Madison Elementary School first-grader Courtney Brower is a sweet and playful kid whose list of interests is what you might expect from a six-year-old girl: art, tennis and the movie “Frozen.” What you wouldn’t expect, however, is that such a lively little girl suffers from Juvenile Arthritis, or J.A.

Last January, after jumping off a swing and slipping on a patch of ice, Courtney’s knees began to hurt so badly that that she couldn’t walk. Her parents, Renda and Chad, took her to six orthopedic specialists before she was finally diagnosed with J.A. by a doctor at Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital in mid-February. Doctors at Lutheran then sent her to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, and by that time the arthritis was in multiple joints, including her mouth, which she could barely open. Since then, Courtney and her parents have had to constantly travel around Indiana and beyond to make sure that she stays up to date with her treatment.

On Saturday, Dec. 13, Courtney will be both a participant and honoree at the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis in downtown Indianapolis. The fundraising event is put on by the Arthritis Foundation and includes 10k, 5k, 1-mile and Kid’s Reindeer races. The money raised will go toward trying to find a cure for Arthritis, which affects approximately 1.4 million adults and 6,400 children in Indiana alone.

The playful Courtney begins interviewing the interviewer. (Photo by Jarrett Van Meter)

Renda says that though events like the Jingle Bell Run help bring in money to assist with Juvenile Arthritis, less people are donating due to the fact that the money raised is not held locally. Renda explained that though this may be the case, the money is still helping kids suffering from J.A., saying, “The money from donations helps fund everything from research to assistance for low-income families with a newly diagnosed child to attend J.A. conferences to gather information. We want to raise awareness that kids do get arthritis, and it is not the same arthritis that adults get.”

Courtney remains strong even as the pain increases (her mother estimates that she is in pain 80 percent of the time), administering her own weekly injections of medication, a process Renda said most people don’t know afflicted kids have to go through. Courtney loves to play T-ball, swim and ride her bike but is increasingly unable to do so as much as she would like, a difficult reality that is understandably frustrating for her. She recently started physical therapy at Joe’s Kids in Warsaw and is excited about the upcoming race. She will race alongside other children struggling with J.A. whom she has befriended since her journey began last January.

Courtney’s preferred pre-race meal is salad from Pizza Hut, while her pump up music includes anything from the “Frozen” soundtrack. The family will continue to travel to other J.A. fundraisers and events moving forward, including the national conference in Florida this summer.