Saturday Fundraiser Helps 7-Year-Old’s Battle Against Juvenile Arthritis
Arthritis isn’t a condition we usually associate with children, but a South Elgin second-grader has been struggling with exactly that — a condition that has caused her excruciating pain, taken some of the joy out of the first days of school and piled up medical bills.
Now, the Elgin American Legion is hosting a fundraiser to help Willard Elementary School student Maria Serban and her family cope with the expenses that have accompanied her pain.
The benefit will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Elgin American Legion Post 57 Hall, 820 N. Liberty St., Elgin. Dinner will be served from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the fundraiser will include dinner, dancing and a drawing for an overnight stay at Harbor Shores Resort in Lake Geneva, WI, according to excellent articles in The Elgin Courier-News and the Daily Herald. For more information, phone 847-741-2679.
According to The Courier-News, treatments from January through April alone cost $60,000. The Daily Herald article said the family still owes about $10,000, with more bills coming.
The benefit was organized by Sandy Ziros of South Elgin, who has been organizing fundraisers each year for the past 12 years, after her grandson needed a kidney transplant at age 6. A spaghetti fundraiser by 11-year-old Dylan Snyder, also a student at Willard, brought in about $4,000 earlier this year, and about $3,000 more was raised by a South Elgin United Methodist Church pancake dinner and a school coin drive.
Fast Facts: An Easy-to-Read Series of Publications for the Public
SOURCE: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- Who Gets Juvenile Arthritis?
- What Causes Juvenile Arthritis?
- What Are the Symptoms and Signs of Juvenile Arthritis?
- How Do Doctors Find Out if Your Child Has Juvenile Arthritis?
- Who Treats Juvenile Arthritis?
- How Is Juvenile Arthritis Treated?
- How Can You Help Your Child Live Well With Juvenile Arthritis?
- Do Children With Juvenile Arthritis Have to Limit Activities?
- What Are Researchers Trying to Learn About Juvenile Arthritis?
Read More
Local Media:
- The Courier-News: Elgin American Legion hosting benefit Saturday for girl with juvenile arthritis
- Daily Herald: Fundraiser planned for South Elgin girl
From NIH:
- Special Announcement — August 21, 2014, Letter from Dr. Stephen I. Katz: Advances and Insights From Rare Disease Research
- Gene Linked to Rare Inflammatory Disease in Children
Thank you for publishing this. Most people do not understand the term Arthritis is a generic term referring to inflammation of the joints. Autoimmune forms of arthritis are different from Osteoarthritis which is from age or wear and tear on your joints. AutoImmune Arthritis can strike at any age and has no cure and limited treatment options. Please donate not just to this individual, but also to Arthritis.org to fund much needed research.