BUFFALO, N.Y. — Talisa King has a personal mission. She was diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis. After noticing a lack of resources locally, she reached out to the National Arthritis Foundation to start a local chapter in Buffalo.
"As a young working-class woman, the closest resource was roughly 6-8 hours away and basically I just wrote to them (the national foundation) and got certified and trained through them and just became the change I wanted to see, so people like myself would have local resources," King said.
In her role, she holds group meetings and chairs the annual walk to raise funds for research and cure.
Nearly a quarter of American adults have arthritis and by 2040, 78 million U.S. adults will have arthritis, according to health organizations.
The Walk to Cure Arthritis is Saturday, October 15 at Delaware Park, starting at the Ring Road entrance.
"Arthritis is called an invisible illness," King said.
Juvenile arthritis is worthy of attention.
About 1 child in every 1,000 develops some type of chronic arthritis according to the CDC and juvenile arthritis affects almost 300,000 kids younger than 16 in the U.S.
Khloe Kibby, 9, will be the 2022 youth honoree at the walk-in Buffalo.
When asked to describe her condition, she said "I have arthritis in my fingers wrist knees. I also have it in my right eye and they tend to act up in cold or warm weather."
It can be difficult when she can't bend her legs or run and walk.