We're back from our adventures at Camp JAM! This is the Arthritis Foundation's yearly camp for kids with juvenile arthritis and their families. And it was a blast!
Owen is doing really well and we are able to manage his arthritis with minimal medication. For that we are extremely grateful. We met many families dealing with challenges far beyond what we face and my heart goes out to them.
This year the theme was western so we quickly dubbed it Cowboy Camp. Now that he's five, Owen is developing a greater understanding of his disease - what it means and how it makes him different. But for the most part, he's just a happy five year old boy who happens to have a serious crush on the bouncy house.
We tried some new things at camp this year including fishing in the trout pond. They're nice enough to clean the fish and bag them up for campers to freeze and then take home.
Both Owen and Bailey loved wearing their cowboy/cowgirl outfits. One night after campfire, they wanted to put on a little show so we let them play around on the stage for awhile. They didn't seem to mind that the microphone wasn't on and the audience consisted only of mommy and daddy. They are such goofballs!
Camp JAM (Juvenile Arthritis Matters) is a wonderful program and we feel so fortunate to get to be a part of it. Over 46 million people have arthritis and 300,000 of them are children. There is no cure. We remain hopeful that Owen will continue to do well and that research will someday find a way to eliminate this painful disease.
Ahh! They look so cute in their Western outfits and holding hands- I guess life isn't like that all the time but that is a great little moment! Nice to be in a supportive environment where everyone else understands the difficulties it places on him and family life.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great thing for you guys to do together! Sounds like a wonderful program. I was diagnosed with RA in my mid-20's, after going undiagnosed for several years. I'm so glad that Owen's Arthritis is managed for now.
ReplyDelete