By David Chiodo
As Mike Trout and the Angels, who at the start of the day were three and a half games behind the Houston Astros for first place walked off the field, ground crews for the Angels began preparing the stadium for the Arthritis Foundation’s premiere fundraising event.
On an overcast Sunday morning, over 5,000 participants brought their A-game to the field to defeat arthritis once and for all.
But the Arthritis Foundation has been on a mission for over 70 years and does not show any signs of slowing down. In communities across the country, team members from the foundation work around the clock, sacrificing sleep and time with their families to build the largest network of doctors, medical teams and volunteers all over the country with one goal in mind: conquer the crippling disease of arthritis!
The event’s Senior Director Teresa Dinh says, “Our walk to cure arthritis is the largest arthritis gathering in the world, celebrating our warriors, raising funds for research, advocacy, juvenile arthritis, help and support.”
Dinh reflects on the tireless effort by the Arthritis Foundation to provide resources and medical treatment for those affected. Dinh foresees nothing but tremendous strides towards reaching the foundation’s objective.
Each year the event touches the hearts and homes of countless patients but there is a long way to go. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 percent of all adults, and 300,000 children suffer from some form of arthritis. In fact, many people do not realize that arthritis is just a term for over 100 different forms of diseases and conditions that affect the joints.
The most commonly diagnosed is the chronic condition called osteoarthritis (OA), which affects nearly 27 million Americans. In the final stages of OA, patients experience extreme pain when the cartilage completely wears out and bone rubs directly against bone leading to severe joint damage and excruciating pain.
But on the field in Anaheim, it was only smiles and support from left to right field. It has been about five years ago that the Orange County and Inland Empire walks merged together to become one big team. It is the fifth year partnering with the Angels and Angel Stadium, whose participants already raised nearly a half million dollars, with that number still growing.
The continual success is a tremendous accomplishment and every dollar raised and every mile completed is another paid treatment for a child with Idiopathic Arthritis. Every volunteer that walks the walk is helping a father on disability from chronic back pain provide for his family.
Dinh added, “The Arthritis Foundation is leading the fight for the arthritis community. We are helping people say yes to conquering their everyday challenges.”
Walk to Cure Arthritis is a one-of-a-kind and exciting event where people from all over the country come to give back to communities as well raise money for a great cause. The event is free to anyone who wants to join. In fact, many of the people that sign up for the walk, take it upon themselves to form teams who work together in their fundraising efforts.
David Brooks, a longtime Orange County resident and participant of the 2018 Walk to Cure Arthritis, says, “There was entertainment about every 200 yards around the outside of the stadium. This Arthritis Walk has been the number one walk in the country since 2010. Our team ‘I Am OK’ has been participating since 2006. Our team captain of ‘I Am OK,’ Chic Wong, has a personal connection to arthritis and asked all of us if we would help raise money and awareness.”
If you missed this year’s signature event, be sure to contact the Arthritis Foundation for a list of their upcoming events and see how a few short steps can make all the difference in the world.
For more information on how you can help walk the walk, contact Teresa Dinh at 949-629-7967.
