand strong for their daughter to get treated well. Connie said that after the diseases is properly diagnosed the goal is set how get treated. First thing was to avoid flare-ups as much as possible.

Today, Dr. Elizabeth Brooks at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland is taking care to Quinn. She now can walk and do her little job by herself.

Connie said that when she sees her daughter doing well, she feels happy and says that those were the days when Quinn couldn't even hold brush to do hair in the morning. She even needed help to dress up. She was just dipped into pain and couldn't do anything. The worries beside ourselves are now gone, we just need to follow what her doctor is saying to do.

For keeping inflammation and pain at bay, Quinn is on mix of medications along with proper diet and exercise. Still this improvement and precaution taken was not spared without a setback. In 2011 she had some depletion in her immune system. Still the hope did not died; she again got better after some extended stay at hospital.

Connie recalled that those were the days when she was spending most of the time in hospital, whether be its Ester day, or Christmas or a New Year…All was disaster for her. Today all is good and well, though she has some limitation for sports, because she likes playing volleyball. Still Quinn says, I will follow my limitation and will live a cheerful life.

This strong girl got her first big opportunity to be the youth honoree at the Walk to Cure Arthritis. Her name was nominated by her doctor. This walk will be held on Saturday at the Cleveland Zoo. She had given a speech at a kick-off event and is very excited to lead the walk surrounded by "Team Q Girl." And she said that-"I like because I get to talk to other people and experience what they're going through and different things." The money raised by this event will help to organize camps for children and for scholarships long with continuing this awareness program.

Her next achievement is waiting in Colorado because she is accepted for a special scholarship to attend a juvenile arthritis convention in July. 

Now after these great achievements what is the message of this girl to others? 

Quinn's message is simple: "Stay strong"

A good and motivational message!!!

To learn more or make a donation to Team Q Girl, visit http://arthritiswalkcleveland.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1097918.

Reference:

http://www.the-review.com/local%20accent/2014/04/30/marlington-teen-a-young-face-of-arthritis