When Olivia St. John was three, her family's vacation was brought to a halt by an unexpected disease, juvenile arthritis.
"All of a sudden, she basically became paralyzed in her upper body," says Olivia's mother, Laura St. John. "She couldn't swallow her own saliva. She couldn't move, and she was just in so much pain she wouldn't walk anywhere."
Olivia is this year's ambassador for the Walk to Fight Arthritis at Malden Park in Windsor on Sunday. Registration starts at 9am. At 10:30am, a 1km and 5km walk will get underway, along with a 5km fun run.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis affects about one in 1,000 children. About 300,000 children in the U.S. are impacted by a disease that causes debilitating pain.
Olivia manages her illness with steroid injections.
So far, the local walk has collected 25% of its goal, about $9,400. In addition to research, funds raised will also raise public awareness, a cause close to Laura St. John's heart.
"If their kid's joints are hurting, it's not necessarily growing pains," she says admitting that she did not know a lot about juvenile arthritis when Olivia was diagnosed four years ago. "It could be something more serious, and it can be treated."
The Arthritis Society says it invested $4.8-million into research, the most money ever raised in one year for the organization.
Over 30 communities are participating in this year's event.
