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With the onset of arthritis, daily routines such as typing or simply walking in your house will become increasingly painful as time goes on.
The annual Jingle Bell Run fundraiser for arthritis research starts this week across the nation. Even if this fundraiser is called a run, participants can still apply and just take a stroll alongside the people dressed in various holiday-theme costumes.
To apply to this 5K marathon, you need to pay first, with all the money raised being donated to the Arthritis Foundation in the hopes of funding research to cure the affliction that plagues 1 in 5 US adults.
Arthritis is a terrible disease that affects multiple joints inside the human body, making it difficult or even nearly impossible for the person to move. The most common out of the 100 forms of arthritis is the degenerative joint disease known as osteoarthritis which results from either old age or trauma suffered to the joint itself.
This illness is the leading cause of disability across the US and is mostly characterized by severe pain in the joint area, either in the arms, hands or legs. This is why volunteers from every corner of the country join in on the run, with the run itself being created by the Arthritis Foundation to gather funds as well as inform people of this disease.
The run itself will take place in almost every state this week, ranging from Austin, Texas, to Toledo, Ohio. Even if this run is prevalent in the Eastern part of the US, states and towns from both Central and Western US will be participating.
Besides the actual running part of this fundraiser, costume contests will also be held, as well as after-party meet-ups. The participants are asked to adorn their most festive costumes, especially with some added bells to either their wrists or ankles, in order to make this run heard as well as seen.
Registrations can be carried out both online on the Jingle Bell Run sites or by simply applying on location where the run starts. Even if this run can also be a mild stroll while walking your dog, some people will still view it as a chance to prove their competitive spirit.
Some locations might even offer prizes to those finishing in the top three, but that will differ from location to location because the point of this run is to collectively help those with arthritis, not just winning the race.
Because the Jingle Bell Run fundraiser for arthritis research starts this week, people should at least try to take part in it for a noble cause. Who knows, maybe you will be part of the 20% who will be actually suffering from arthritis in your later stages of life. Might as well help while you can.
Image source:www.pixabay.com
