Zionsville teen raises money and awareness for juvenile arthritis
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A local teenager is raising awareness about juvenile arthritis and making headlines for raising money to find a cure.
Cameron Miller, 15, has raised more than $24,000 to fight the autoimmune disease and is helping spread the message during Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month. A few weeks ago, he was featured on the national news. His mission now is to help other kids like him.
“For Cameron, we have always said it is like an invisible disease. His body is constantly under attack on the inside, but you can’t really tell on the outside,” Cameron’s mom, Cloe Miller, said.
Cameron loves to play basketball, fish, and do just about everything outdoors, despite his diagnosis.
Cameron’s mom says she first noticed something was wrong when he was 5 years old.
“The summer before kindergarten his knee was really swollen. It was just visibly swollen – he wasn’t in pain. It probably took 6 months to diagnose,” Cloe said.
Then it was MRIs, joint injections, and years of medicine to combat the — at times — painful disease.
“You don’t think you could ever give your child a shot at home and then all of a sudden you’re doing it every two weeks. But then it just becomes normal and it’s okay. It’s hard in the beginning and then it’s just what you have to do,” Cloe said while wiping away tears.
There is no cure for the autoimmune disease. According to the Arthritis Foundation, 1 in 4 people have arthritis, including children.
Juvenile arthritis is an umbrella term to describe the inflammatory and rheumatic diseases that develop in children under the age of 16. An estimated 300,000 kids in the U.S. — or 1 in 250 kids — are affected by some form of JA, the Arthritis Foundation says.
After years of treatment, Cameron is now thriving — without the use of medications.
“It really doesn’t cause me pain at all, but when I was younger, it did cause me a little bit of pain, but now it doesn’t,” Cameron said.
Along with treatment, Cameron also got a boost from others affected by arthritis. The Walk To Cure Arthritis happens every May in Indiana and Cameron has been leading the fundraising charge for years.
“Over the last seven years of the walk, I have raised over $24,000. Different fundraisers, like lemonade stands, making t-shirts, selling pastries and stuff like that,” Cameron explained.
Now his work is getting noticed by national news networks and the Arthritis Foundation.
“It’s brave for kids like Cameron to come forward and talk about their experience with arthritis,” Sandy Messner, the executive director of the Indiana Arthritis Foundation said.
“There are over 300,000 kids in the United States with Juvenile Arthritis and it can be a very disabling condition. Luckily we have medications now,” Messner added.
While there is no cure for juvenile arthritis, remission can be achieved through early diagnosis and aggressive treatment, However, the Arthritis Foundation says that only 25% of kids with the disease have access to a rheumatologist.
Cameron and his family say he’s lucky to be close to his doctor at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Now, he is confident in his mission.
“To try to find a cure, that’s the ultimate goal,” Cameron said.
Until then, he hopes to help other kids with arthritis know they too can live their lives to the fullest.
“You’re going to have good times and bad times,” Cameron said. “Not let it stop you. And to persevere through it.”
Cameron hopes to reach $28,000 dollars raised by next year’s walk. Click here to visit his fundraising webpage.