Last week of school and last week in elementary school........

I never would have thought this day would come, but my baby is going to be in middle school soon (where did the time go?). We are nearing the end of the school year and we are so excited to have a relaxed schedule and freedom to sleep in as we please. Bella will still continue her physical therapy 2 days a week, but it will be nice to not have to get up for school each day. Her physical therapist has decided to have Bella wear knee braces to help with her ongoing knee pain, so we hope to get those this week for Bella. Bella has been having a lot of nauseous from her chemo injection, we are so thankful to have Zofran to help curb the nauseous. The new combination of medicine seems to be working well for Bella and we hope to have her walking most of the upcoming walk, YEAH!!! As I think back to this time last year I realize that life was much similar for us because Bella had not been diagnosed with JA. But at this time they were contemplating a serious surgery on Bella's legs (we were not convinced it was the right choice for her). Thankfully, we hesitated because they decided to run blood work on Bella. Just a couple of days before the Justin Beiber concert in Philly the Bone Doctor told us that Bella tested positive for Arthritis and we needed to see a Rheumatologist. SAY WHAT??? Arthritis??? Oh no, biggie! Boy was I wrong!!!! I remember calling my husband from the Hershey Hospital parking lot and telling him what Bella tested positive for (still with lots of doubt) and telling him it's no big deal. It took about a month to see the Rheumatologist and get our official diagnosis. This is when our life changed forever. I still look back in awe of the moments where I didn't get it. The summer of 2013 changed our lives forever and I will never forget it. I don't think Bella will ever forget her fifth grade year of school because it holds so many events.....two of close friends also went through a lot this year too because one was diagnosed with cancer and the other with diabetes and JA. But these 3 girls are stronger than I could ever be and I am proud of what each of those girls has triumphed over! Those three girls will forever hold a special place in my heart!!! So, as we lead up to the Walk to Cure Arthritis we have done two fundraisers to help rise money; one at Sweet Frog and one at Flinchy's. Thank you to both the businesses for helping us raise money for Bella's team!! Thank you to everyone that has already joined her team and donated money!!! There is still time to join her team if you would like! We hope to see you there Saturday to cheer on team Bella Mia!!!

Bella will be taking autograph's.....he he

So, having JA sucks almost all the time BUT Bella has been blessed with this amazing opportunity through the Arthritis Foundation to be the Youth Honoree for the Walk to Cure Arthritis. Which involved a lot more than we even expected. She got to be interviewed at a Senator's game, interviewed on the local news, and also got to be in a commercial with a few of her close friends. It was the coolest experience she has had to date. Does it make up for the life long disease she will have to live with, NO....but it sure did make dealing with JA a lot easier less week. So here is the video for those of you who haven't seen it on WGAL TV in our area........ Everyday I am thankful for what the Arthritis Foundation has done for Bella and our family. They have given us amazing opportunity to speak about Arthritis and help raise awareness. It has been the best distraction for Bella. I can't thank Doug and Joan at the Central PA Arthritis foundation (and their other volunteers). They have been an amazing addition to our family and Bella just loves them!! So thank you AF for all the support and encouragement! They truly have been our sanity through all of this. Bella overall is making improvements with her new injection. She is having quite a few side effects from the chemo like mouth sores, loss of eye lashes, hair thinning, and her skin is peeling off her fingers. She also is having a tough time in the sun. Most of you know how fair skinned my freckled beauty already is (I guess she didn't get enough of the Italian genes and her Irish Daddy triumphed in that area), so the sun has never been her friend. But being on chemo and Enbrel makes her burn immediately. She has to wear SPF all the time and has to really lather up the sun block when she is out in the sun. She also needs to be wearing a hat, so if you see her out and about kindly remind her to stay protected. Even 10 minutes in the sun is risky for her. She already saw what happens with sunblock on.....burnt and blistered! NOT FUN!!! As we move in to the summer months we are looking forward to a lot of pool time, family vacations, and Bella will be attending a sleep away camp for kids with Arthritis. We can't wait to have a more relaxed schedule which will allow Bella the extra time every morning to move at her own pace, allow her stiff joints gain mobility at her pace and not the alarm clocks pace. She will still continue to attend physical therapy weekly, get her monthly blood work, take her two shots weekly (and other pills), and go see the doctors bi-monthly. But it will be warm, sunny, and fun times ahead. So I hope it is the perfect distraction for her. We celebrated her birthday this weekend by going camping, we invited a few of her friends to come along. We had a blast! She even was able to use her birthday money/gift cards to purchase herself a kayak. So, she is excited that her and Dad can get out of the river this summer and enjoy the water. So, she's not letting JA hold her back, she is taking her adventurous side and not letting JA keep her down for long! The initial shock of my daughter being diagnosed with a forever disease has mostly worn off, some days I still get upset when I see her suffering. But I finally think that we have almost adjusted to our new "normal". Don't get me wrong, I know we will still have our roller coaster ride but I think we have really accepted what we have and finally realized that it won't ruin us. Will it offer many challenges, yes........but we have to stand strong and stay united in our fight for a CURE!! I always remind Bella to Fight Like A Girl...............

Busy week and 1 year older!!!!

It has been such a busy week for Bella and it is only half over. On Monday Bella and I got to appear on ABC 27 Good Day PA to talk about the upcoming Walk to Cure Arthritis. Then on Tuesday it was Bella's 11th birthday! She also got to film a commercial with WGAL TV 8 for the upcoming Walk to Cure Arthritis. She brought a small group of friends to take part in the filming which was a ton of fun and an experience of a lifetime! Afterwards we went to lunch as a group before the kids all headed back to school for their Spring Chorus, Band, and Orchestra concert. Later that night they all performed for the public and it was a great show! As if the day wasn't busy enough, we had a Sweet Frog fundraiser to help raise money for Bella's team account. It was a huge success and more people came out than we expected, so thank you all for your generosity! Your support means the world to our entire family!!!! This has all been a great distraction for Bella. She still has her usual morning stiffness and knee pains but overall the new medication is making a difference. She is dealing with some pesky mouth sores and skin peeling from her medicine but the side effects are far less than the improvement the medicine is making. She had 3 pain free days last week but it followed with a couple of rough days. But we are still quite optimistic that we are moving in the right direction! We love her physical therapists so much....they got her a gift for her birthday too! So Sweet of them!!! Please if you haven't already, join Team Bella Mia for the Walk to Cure Arthritis in Carlisle, PA. If you can't come walk, consider a donation. All money goes towards research that will one day find a cure! We definitely would love to find a CURE!!!!!!!

Lots of exciting events coming up for Bella................

Bella was chosen as the 2014 Youth Honoree for The Walk to Cure Arthritis! Her page is now on the website for everyone to read, so check it out(link is at the top of the page)! She is super excited to attend all the events that lead up to the walk. She already gave a speech at the Kick Off event last week and did a great job giving her speech. I was so proud of her because she is so brave! May 10th she will be interviewed LIVE on Abc 27 Good Day PA. She will also be in a commercial soon and she will get to invite some of her friends to come be a part of that event too. But best of all Bella gets to share her story and educate people on her disease. Being chosen as the Youth Honoree could not have come a better time for Bella. She is struggling with being different because she has JA, being bullied in school, and dealing with the normal pre-teen milestones(which some days are worse than her JA). This is helping her see the brighter side of JA and she is meeting so many new people that are just like her. So many people are reaching out to her and supporting her. Every text, email, and FB/Instagram message you send me is read by Bella. Every single message brings a smile to her face and she often says, "I don't even know them and they are saying/doing that for me?" Thank you to each of you for every inspirational posts that are helping Bella push on and fight hard! Look, someone got a tattoo in Bella;s honor too...HOW COOL!! This summer Bella will get to attend a JA Sleep Away Camp. She is excited and nervous, but ready to meet new people just like her. I think it will be an amazing opportunity for her and it will be one more step closer to Bella accepting JA into her life. Next year there will be an Arthritis Cruise to the Bahamas and we are (fingers crossed) hoping to attend with our family. We will be posting more information about that because anyone can come and it is a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation too!!!! The worst part of the disease (besides having the disease) is the emotional roller coaster. There are days she seems to have adjusted just fine and other days where she emotionally falls apart. She gets angry, sad, and confused. She just doesn't understand why she has to have this disease and why she can't be just like her friends(because at 10 being like everyone else is important). Though I go through many of these emotions too, I have realized and told Bella that she was given this disease because she is STRONG ENOUGH and she will be a GREAT ADVOCATE IN THE FIGHT TO FIND A CURE! Some days it is hard to tell her to put her big girl panties on and deal with it....BUT WE DO! We can't let this disease take over. We are on week number three of Enbrel and the shots have gotten easier and less stressful for Bella. Last night was her last dose of steroids and Bella is looking forward to the swelling to go down in her face and stomach (she thinks it will happen over night...he he) Honestly, I love her chubby little cheeks, it reminds me of her when she was a baby. Don't forget to sign up for Bella's Walk and help her raise money towards finding a cure!!

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