The Arthritis National Research Foundation

The Arthritis National Research Foundation has been providing research grants for over 40 years to young scientists who dedicate their careers to the treatment, cure and end of arthritis.

In the United States, arthritis is the leading cause of disability with more than 46 million Americans suffering from this disease and its related complications. Many people associate arthritis as an older person’s disease. However, arthritis touches people of all ages and there are over 300,000 children in the United States who suffer from it.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting one of these children, Kelly Rouba. At the age of two, Kelly was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She has suffered and endured great pain and now at age 29 is the national spokesperson for The Arthritis National Research Foundation. The foundation's grant guidelines is to fund at least one juvenile arthritis project a year. In July 2009 the ANRF introduced The Kelly Award in honor of Kelly. This award is a special designation of $75,000 which will be awarded each year to a grant recipient who is studying juvenile arthritis.

I applaud Kelly for her strength and determination not to let this disease control her life. With the creation of this award there is hope that the end of juvenile arthritis is in the foreseeable future.

You can visit The Arthritis National Research Foundation at http://www.curearthritis.org for more information.