WALKING DESPITE TWINGES IN HINGES HUNDREDS STALK CURE FOR ARTHRITIS.Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer About 2,000 people, including many with arthritis, participated in the third annual Arthritis Walk in Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large public park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is situated in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers 4,210 acres (17 km²) of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. on Sunday and raised an estimated $200,000. Former Dodgers third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker Ron Cey ``Give or take five years on either side, (I've experienced) 45 years of abuse on my shoulder and my thumb from catching and throwing. So I understand it a lot better today than I did probably 20 years ago,'' said Cey, 56, who lives in Woodland Hills. ``I don't think I have nearly the problems that other people do, but I still have enough of it to understand that (arthritis) ... has to be taken care of,'' he said about raising funds for research. Walkers at the event chose between a five-kilometer route - about 3.1 miles - or a one-mile route. Jordan Lee Wheeler, 15, of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, , who was diagnosed with systemic 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. two years ago, took the one-mile walk with her parents, grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl and other relatives hoping to help find a cure. ``Of course, I think everybody would want the cure instead of having to do a treatment, (because) there are side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. to medication, and acupuncture isn't all pleasant - or bee stings, because that's the new treatment now,'' said Wheeler, whose arthritis is in remission. The walk was organized by the Arthritis Foundation and the money it raised will be spent on research for prevention and cure of arthritis, as well as programs to improve the lives of people living with one of the diseases collectively called arthritis. One of those programs is Camp Esperanza in Big Bear, where children with arthritis and related diseases can enjoy the outdoors every August. About 70 million Americans - including more than 300,000 children - have arthritis, according to members of the Arthritis Foundation. Rebecca Zimmermann, 29, of Sherman Oaks said her best friend, a 28-year-old Phoenix resident, has arthritis and was recently hospitalized because of ulcers that came as a side effect of the medication she was on. Zimmermann did the one-mile walk. ``There was a lot of people out here really showing good support for the cause,'' she said. Corporations and individuals provided sponsorships, donations and pledges for the cause. There were some family teams of walkers that each had a person with arthritis as the nucleus, said Carolyn Dodge, a spokeswoman for the Arthritis Foundation. Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) As about 2,000 walkers gather Sunday in Griffith Park to raise funds for research and treatment, former Dodger Ron Cey talks about arthritis as an occupational hazard occupational hazard n. a danger or risk inherent in certain employments or workplaces, such as deep-sea diving, cutting timber, high-rise steel construction, high-voltage electrical wiring, use of pesticides, painting bridges, and many factories. for ballplayers. (3) With her rheumatoid arthritis rheumatoid arthritis Chronic, progressive autoimmune disease causing connective-tissue inflammation, mostly in synovial joints. It can occur at any age, is more common in women, and has an unpredictable course. in remission, Jordan Lee Wheeler, 15, of Santa Clarita walks in Griffith Park to raise funds for research. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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