Six-year-old Adam Kaufman has come a long way since being diagnosed last year with juvenile arthritis.

Adam of Connoquenessing Township is the child honoree of Saturday's Dog Walk for Arthritis at Moraine State Park, sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and the Butler County Humane Society.

“We really want to help support the Arthritis Foundation and anything that has to do with the juvenile piece of it,” said Doug Kaufman, Adam's father. “They've been really tremendous in helping us understand and learn about this.”

The Kaufman family wants to help others with the disease by promoting awareness of the symptoms.

Many children with juvenile arthritis are misdiagnosed or their diagnosis is delayed because they do not have rheumatology experts nearby, said Carrie Kaufman, Adam's mother.

“The delay in diagnosis can mean permanent joint damage,” she said. “The earlier they get treatment, the better the prognosis.”

Arthritis affects 50 million Americans and nearly 300,000 children, making it one of the most common juvenile diseases, said Emily Cope, communications director for the Arthritis Foundation of Western Pennsylvania.

“There has been research that shows as little as 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week can really reduce arthritis pain for some people, or even help prevent it,” Cope said. “That's really why the Arthritis Foundation has gotten behind community walks.”

The foundation represents 19 counties in Western Pennsylvania and the walk is a way to touch base with those it represents from Butler County, said Cope.

Proceeds will be divided between the Arthritis Foundation and the BCHS.

Because one in five adult dogs also suffers from arthritis, a dog walk was a natural choice, Cope said.

There is a $10 charge per dog, and people may walk for free. Participants can register in advance or show up ready to walk on Saturday. A one- or three-mile course will be marked for participants.

Since this is the event's first year, Cope said the foundation would be happy to see 100 participants and proceeds in the $5,000 to $10,000 range.

Treatment varies greatly among arthritis patients. Some peoples' symptoms are controlled with a simple pain medication, but some juvenile cases are treated with methotrexate, a drug also used to manage the pain of cancer patients, Cope said.

“When you have kids on drugs that strong, it puts it into perspective and some of these kids, it really breaks your heart,” Cope said. “They're living with this pain where they can't always color, or ride their bike or keep up with their friends.”

Money raised will help fund research, public education and programs for children and adults with arthritis.

“Our mission is to help people with arthritis live without pain or manage their pain as much as possible,” Cope said. “We're about helping people have the best quality of life possible with this condition.”

Last year, Doug, Carrie and Adam Kaufman were granted a scholarship from the Arthritis Foundation to attend the Juvenile Arthritis Conference in Philadelphia.

The parents spent time in workshops learning more about juvenile arthritis while Adam enjoyed relating to the other children, Doug said.

The conference helped them process their recent experiences and feel less alone after Adam's diagnosis, which was hard on the family, Carrie said.

Last February, Adam began complaining of pain in his knee. The pain was worst in the morning, but he would go to bed at night exhausted from fighting the pain all day.

“I just remember trying to bargain with God and wanting to take it on myself, so my baby boy wouldn't have to have the pain anymore,” Carrie said.

After blood work and X-rays, Adam was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis by a rheumatologist at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.

“I think all of us were just touched with sadness,” Carrie said. “We were wondering ‘What will it mean for us?'”

Adam is now doing well with treatment that involves receiving an injection every two weeks to manage his pain.

He still visits his rheumatologist every two months and sees a pediatric ophthalmologist every three months, since children with arthritis might also experience inflammation of the eyes.

“His world changed in the past year,” Carrie said. “We went from childhood immunizations every once in a while to having blood work done every two weeks, injections of medication and doctor's appointments.”

According to his parents, Adam is a “really strong kid.”

“Juvenile arthritis is a chronic debilitating disease — there is no cure,” Doug said. “There's treatment, but there's truly no cure for it.”

Adam is the youngest of the Kaufmans' five children with Evan, 20, Jacob, 17, Joshua, 15, and Anna, 10. They also have one grandchild, 2-year-old Logan.

Most of the family, including their dogs Jasmine and Crosby, will be there Saturday to support the cause.

“I think a lot of people think it's just an old person's disease,” Carrie said. “It is not. (Adam) represents that it touches children, too.”

<B>WHAT: </B>The Dog Walk for Arthritis<B>WHEN: </B>Registration starts at noon and walk starts at 1:30 p.m. Saturday<B>WHERE: </B>Moraine State Park's Lakeview Beach Pavilion 4<B>WHO: Sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and the Butler County Humane Society<B>INFO: To register in advance, visit www.dogwalk.kintera.org. For information, call Emily Cope, communications director for the Arthritis Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, at 412-566-1645 ext. 1103.