HER 23-DAY FEVER WAS CAUSED BY WHAT?Byline: Mariko Thompson Staff Writer For 23 straight days, Jordan Lee Wheeler ran a high fever that spiked at 105 degrees. The 14-year-old from Santa Clarita went to two different hospitals, where her symptoms stumped doctors. Depending on the physician, parents Amy and Michael Schoepke heard diagnoses that ranged from leukemia to a psychological cry for attention. Then, as mysteriously as the fever and rash came, they were gone. Jordan went home. But two weeks later, she was sick again. This time the family went to UCLA Medical Center UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. It is rated as one of the top three hospitals in the United States and is the top hospital on the West Coast according to US News & World Report. , where rheumatology rheumatology /rheu·ma·tol·o·gy/ (-tol´ah-je) the branch of medicine dealing with rheumatic disorders, their causes, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, etc. rheu·ma·tol·o·gy n. specialist Deborah McCurdy diagnosed Jordan with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis juvenile rheumatoid arthritis n. Abbr. JRA Chronic inflammatory arthritis that begins in childhood, characterized by swelling, tenderness, and pain in one or more joints and by lymph node and splenic enlargement. . ``That was the first time we heard about arthritis,'' Jordan says. ``We had no idea kids could get it too.'' Jordan, now 15, was honored at the Arthritis Foundation's Spring Walk and addressed more than 2,000 participants on Sunday. The annual walk raised more than $300,000 for arthritis research. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease autoimmune disease, any of a number of abnormal conditions caused when the body produces antibodies to its own substances. In rheumatoid arthritis, a group of antibody molecules called collectively RF, or rheumatoid factor, is complexed to the individual's own gamma marked by high and prolonged fevers, rashes and joint inflammation, affects an estimated 50,000 children. Like Jordan, many children experience difficulty in getting the correct diagnosis, says Sara Reeve, a spokeswoman for the Arthritis Foundation. ``We went through every test known,'' recalls Amy, Jordan's mother. ``We were getting tested for things like malaria, and nothing was coming up. Then all of the sudden they put a name on it.'' Until she received proper treatment, Jordan was bedridden bed·rid·den or bed·rid adj. Confined to bed because of illness or infirmity. and had dropped to 80 pounds. She has since recovered to the point where she can take classes at the College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. and pursue acting and modeling jobs, though she still feels pain sometimes in her hips and knees. ``We're on the road to recovery,'' Amy says. ``She's come through a whole lot, and her whole life changed in a heartbeat immediately. See also: heartbeat .'' For more information on the Arthritis Foundation, call (800) 954-2873 or visit www.arthritis.org. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: JORDAN LEE WHEELER John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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