Jeanne-Marie Storseter:  One of the many reasons you are running or walking this marathon for the Arthritis Foundation...

            Hi, everyone!  My name is Jeanne-Marie Storseter.  I am 19 years old.  I had led an active and healthy life.  I had participated in gymnastics, ballet and tap dancing.  These activities were so much fun, until one day, all that changed.  I started getting a bad knee pain that wouldn’t go away.  My mom decided to take me into Kaiser hospital in San Francisco.  Kaiser couldn’t find out what I had, but after running some tests, they found out I had systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.  When I first found out about my disease I became very depressed.  I could not do anything!  I sat in the corner of my room thinking, “What can I do now?  Am I ever going to do what I had done before?”  Through out my life I have gone through heart failure, five blood transfusions, total hip and knee replacements and a great amount of joint pain.  Shriners Hospital helped me to walk again and feel like part of the human race again.  I spent a year at Shriners Hospital recuperating.  It was very hard and strenuous going through therapy.  I wanted to give up at times, but kept hanging in there.  I stuck it out and am now going to City College, studying acting and singing.  I would like to go on TV and be in movies.  I’ve gone to auditions for acting and will be doing a part in a comedy movie soon.

            I’m also working at the San Francisco Zoo and AMC 1000 theater, working in customer services.  I’m living on my own and am self-supportive.  I’m an honoree for the Joints in Motion marathon program with the Arthritis Foundation.  I’ve done many speeches in high schools and auditoriums representing kids with arthritis.  I’m an advocate for disabled people here in San Francisco and am hoping to help others who are physically challenged, like me.

            My last challenge was trying out for the Miss San Francisco pageant. My reason was to show the world and physically challenged people that you can do anything you want to do in life if you stay strong, keep your faith, and never give up your hope.