The Arthritis Foundation is looking for walkers for the 2008 Arthritis Walk to be held Oct. 4 at McLeod Health and Fitness Center in Florence.
Mella Matheson, program director at the foundation, said the walk is the big annual event for the nonprofit organization.
“It’s a signature event for the arthritis foundation,” she said. “We encourage people to get out and walk and move.”
Matheson said walking is one of the recommended forms of exercise for people with arthritis.
“We ask them to raise funds for the Arthritis Foundation for research to find a cure,” she said.
The organization raises money for research and educational programs for its office in both North and South Carolina, Matheson said.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, arthritis affects more than 3 million adults and 15,000 children in the Carolinas. It affects 46 million people throughout the country, which is equivalent to 1 in 5 adults and roughly 300,000 children.
Dr. Supen Patel, a rheumatologist with Carolina Health Care in Florence, said he thinks the walk is important to the community for the benefits it provides regarding research and medication for arthritis sufferers in the region.
“This is going to be the first annual arthritis walk,” Patel said. “It’s a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation. The money goes for education and to help patients with arthritis to get funding to get the medications they can’t afford.”
Patel, who also is one of the arthritis walk’s coordinators, said there still are many patients in the Pee Dee who cannot afford medication, but who also cannot participate in the event.
“The significance of the walk is that there are a lot of people out there with arthritis (who) can’t get out to walk,” he said. “But we can still support them even though they can’t get around like they need to.”
Patel said the walk has added relevance because walking and swimming are the two most common types of exercise doctors recommend to combat arthritis pain.
The Arthritis Foundation provides nonprofit assistance to help people take control of arthritis by funding research to prevent, control and cure arthritis and similar illnesses.
For more details, visit the home page for the Florence Arthritis Walk on the Web at http://2008florencearthritiswalk.kintera.org.
Or, call the S.C. Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation at (800) 883-8806, ext. 102.
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