that you may not know:
1. Savannah uses an electric toothbrush when her hands really hurt because it has a bigger grip and easier to use when she is hurting.
2. She rarely complains, but instead quietly slips away to see the school nurse to take motrin to help alleviate pain so she can write with a pencil. The simple act of holding small items (hairbrush, pen, toothbrush, fork) is very hard for someone who has arthritis in their fingers....true for both young and old!
3. First thing every morning (going on five years), Savannah is pushed in a rolling desk chair from her bed to the couch to avoid the pain of standing on her feet when she first wakes up.
4. Savannah uses a rolling backpack at school (even as a middle schooler). This really helps many children with JA. (We like PBteen Gear Up Rolling Backpack.)
5. When Savannah's hands hurt too badly to write anymore, she will tell me (mom) what to write and where to even punctuate on homework. For these moments, I am "her hands".
6. Savannah's working motto: "Do the best you can at the pace you can." Savannah has been one of the last people to turn in classwork and test work in school for years. Her hands can only write so fast.
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| Savannah's pencil grip. These make grasping the pencil less painful for her. Pencil grip seen above: Ableware Foam Tubing |
