Enduring through the pain

High school senior battles arthritis

Thursday, Aug. 10, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Barbara L. Salisbury⁄The Gazette Ashley Umbel, 17, who was diagnosed with two forms or Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis in January, stretches out her hand to keep the joints moving. Her doctor recommended that she do stretching exercises such as this once a day.

Umbel had been an active member of the school’s Varsity Lacrosse team and a Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) candidate before being diagnosed with the disease in January.

Now it is a chore some days for the University Park resident to get up in the morning due to the pain in her joints. Where she once ran back and forth along a field, now her exercise often consists of physical therapy exercises of picking up marbles with her toes and doing a range of motion exercises to keep her joints moving.

‘‘I have to be more aware of what I’m doing because my body can’t handle as much,” said Umbel.

She has trouble carrying things because of the strain on her elbows and wrist. When the arthritis was very severe, she could not blow dry her hair.

She said the most difficult thing in dealing with arthritis is having to set limits for things she used to do with ease such as participating in lacrosse and even trips to the mall can be taxing.

Her mother Kelly Fischer, noticed her daughter first having difficulty in May 2005.

‘‘Her fingers would ache and her knees would hurt but we thought that it was nothing significant,” Fischer said.

Initially, Umbel’s doctor told her she just had swollen joints but as the pain persisted, she was tested and diagnosed with Poyarticular Juvenile and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

According to the Arthritis Foundation’s Web site, Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic disease mainly characterized by inflammation of the lining of the joints. It can lead to long-term joint damage, resulting in chronic pain, loss of function and disability.

According to the Arthritis website, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) is the most common type of arthritis affecting children. In fact as many as 100,000 children in the United States have JRA. Generally, it affects girls more than boys.

Umbel’s shoulder, hip, toes, back, spine and ankle are affected. Her doctors theorize that she likely inherited the disease from a distant relative.

Umbel cannot walk more than 10 to 15 minutes without feeling fatigued. Other limitations include opening small containers or holding a pencil.

‘‘I know that I’ll be in pain if I do too much,” she said.

Umbel’s treatment included a Methotrexate injection (a chemotherapy drug used for cancer and Rheumatoid disorder that caused loss of hair and made her nauseous) and other medication to keep her joints flexible.

Umbel started doing physical therapy and occupational therapy two times a week in February.

As she started to improve late March, Umbel came off the steroids and has since discontinued the methotrezate due to the side effects which included hair loss, nausea and severe fatigue.

‘‘Ashley was not able to attend school from January through the end of the year,” Fischer said.

Since she could not participate in school, Umbel decided to volunteer to help the Arthritis Foundation by forming a walk team to raise money and encourage others to participate in the program.

‘‘I had no idea that kids could get it,” Umbel said. ‘‘I thought arthritis was only for older people.”

From July 13 to July 16, Umbel went to the Juvenile Arthritis Conference in Atlanta where she saw hundred’s of kids who had arthritis.

‘‘Some kids weren’t even 10-years-old which motivated me to stay involved with the walk,” Umbel said.

Umbel created a walk team comprised of fellow students, family and friends that raised $3,395 for the Arthritis walk held at Roosevelt in May.

‘‘I wanted others in the community to know that there was an issue,” she said. ‘‘I sent out e-mails and put a blurb on the Myspace Web site.”

Tanya Gleason, Associate Director of Special Events for the Arthritis Foundation, said all of the money raised will go to fund local research and exercise equipment in addition to aquatic classes in Prince George’s County.

‘‘I think what Ashley has done should be an inspiration to many with arthritis. She has a great attitude about fighting this disease,” Gleason said.

Fischer brought her daughter a dog named Roxie in February to uplift her spirits because she needed some type of company at home.

Umbel’s quality of life is improving since she has learned to better manage her situation said Fischer.

She said her daughter is able to go out with her friends now but she still doesn’t have the stamina of a normal 17-year old.

‘‘I’m proud of her because she’s had a positive attitude during the whole thing. We try to keep her spirits up and be as normal as possible,” Fischer said. ‘‘This is something that she’ll have for the rest of her life. She’s been in and out of pain but Ashley isn’t a complainer.”

Umbel hopes to inspire other youth dealing with arthritis.

‘‘You just keep being the same person because it doesn’t matter what type of disease that you have, you have to remember to keep true to yourself,” she said.

E-mail Michael Zimmermanat mzimmerman@gazette.net.