The official photos from the Arthritis Walk

First off, I just got official news from the foundation that my last day for donations is the last of the month. I'm not sure if that means turning in donations given to me, or if that also means donations can still be made through my fundraiser page until then... in either case, there is still another two weeks if anyone else wanted to contribute.

During the event there were a few photographers around. The official photos were all uploaded to a picasa account. So here is the link if you'd like to look at the complete album. I've saved a few I particularly enjoyed, so I'll post those here. If you'd like to look at a picture larger simple command click or right click to open the photo in another tab.




Register and pick up shirt table



Information booth; Very informative, I got a booklet there about natural remedies and why so many of them will work for some types and not other types of arthritis, etc. It even went on to talk about other illnesses too, like I learned that I need to warn my epileptic cousin about the dangers of using melatonin considering her epilepsy. Very interesting stuff. There was also information about the connections between the number of people who have diabetes and some form of arthritis, it's a staggering 50%!



Here you can see some of those name plates I was mentioning about. These people were for, if memory serves me right, the largest group, and that the gal they were walking for couldn't make it to the event because she was having hip surgery. Because so many people had these name plates on I thought there were very few walkers who actually have arthritis themselves, and I wondered if Barbara was the only other person with hip arthritis who was going to attend the walk. I really felt alone not seeing any other cane walkers, but everyone around was SO supportive!



Warm ups! I enjoyed the warm ups, the first ones where we were bouncing and stretching back and forth I was able to do no problem! It was a lot like some of the stuff I had done in physical therapy. If you look close enough at the crowd past the tent, on the left side of the photo you can see Kevin in all blue (the color for arthritis support!) and me right behind him in my white shirt and black hat.



This one my hips and back DID NOT LIKE! We had to crouch down and twist in circles and figure 8's. The crouching felt good, but I probably shouldn't have done the movements as this is what made me have to choose the 1 mile route over the 3 mile route. My back tightened up at this point and made the walk difficult.



I'm not quite sure why we were started off by bag pipes, but it was pretty cool! Certainly drew attention to us on the streets. Oddly enough, for a saturday morning in the city, some of the blocks seemed like us walkers were the only ones around.



I thought it was super neat that all the kids got balloons to walk with. I remember when I was a kid that was always such a simple joy of mine to get a balloon at an event. I'm guessing the adults appreciated the balloons as well because it helped keep track of the little walkers, and there were so many of them too!



Do you see us? We're right in the middle of this pic.



See my pretty red coat? And my cane? I'm warm and ready to walk... I also kind of think all eyes are on me at this point... at least I felt the eyes of the photographer.



Yup, I'm pretty sure the photographer found me a fun subject look at that stride they caught us walking. It may be our backsides, but I think this is my favorite pic of the event.



These gals were so neat! They didn't stop cheering at all. They congratulated each and every person as they crossed the finish line. Their cheer really made things feel worth it.



I'm glad the photographer tool a picture of this sign, I had wanted to as well. This is something I think a lot of people don't realize. That there are just so many types out there. It's also where I feel sorry for rheumatologist because there are so many types that all look relatively the same, they really have a tough job narrowing down and treating their patients. Often times a diagnosis and treatment plan take several years to work out. I'm very appreciative of all the hard work my doctors and nurse practitioners have put in to help me in the management and treatment of my forms of arthritis.

So there are the photos I enjoyed from the album. There are MANY more, it's full of 500 total. There are tons of kids and dogs and crowds and the Bubble Man, who entertained the kids while everyone checked in at the start. Some of the inventive ways he made bubbles were pretty cool. He had a toilet seat, and he had plastic tennis rackets attached to silverware organizers, and a few other random recycled things. Very cleaver, and to the kids and adults alike, very entertaining. Here is a photo collage of Bubble Man. I used Big Huge Labs to make the collage. Pretty neat site.