Irene Borngraeber lives every day with osteoarthritis in all of her joints due to an incurable bone disorder.
Yet every day, she is not bogged down by the pain, but busy living life to the fullest as a writer, an arts enthusiast, and a participant in the Jingle Bell Run/Walk in Jersey City’s Newport Town Square this coming Sunday, Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. (Registration is at 8:30 a.m.)
“It affects everything, but it’s something you have to deal with and work around,” said recent Jersey City transplant Borngraeber about the condition which limits her to the 1-mile walk during the upcoming Run/Walk.
“It affects everything, but it’s something you have to deal with and work around.” – Irene Borngraeber
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Arthritis is damage to the joints in the body and the symptoms include joint pain, stiffness, and tenderness. There are over 100 types known in medicine with the most common form being osteoarthritis.
Seven years in pain
Also living with arthritis is downtown Jersey City resident Joan Palmer, who has been plagued by the condition after she broke her leg in 2001 during a ski trip. Palmer, an executive assistant at a Manhattan venture capital firm, has championed more awareness of her condition. She not only put together the “Snowflakes” Team for the Run/Walk by recruiting her Jersey City friends, but has also held events such as a wine tasting benefit for the Arthritis Foundation last month at the Harborside Financial Center.
She said in the more than seven years since the injury, the arthritis in her knee has led to an existence where “some days are worse than others.”
“When I sit too long, my knee gets very stiff and sore, and takes awhile to get up,” Palmer said. “I have to keep up exercise and therapy because this is a lifelong condition.”
She said she is still allowed to ski but other high impact activities like running are out of the question.
Palmer said that getting involved in the Run/Walk has been informative for her. She has learned that arthritis is more than just a “Grandma’s disease” and that many young people are affected by juvenile arthritis.
She also has learned how much this cause has meant to others.
“I am really impressed by how much people want to donate, want to help, and it feels great,” Palmer said.
As of this past weekend, there were 25 teams who signed up for the Run/Walk with over 110 participants, and over $10,000 has been raised.
To learn more about the Jingle Bell Run/Walk in Jersey City, visit: http://2009jbrwjerseycity.kintera.org/faf/home.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.