Hudson's Story

Several hours after Hudson’s brother Holten was born, his parents received a call from grandma saying that Hudson woke up with a limp that day. They figured Hudson slept or played wrong, but after several occurrences of Hudson struggling to walk after naps or in the morning, it was painfully obvious that it was more than that. After Hudson’s pediatrician took X-rays and blood work, they were referred to a doctor at Omaha’s Children’s Hospital.

At the appointment, it did not take long to determine that Hudson had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JIA). “We were scavenging through the Internet and other resources to gain as much information about JIA as possible. When we learned about the Arthritis Foundation, we immediately found the community we were looking for. We obtained a care package for Hudson, a book for us and the opportunity to help with sharing the message of JIA.”

Hudson was put on Naproxen for two months to see if that would help. But after it was obvious that it wasn’t working, he is now taking methotrexate (an injection given by mom weekly), steroids and a plethora of vitamins to counteract the side effects of the drugs.

Hudson’s diagnosis is something that has affected the whole family. “We have been blessed by their support.”