Son's struggle with arthritis motivates Regina-area mom to help others
Danny Kerslake | CBC News | Posted: January 19, 2018 6:39 PM | Last Updated: January 19, 2018
Janine Rozon joins Arthritis Society program that connects families of kids living with arthritis
Regina-area mom Janine Rozon knows first-hand the challenges that come with caring for a sick child and it's why she now wants to reach out and help other parents cope.
It would have been great to have somebody to bounce ideas off of to know what to expect, what the course of treatments might be. - Janine Rozon
Rozon's son Benjamin, 5, suffers from a rare form of arthritis.
"It was so heartbreaking to see him not be able to move," she recalled.
A helping hand
The resident of White City, east of Regina, has just completed training with the Arthritis Society so that she can take part in something called the Family Match program. The new program will put her in touch with a family that is just beginning to deal with a diagnosis of childhood arthritis.
Rozon recalls what it was like when her son was diagnosed in 2016.
"It's overwhelming — a lot of information at once," she said.
"It would have been great to have somebody to bounce ideas off of to know what to expect, what the course of treatments might be."
It's why Rozon is anxious to be a part of the Family Match program, so that other parents will know that they are not alone as they set out on a healing journey.
Offering hope
Rozon's story is one of hope. Benjamin's condition was revealed only after a battery of medical tests.
"It was good to have a diagnosis," said Rozon. "So then we could focus on getting him better."
And even though Benjamin suffers from the rarest form of childhood arthritis, Rozon said that he is responding well to drug therapy and can run around without pain.
"He is back to his normal self."
The Family Match program begins in March.