Levittown Teen Named Honoree of 2013 Arthritis Walk

A local 8th grade student with juvenile arthritis has been selected as the honoree for this year’s Arthritis Walk, an annual event which raises awareness and money to fight the disease.

14-year-old Kayla Aquilina of Levittown, an eigth-grade student at Wisdom Lane Middle School, has had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since she was two and a half years old. She continues to fight a brave battle with the debilitating disease, and had a pacemaker implanted in 2011 because the arthritis was affecting her cardiac rhythm.

“I’m doing the Walk so that Arthritis Foundation can find a cure and children will not be in pain like I am,” Aquilina said.

Arthritis Walks will take place in nearly 130 cities across the country through November 2013. The Walks unite communities across the country to put an end to arthritis, a chronic disease that affects 50 million adults and 300,000 children, or approximately 22 percent of the U.S. population, according to a release by the Arthritis Foundation.

Arthritis is a "complex family of musculoskeletal disorders with many causes, not yet fully understood, and so far there are no cures,” the release said. It consists of more than 100 different diseases or conditions that destroy joints, bones, muscles, cartilage and other connective tissues, hampering or halting physical movement.

Aquilina’s mother Fran said they have done about 10 walks so far to raise money for finding a cure for the disease. This year, they held a fundraiser at Levittown hall, raising $4,000 bringing this year’s total for “Kayla’s Crew” to about $7,000.  

“Everyone just pulled together – neighbords, friends. They’ve all been very supportive,” she said.

Fran says she expect at least 60-70 people to walk for Kayla’s Crew this year.

“We feel very honored and proud of my daughter,” she said.

The walk will be held on Saturday, May 11 at Belmont State Park in North Babylon. Registration opens at 10 a.m. and the walk begins at 11 a.m.

To register for the Long Island walk online, visit, www.liwalk.kintera.org or call 631-427-8272. You can search for other arthritis walks online by visiting www.awner.kintera.org.

You can learn more about arthritis and the Arthritis Foundation at www.arthritis.org.