Warwick native stricken with rheumatoid arthritis makes a difference

Efforts raise $36,000, By Linda Smith Hancharick Westtown - Jodi VanDervoort started feeling crummy four years ago, after the birth of her third daughter. She had such pain in her feet, it felt as if her kitchen floor was covered in broken glass when she walked across it. It got so bad, she dreaded getting up in the morning. Her body ached, with the worst pain in her hands and feet. She was tired all the time and things were not getting better. When she had a blood test done, she was sure she had Lyme disease. When the doctor called two days later and told her it was not Lyme but rheumatoid arthritis, the then 34-year-old active mother was thrown for a loop. “I had never heard of rheumatoid arthritis,” said VanDervoort. That soon changed. VanDervoort, now 38, learned more than she ever cared to know about this disease. According to the Arthritis Foundation, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the joint lining becomes inflamed as part of the body’s immune system activity. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most serious and disabling types, affecting mostly women. VanDervoort, who grew up in Warwick and moved to Westtown in 1993 when she married her husband, Michael, graduated from Warwick Valley in 1986 as Jodi Kreutz. She was always active — swimming, skiing and competing in track and field events. She even played soccer in college. Now, she couldn’t hold a hairbrush to brush her daughter’s hair. Holding a pen hurt. She would drop her toothbrush because of the pain. She had to quit her job as a phlebotomist because she couldn’t hold the needles anymore. “It has dramatically affected my life,” she admitted. It took her three years to finally find a drug treatment that would help her. Humira from Abbott Laboratories is the drug that is making life enjoyable again for her. “Humira is my saving grace,” said VanDervoort. Now, she is living a more normal life with much less pain. She is even able to hold hands with her daughters again. “I’m myself again,” she said. Last year, VanDervoort was reading a magazine geared toward people with arthritis. She read about an arthritis walk to raise money for the cause. There was one in New York City and another in Westchester. Partly because of her fatigue and partly because she just didn’t want to travel, VanDervoort decided to look into having an arthritis walk here in Orange County. “I called the Arthritis Foundation in New York City and said I wanted to have a walk here,” said VanDervoort. “The woman told me if I would chair it, they would do it. So, I did.” That first Arthritis Walk took place on May 13. VanDervoort co-chaired the event with her good friend, neighbor, and physical therapist, Jennifer Pierce. “Jennifer has had RA since she was 24 years old,” said VanDervoort. “She was my physical therapist and I would talk to her whenever I needed a friend. She was my support group. So I asked her to co-chair it with me and she agreed.” The event consisted of a three-mile or one-mile walking route at Orange County Community College. Two hundred people showed up and they raised $36,000. “The really great thing is that 82 percent of the money will be kept here,” said VanDervoort. “A portion goes to research but the rest will stay here. And we need things here, like support groups. I had Jen, but Jen didn’t have anyone when she was diagnosed. We need to share information with each other and help each other. We have to have things here.” In addition to support groups, VanDervoort also wants to have education classes available to let people know what arthritis actually is. “People need to know arthritis does not just affect the elderly,” said VanDervoort. “We had an 8-year-old girl at the walk who has arthritis. It does not discriminate.” She is already looking forward to next year. Her goal this year was $15,000 and she more than doubled that. Next year she is aiming for $50,000. But her goals go much further than that. “My goal is to be around for quite some time doing this,” said VanDervoort. “I want to get to $100,000 someday. We have to get the word out. People all around us are suffering.”