Nine-Year-Old With Arthritis Inspires On The Ice

Darcy Pohland

It's a disease often associated with the elderly. But 1,100 Minnesota children age 16 and younger have rheumatoid arthritis, the most serious kind.

"Sometimes I'm sad because I can't do everything that everyone else is doing," said Allie Ray, a nine-year-old fighting the disease.

But Allie isn't letting arthritis keep her on the bench. Instead, she's inspiring others through sports.

"I have good days and I have bad days," Allie said.

For a child who suffers from arthritis, putting on snow pants and boots without stiffness or pain can be a huge accomplishment.

"It's usually in my knees or ankles, fingers or wrists," she said.

Allie was just six when she was diagnosed with arthritis. Her mother noticed a swollen ring finger.

"We were dumbfounded," said Allie's mother, Leslie Ray.

"I thought only old people got arthritis," Allie said.

Despite her limitations, Allie perseveres physically. She dances, figure skates, plays soccer and loves hockey.

"It's quite unusual for children to be that active with arthritis," Leslie said.

Allie helps manage her pain and stiffness with medications and common sense.

"When I hurt out there I go in right away," Allie said of her time on the ice.

But, that's not always easy.

"I feel sad that I have to sit out," she said.

Even so, Allie wants to inspire other children now and in the future. She is a junior ambassador for the Arthritis Foundation and helps other kids cope with the disease.

"I want to be a pediatric rheumatologist," she said. "That's the kind of doctor that helps kids with arthritis."