Pain nearly prevented 6-year-old Christopher Zacherl from making it down the stairs from his bedroom each morning.

The first doctor told Christopher's mother he was pretending out of jealousy. The second took little time in finding a diagnosis: rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic disease where the lining of joints becomes inflamed.

In the first stage of the disease, the joints swell, then cells can release chemicals that may digest the bone and cartilage.

In a person as young as Christopher, now 9, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis isn't always the first condition to come to mind with complaints of pain.

But the disease affects all ages.

Amanda Goerhing was 21 when a blood test identified the cause of her pain as the autoimmune disease that attacks joints.

She was caught by surprise by the pain one morning the moment she awoke, and it steadily worsened.

"Within two weeks, I went from moving to not moving," she said.

The salon owner who had participated in softball and cross-country in high school said her life changed dramatically since diagnosis.

Even with medication, Goerhing's life hasn't returned to normal. At 26, Goerhing got a Christmas gift typically on the list for grandparents: her own Black and Decker jar opener.

She has to ask her sister to help with baby food jars for her 10-month-old son, Brody. And during the occasional ambitious day at Amanda's Speedy Salon in Evans City, she know she'll be facing pain afterward.

"Here I was 21 and had this disease I thought only people in their 90s got," she said.

Goerhing said she often has to explain the differences between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, when the cartilage between joints breaks down.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of arthritis in children, according to the Arthritis Foundation, however two pills and a daily injection help Christopher return to normal life.

He can again open door knobs and play with his new kittens outside, but Christopher missed so much school with arthritis pain his mother had him repeat first grade at South Butler Primary School.

For the two county residents, rheumatoid arthritis didn't wait until old age to hit.

"We know the general public, their idea is it only affects older people," said Jessi Dobos, community development specialist for the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.

Christopher, of Jefferson Township, and Goehring were chosen as part of a campaign to show the younger side to arthritis at the Arthritis Walk June 24 at Butler County Community College.

Dobos said there are more than 100 conditions that fall under the umbrella of arthritis, not all of which are for adults only.

"Children with juvenile arthritis turn into adults with arthritis," Dobos said.

Goehring has adapted her adult life to make it through the day, from waking up and dressing her son to working at the salon to picking her son up from her mother's at the end of the day.

She takes an arthritis medicine and watches to be sure she doesn't overextend herself in activities. She also watches her diet, limiting salt and including as many vegetables as she cares to eat.

"It's an exhausting disease," she said.

Christopher has been able to return to a normal life. He visits a rheumatologist at Children's Hospital every three months for a checkup and has his blood drawn intermittently.

He can once again walk down the stairs in the morning, turn doorknobs and flex his wrists, where the arthritis pain was concentrated.

"He couldn't go outside for more than 10 minutes," his mother, Grace Zacherl, said.

Christopher, who finished third grade Friday, is now looking at spending a summer helping watch his nephews, Ethan, 2, and Ian, 3. He can't wait to again get into the neighbor's pool and give names to the new kittens of his gray cat, Rescue.

A continued pain-free future isn't promised to Christopher, though. His doctor can't tell him if the condition will get progressively worse or flare up.

Neither Amanda nor Christopher have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis, though research suggests there may be a genetic predisposition. Doctors don't know the cause of rheumatoid arthritis and there is no cure.

Christopher is trying to help see there is a cure. He has a two-minute doorstep speech memorized explaining his condition and asking for donations for the walk.

His mother said one woman said she didn't make pledges normally but Christopher was just too cute to turn down.

So far he's raised about $400. Dobos said the goal for the Butler walk, the foundation's first in the area, is $5,000.

<b>WHAT:</b> Arthritis Walk in Butler, sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Arthritis Association. The event will feature a three-mile and one-mile course. Participants can walk in honor or memory of a friend or family member with arthritis.<b>WHERE: </b>Butler County Community College<b>WHEN: </b>June 24<b>WHY: </b>To raise money to fund arthritis research<b>INFORMATION: </b>To register, form a team or make a donation, visit www.arthritiswalkbutler.kintera.org or call 800-522-9900.