Annual Arthritis Walk May 4th

Carla DiGiovanni says most people know someone who has been impacted by Arthritis. She struggled with the disease as a child.

“It is so difficult to watch vibrant, willing people as they seem to shrivel with the loss of control over their own bodies,” DiGiovanni told Patch, last year.

Fifty million Americans live with the disease. The Arthritis Foundation works to increase awareness of the disease every year with its Arthritis Walk.

The 2013 Arthritis Walk Atlanta starts at 10 a.m., May 4 at the King and Queen buildings. Registration is at 9 a.m. Visit the website to sign-up or donate.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, Arthritis is a complex family of musculoskeletal disorders consisting of more than 100 different diseases or conditions that can affect people of all ages, races and genders. Of the 50 million Americans with arthritis, more than 36 million are Caucasians, more than 4.6 million are African-Americans and 2.9 million are Hispanic, according to the Foundation website. Two-thirds of people with arthritis are under the age of 65, including 300,000 children.