As I lay in my hotel bedroom at about 11:34 p.m. at night, all I can hear are my campers talking, giggling, and texting on their phones in the middle of the night. Yes, I have campers, and yes, I'm a counselor. Not a counselor at any type of summer camp, but one specific summer camp. I'm at a summer camp for kids with Arthritis. I myself live with this disease, that's why it is called an invisible illness that no one can see, but can know when you tell them about it. I went through my whole life trying to get people to understand that kids can get Arthritis, not just adults. Did you know that over 300,000 children are affected by this disease? That is about 1 in every 250 children in America.

Why don't people understand when you tell them? Well, they choose not to listen, and just assume right to the point that you're really sick, and you can't do much. I have always wondered what it would be like just for one day to have someone walk in our shoes. To see what we go through. To see what it is like to go through pain everyday, and fight through just to accomplish and complete something. I'm a college student with Arthritis. My Arthritis doesn't have a cure, yet.

Living with arthritis is like going through hell, and trying to make your way into the heavens and rejoice that you will actually make it out alive today. Well, it probably isn't like that, but when we struggle and love with it while trying to get through school, it can really be a ball game. It's hard to not think of when your next fleurup is when you are walking to your class, and just thinking of how much pain you're in right now.

I have aches and pains everyday, and will continue for the rest of my life because of the disease. I've had boyfriends break up with me because of it, and that they don't want their children to have Arthritis. Well, to you sirs, you aren't worthy of me or anyone else if you don't appreciate all flaws that every human being has. You shouldn't judge someone just because of something that they can't control. You have to stick by them, no matter how hard it is.