Exciting News!!!!!!!:) by Bella

Today I got really exciting news from my doctor!!! The doctor said my arthritis is improving but I will still have good and bad days. She said that my knee pain was probably not my arthritis. Also she said I just need to take half of my prednisone!!! And stop after 7days. My favorite news is less prednisone because that pill makes my stomach chubby and my face chubby! I was really upset when I had to take that pill because I gained about 10-15 pounds!!! Today at my appointment I saw my weight and since my last appointment I gained 5 pounds!:( I was not very pleased!!!😡:[ Also my doctor thinks I have another problem called Fibromyalgia which is another pain problem in a addition to my arthritis!😡😞:[ my doctor also said I need to wear sun block all the time because my chemo medicine and Enbrel make it very easy for me to burn. She also said I should not be in the sun ALOT. Today I was really sad at school because there was a basketball game students vs teachers and I could not play in it because my knee hurt too bad!!!!!!!😠😠😠😠😠😠😠:[:[:[:[:[:[:[😞😞😞😞😞😞😞😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😣😣😣😣😣😢😢😢😢😢 Also don't forget to sign up for my walk called Walk to Cure Arthritis !!!! Sign up with me on my team called Bella Mia!!!! The walk does not cost any money you just have to make a donation!!! It is on June 7, 2014!😊😊😊😊

2014 Honoree for the Walk to Cure Arthritis is............

Miss Bella Anderson!
She is so excited about the upcoming walk and all the fun opportunities leading up to the event. The first event was last night and she got to speak at the Kick Off event for the Walk to Cure Arthritis. Next she will get to be interviewed on the news in May, then be part of a commercial for the Walk, and possibly be interviewed on the radio. Soon you can ask for autographs from Bella, our up and coming local celebrity! =) I love that it is teaching her some much needed public speaking skills too!

Check out the video on this page from last night. The thing I love the most about this opportunity is that it will show Bella she is not alone in her fight to find a cure for Arthritis. So many people have already reached out to her and our family to offer support and we can't be more thankful. She will meet so many people just like her and people that want to offer her support. Anyone that has a child with an ongoing medical condition knows how important this is for these children. I personally thank each and everyone of you that has texted, messaged, emailed, called, or came (or will come) to an event to support Bella.

Right now we are looking for people to sign up for the Walk on June 7th, make a donation to her team, or help us fundraise for her team. Check out her team page at:



Bella Anderson's Personal Page for 2014 Walk to Cure Arthritis - Central Pennsylvania





There are a couple other fundraising opportunities too.... Yankee Candle Fundraising Dear Friends and family, , My group, ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION, has just kicked off our Yankee Candle® Fundraiser and I need your help! We are raising funds for special programs and materials. Our group earns 40% of every dollar you spend. https://www.yankeecandlefundraising.com/ycfroot/ycfwcgi.exe?_V4=Process&_Func=enterWebsiteFromEmail&publicKey=hj39CzzN3LL9GroYgRKMzxVYxRY2uvu7 to see the exciting collection of America's Best Loved Candles™, candle accessories, flameless fragrance and assorted gift wrap. Shop online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – everything is shipped directly to you. You need to enter my Group Number 990008785 and my Seller ID Jamie21 in order for me to receive credit. There is also a cruise to the Bahamas in 2015 that is a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation. How cool would it to be to go on a family vacation and have part of the money come back to the Arthritis Foundation?!?!? We definitely have this on our calendar for next year! If you want more information, let me know. Thank you all for your love and support!!!!!

So many emotions this week........

As most of you know we have been waiting to get Bella started on a new medication called Enbrel (the injection that will give Bella back some of her life). It is a long process to get the medication because you have to get blood work done and wait for the results to make sure all her counts are high and that she was properly vaccinated. This new medicine also runs the same risks of the chemo injection, it is an immune suppressant medication. So she has to be really healthy to take this medication. So now that we got all the bumps ironed out, we got the insurance to cover it (YEAH), and it arrived last night to our home. It came via Fed Ex in a cooler box, because the medicine has to be kept cold. There was lots of information to read and a long list of instructions for mixing the medication and then injecting it. So, my husband and I jumped in and prepared the injection (it took about 20 minutes from start to finish). Bella watched and learned along with us because she is the type that needs to know all the details too (which we love). As soon as it was time for the injection Bella got really upset and tried to convince her way out of the shot. After 20 minutes if pleading with her we ended up having to restrain her and give her the injection(the hard way). I really thought the cops were going to shop up at my door because Bella was freaking out so bad. We had to give her the injection then because otherwise it would not have been sterile. This is the second time Bella has had a hard time taking her medication. It is hard to see her cry and to see the fear in her eyes. It was heart breaking for me and my husband. The fear of the unknown is what gets Bella every time. It was something new and she just didn't know what she would feel like after the fact. I understand her hesitation, but this medication is necessary to help her live a better life. After it was all over Bella was glad she got the shot and admitted it wasn't as bad as she thought.....she was just scared. So we made it through our first Enbrel injection and hope her MTX injection isn't this intense on Sunday.

I ask myself why Bella was chosen to have this horrible disease and why we have to put our little girl through this? Where we did we go wrong? I took good care of myself when I was pregnant, I feed my kids the best food possible, I limit their processed foods, I make them eat fruits and vegetables and yet my daughter has a disease that causes her so much pain and medical issues. Why can't I take it all away? Why do I have so little control over making her better? So, it my mission to help her in the ways I can........my first goal is to raise awareness for Juvenile Arthritis and help raise money for the upcoming Walk to Cure Arthritis. Now on to the good and exciting emotions of the week, because it isn't all bad....... As you know Bella was chosen to be the Youth Honoree for the Walk to Cure Arthritis on June 7th in Carlisle. She has some really exciting events coming up that she gets to attend and also gets to do a speech/interview. She will get the chance to talk about her Arthritis and how it affects her life. She will get the chance to raise awareness and though she is nervous, I also see the excitement in her eyes as well. I feel that the Arthritis Foundation gave her this wonderful opportunity at the just the right time. Until you live with a disease or medical issue that is life changing, you will know how hard it can affect a person and their family. IT IS TRULY LIFE CHANGING! Bella may not share with all of you the struggles she has each day because she doesn't want to be different, she just wants to be Bella....not Bella with JA. I hope that over the next few months leading up to the walk you will all take the time to come to one of the events she will be speaking at or watch when she is on the news in May and hear her story. Take the information she shares and pass it on so that more people understand the importance of finding a cure for Arthritis. Next Tuesday at 6pm the Camp Hill Giant Community Room Bella will be speaking at the event to Kick off the Walk to Cure Arthritis. Feel free to come support Bella and hear what she has to say. In May she will be interviewed live on ABC 27 news in the morning and I will share that information as we get closer so you can all watch. I am sure that Bella will post all the exciting news coming up soon too.......she told me she wants to tell everyone and it isn't fair that I get to tell all the fun news first.....so that is just my sneak peek for now. Hopefully Bella will get on and post soon! Feel free to join her team for the Arthritis Walk: Team Bella Mia

Rough week for Bella.....

While we were away camping for the weekend Bella got sick with what originally seemed to be a stomach bug at the time. She started complaining of pain in her neck, stomach, and knee early Saturday and ended up feeling pretty crappy by the end of the day. Then in the middle of the night she was kind enough to vomit all over mom (aren't I lucky?). She slept all day Sunday as we packed to head back home and barely ate anything all day. Now it is Wednesday, day three of missing school and still not much improvement. No vomiting, no fever, just pain and exhaustion. She has barely eaten and drinks only when I force the issue. Last night she woke me up three times because the pain in her neck and stomach hurt so much. It could just be a stomach bug that is making her JA symptoms much worse, but I'm not a doctor, so I'm hoping to get some answers soon. When you are on MTX injections (low dose chemo), you become more susceptible to illness and often times it is much worse because your immune system is so weak. I'm hoping this is the case and I can get her back up and feeling good really soon. I have two messages in to her Rheumatologist and hope we hear something soon. I'm not sure what to do for her that we haven't already tried. Have I mentioned that Juvenile sucks and it's sucking the life out of my 10 year old?!? Worst part is Bella was so excited for the camping trip this past weekend and was counting down for a month because she got to spend an entire weekend with her friends, who wouldn't love one huge pre teen sleepover?!?! Poor kid got one good day in and was down for the count. So we are hoping to do a camping trip really soon so she can enjoy all the things she missed out on last weekend, BELLA LOVES THE OUTDOORS AND ALL THE FUN CAMPING ACTIVITES! We could use all the goodvibes and well wishes you have to spare..........

Just a quick post......

The nurse from Bella's Rheumatoligist called today and her chicken pox vaccination took and all her lab work came back perfectly!!! YEAH YEAH YEAH!!! Bella can start the Enbrel injection!!!! YEAH Then the nurses will work with the insurance to get it approved. We will go in for a class on how to administer the drug because it is a bit different the current MTX injection she gets. So I am hoping that by Easter we are able to start Bella on the new medication and see some relief in her pain and inflammation. Please send all the good vibes our way because sometimes the hardest part is getting the insurance company to cooperate. I can't wait to tell Bella the great news when she gets off the bus!!!! Have a great weekend!!!!!