Poem I found on Facebook from Stephanie Sayre who has JRA

My Life in VerseI crack my eyes open; the day beginsA few seconds later, the pain sets inA two hour fight to get out of bedTakes all my strength just to raise my headHalf an hour, clothes on, hair brushedEvery morning I feel so rushedStagger to class, people brush pastTry to take notes; the professor talks so fastLunch is a battle; I don’t want to eatSo many faces I don’t want to meetElevator’s broken, must take the stairsLate for physical therapy, I hope I make it thereThe pain, the anguish, the hour from hellWill I get stronger? Only time will tellPeople sneering “But you look fine”Well I’ve had this, since the age of nineDay is over, I spend a little time with my friendsBefore I get too tired and head off to bedBut I can’t sleep; my eyes are peeledI can’t escape all the pain I feelWell, tomorrow is another dayThe hope in my heart will never fly awayUntil a cure is found, this is all I can sayAbout my life with JRA

This everyone...is my driving force when I wake and when I sleep!! I was not even aware of children getting Arthritis! This is something that so many kids suffer in silence from...and I want people to know and understand! I want to make people aware that when Bri's little fingers can't hold her cup, or when she is trying to sit on the curb and she has to have one leg straight and bend the other and bring it around to just sit down, or when she goes down the slide at the playground and she lands at the end of the slide and she cries because she hit the ground to hard hurting her ankles. Eric, Alex, Alyssa, Derek, David, Grandma, Nana, Papa, Pa, Aunt Michelle, Aunt Judy (& everyone else) and I will be her voice while she is learning to speak about her condition with JRA and we will laugh and play with her every day through her pain. She is so amazingly tough...and bossy lol. What a trooper she is...what a warrior she is.