Pat Coutts (left) and Valerie Sylte of the Prince George Arthritis Support Group. Photo 250News

Prince George, B.C. – The first Jingle Bell Walk and Run for Arthritis was held at CN Centre on Saturday in an effort to draw attention to the joint disorder, particularly as it affects young people.

Approximately fifty people participated in the walk/run, along with twelve volunteers.  There were also 35 vendors who set up tables along the CN Centre concourse.  Each one paid $20, which went to the Arthritis Society of BC.  And there was a steady stream of people venturing indoors to learn what it was all about, including a couple of locally-based politicians.

There are approximately 35-million people in Canada and 10 percent of them, 3.5 million, suffer from some form of arthritis.  One of every one thousand juveniles in Canada suffers from it and that jumps to three in every thousand here in the north.  The reasons for that could be many, genetic and environmental among them.

One official with the Arthritis Society says the number one thing a person can do to reduce their risk of arthritis is keep their weight down and under control.

There is a group in town, the Prince George Arthritis Support Group, which holds information and discussion sessions the third Wednesday of every month, 1pm, at Studio 2880.

The co-facilitators of the workshop are Margaret Jackson and Pat Coutts.  With an increasing focus on juvenile arthritis Jackson says considerable discussion is being given to a children’s summer camp here in the north.  “The committee is getting together once a month.  We’re putting together a grant for the City and provincial bodies to come on board as well.”

“Currently the kids are transported to North Vancouver to Capilano Arthritis Kids Camp, so the funds today will go to support that.  But the desire to have a summer camp here for the north would be, obviously, because we have lakes here, we have many children here, many support people so there’s no reason to be transporting them 8 to 10 to 12 hours away to have a little bit of fun without pain.”

“Having said that, the idea is to have weekly camps to start with, where it’s just kids having fun with kids, a week maybe with parents and their children so they can have fun as a family unit and also having that medical support that’s so important, especially in juvenile arthritis.  It’s usually rheumatoid arthritis that children get, which affects their internal organs, their eyes, it’s very devastating.”

Jackson says there has been some discussion on possible locations for holding such a camp but nothing has been selected.  She says it has to be wheelchair accessible with as many dangers eliminated as possible “but yet keep it into the northern environment where it’s the forest, water of course – one of the lakes will be selected.  So it depends on facilities that are already there versus starting from scratch and constructing a facility.”

“Talking with some of the politicians today it sounds like an existing facility might be the best way to go, but so far there’s no solid decisions just multiple ideas from committee members and the different user groups.”

As for a time frame in which she would like to see a summer camp up and running Jackson says with a chuckle, “well for the north? Yesterday.  However, I can actually see it coming whether we use the existing Ness Lake Bible Camp facilities, I can see that happening within the next two years.  It’s almost a no-brainer.”

“If we wanted to go any further than that we’re probably looking at a 5-to-10 year time span for putting something together”, which she says is simply too long.

“The children don’t wait, children grow too fast.  It’s painful to watch the little ones.”

Asked whether those local politicians she spoke with might be able to help push things along a little, Jackson, while not wanting to name names said “they were all very positive and definitely encouraged (us) to continue with the program.  Talktober was very good to make sure our voice was heard.  I definitely felt they were open to any suggestions, any ideas and it’s such a refreshing change from what we’ve had in past years.”

“We’re moving forward, we’re going to become the Northern Capital that we’re supposed to be.  And with facilities available to support people so we’re not having to travel.  We have juvenile arthritis kids that have to take 18, 20 trips to the lower mainland just to get a doctor.  I feel these children deserve better.”