2017 Jingle Bell Run: 7-Year-Old Whitefish Bay Girl Has 'A-Team'

WHITEFISH BAY, WI — 7-year-old Allison Ham has a true "A-Team" that has been behind her all the way.

When Allison was 2 years old, her parents Martha and Eric Ham began noticing some unusual symptoms. She started experiencing pain in just her pinky finger. Before too long, similar pain appeared in her feet, then her ankles, and then her knees.

Her parents took her to the hospital. During the course of her treatment, she was diagnosed with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, nearly 300,000 children in the U.S. have some form of arthritis. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common type of arthritis in children.

"At the time, I didn't think that kids could get arthritis," Eric Ham said. "She's gone through a lot of treatments. People don't think about arthritis as a disease that people can rally around to fight."

This weekend, Allison and her A-Team, made up of family, friends and members of her care team, will be walking in the Jingle Bell Run. The festive 5K race, will be held Sunday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m. at the Rock Snow Park located at 7900 W. Crystal Ridge Drive in Franklin. People dress up in funny costumes and brave the elements to support the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to cure arthritis.

How to Go: 2017 Jingle Bell Run

• The Rock Sports Complex 7900 W. Crystal Ridge Drive, Franklin
• Nov 12, 2017 10:00 a.m.
• Entry fees start at $20 for kids and $35 for adults.

How to Help

Donate to the Jingle Bell Run, to help them reach 2017's fundraising goal!

Eric Ham said that Allison's arthritis is in remission. "Children can get it, and it can go away, or it can stay with them for entire lives," he said. "Today we are not seeing any symptoms, but we're monitoring it very closely."

Submitted Photo, Published With Permission