Arthritis walk to be held at Brandt/Quirk Park

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 12:24 PM CDT

The second annual Arthritis Walk in Watertown will be held on Saturday at Brandt/Quirk Park.

Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. Participants will have the option of taking part in a one- or three-mile walk.

The event will also include food, raffle prizes and music. There is no registration fee, however the Arthritis Foundation is raising money to support local arthritis programs as well as to find a cure for this disease that affects millions of people.

Mia Rohrer, a 6-year-old resident of Watertown and kindergartner of Webster Elementary School, will be walking with her family and friends to fight for a cure of arthritis, a disease which she has had since she was 2 years old. She takes a daily dose of Mobic, an anti-inflammatory medication, and has also had three separate steroid injections directly into her knees to stop the swelling.

Over 4,500 children in Wisconsin alone suffer from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which, as of now, has no cure.

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Arthritis or chronic joint symptoms are more widespread than imagined, affecting 66 million Americans, or one out of three adults and approximately 300,000 children. In Wisconsin, arthritis affects more than 600,000 people.

Those interested in participating should call Gerilynn Rohrer at (920) 988-5313 or visit the Web site, www.watertownarthritiswalk.kintera.org.