SHARING HER STORY: Paisley Yarbrough is a pageant queen, who uses her platform to raise awareness for juvenile arthritis, something she is all too familiar with.

COOLIDGE — Paisley Yarbrough was less than two years old when she was diagnosed with arthritis. Now aged 12, she needs regular IV infusions and uses ice packs, heat pads and knee braces on days when the pain in her knees and other joints is really bad.

But she is also a pageant queen who loves to tell other kids her story and spread the word about juvenile arthritis.

Yarbrough, who is homeschooled in Coolidge, said “I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis early because I wasn’t walking by the age that I should. We didn’t know that kids can get it too and it really was a big shock.”

Yarbrough has said living with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is really difficult.

“Cold and hot weather can inflame my arthritis and wear down my day,” she explained. “It can make me stay in bed all day, but sometimes things are good and I think we’re getting somewhere.”

Despite her arthritis, Yarbrough has been in the pageant world for five years and tries to raise awareness of kids with arthritis when she attends events.

Yarbrough’s father, Reece, a Coolidge City Council member, said “At first a local doctor said it was growing pains, but we were referred to a pediatric specialist and then to a rheumatologist. The team she has now at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta is great, but I feel that arthritis doesn’t get the attention it deserves.”

Many people are unaware that kids can have arthritis. However, nearly 300,000 children and teens in the United States have some form of it. They are among the 60 million Americans who have one of the more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions.

On May 6, Yarbrough and her family will take part in the Walk to Cure Arthritis — Atlanta, to raise funds for the Arthritis Foundation. She is the Walk to Cure Arthritis — Atlanta Teen Honoree for 2023. The event is organized by the Arthritis Foundation in Georgia and will be held in Brook Run Park, Dunwoody. The event is held annually to raise awareness of, and raise funds for, efforts to advance arthritis treatments, improve people’s everyday lives and ultimately find a cure.