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Community DC Brett Curtis Arthritis Foundation · Community D.C.

0:00
Speaker 1: Good morning and welcome to another edition of Community DC.
0:02
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we welcome to
0:05
Speaker 1: the program for the first time, Brett Curtis. He is
0:07
Speaker 1: the new executive director for the Arthritis Foundation. And over
0:10
Speaker 1: the next 30 minutes, we'll talk about all the exciting
0:12
Speaker 1: things that are happening because of the foundation, including their
0:15
Speaker 1: upcoming events and the commitment to Cure Gala happening on Saturday,
0:19
Speaker 1: October 24th at the High Regency in Bethesda and much,
0:22
Speaker 1: much more. Here's my conversation with Brett. I hope you
0:25
Speaker 1: enjoy it as much as I did.
0:26
Speaker 2: Good morning, Brett.
0:27
Speaker 3: Good morning, Dennis. It's great to be with you.
0:29
Speaker 2: Well, it's great to be with you. And we've had
0:31
Speaker 2: the Arthritis Foundation for the last five years on Community DC.
0:34
Speaker 2: But your first appearance on our public affairs show. Welcome.
0:37
Speaker 2: It's great to have you aboard. I know you're new
0:39
Speaker 2: into the gig, so we'll be careful. We'll be gentle
0:41
Speaker 2: with you. But there is a lot to talk about.
0:43
Speaker 2: And as I said in my opening a little bit earlier,
0:45
Speaker 2: my listeners know that I have rheumatoid arthritis. I've had
0:48
Speaker 2: it since I was 21. I've dealt with it. I'm
0:51
Speaker 2: in pretty good shape, but I'm lucky to have people
0:53
Speaker 2: like you, your team, the researchers, and the doctors out
0:55
Speaker 2: there that do the amazing things of where I got
0:58
Speaker 2: it back in 87, Brett, to where we are in
1:00
Speaker 2: 2026 is absolutely amazing. So lots to talk about. As
1:03
Speaker 2: I was reading the history of the Arthritis Foundation, it
1:06
Speaker 2: goes all the way back to 1948, which is truly incredible.
1:09
Speaker 2: So it's been around for a long time. And I
1:11
Speaker 2: imagine in the short time that you've been with the foundation,
1:13
Speaker 2: the amazing things that you've seen, Brett, that just kind
1:16
Speaker 2: of blow you away of today's technology and AI is
1:19
Speaker 2: getting involved in getting a cure. Hopefully someday it really
1:22
Speaker 2: is amazing what's happening out there. with the things you
1:25
Speaker 2: can get from the pharmacy, what researchers are doing, rehab
1:29
Speaker 2: and everything. It's truly incredible, isn't it?
1:31
Speaker 3: It is, and I appreciate it. I will start there
1:33
Speaker 3: with you.
1:34
Speaker 4: Thanks and gratitude to you for sharing a little bit
1:37
Speaker 4: about your story and personal connection to this mission.
1:39
Speaker 3: I think you're spot on.
1:41
Speaker 4: Since 1948, the Foundation has been leading that fight to
1:44
Speaker 4: conquer arthritis, but at the same time, the numbers are
1:48
Speaker 4: possibly headed in the wrong direction. There are over 60
1:51
Speaker 4: million adults and 300,000 children in the US. And so
1:55
Speaker 4: it affects those. It also affects their families, loved ones, caregivers,
1:59
Speaker 4: and those around. And really the way we're starting to
2:02
Speaker 4: tackle this is by being more bold, being active, being loud,
2:05
Speaker 4: and being proud to talk about this. On one hand,
2:08
Speaker 4: arthritis is a public health crisis and we should be
2:11
Speaker 4: addressing it. But on the flip side, the more we
2:13
Speaker 4: can be in community with one another, the more we
2:16
Speaker 4: can recognize that this is a disease that affects folks
2:18
Speaker 4: at all ages. It is not just an inevitability of
2:22
Speaker 4: growing old. When I was diagnosed, I was 25 years old.
2:26
Speaker 4: And I am floored at the incidence rate, that 300,000
2:29
Speaker 4: children number.
2:30
Speaker 3: Let's put it in perspective locally as well.
2:33
Speaker 4: So our best estimates say it's about 1.6 million patients
2:37
Speaker 4: in the DMV region.
2:39
Speaker 3: And that includes over 10,000 children as well.
2:41
Speaker 4: So this is a disease that can affect anyone at
2:44
Speaker 4: any age, at any stage of their life. And it's
2:47
Speaker 4: something that we need to be doing our best to
2:49
Speaker 4: improve that quality of life for people.
2:51
Speaker 2: Well, thanks for all that, Brett. And we should give
2:52
Speaker 2: a little more context to our listeners out there. Every
2:56
Speaker 2: time you hear the word arthritis, everybody thinks that's an
2:58
Speaker 2: old person's disease. And it's not. As Brett was saying,
3:02
Speaker 2: when it comes to autoimmune and blood disorders, it can
3:05
Speaker 2: affect any age. With juvenile arthritis, people like me when
3:08
Speaker 2: I got in my early 20s, when you're middle age
3:11
Speaker 2: or when you're old, and with the umbrella of arthritis,
3:15
Speaker 2: there are actually hundreds of different kinds of forms of arthritis.
3:18
Speaker 2: And People have heard of lupus and the RA, which
3:21
Speaker 2: I have, and so many others. So it really is
3:24
Speaker 2: incredible and kind of staggering, Brett, those numbers, how they
3:27
Speaker 2: continue to climb out there over the last several decades.
3:31
Speaker 2: When I first got it, I didn't have a lot
3:33
Speaker 2: of information to where you have amples of data and
3:35
Speaker 2: information now. But the good thing is, is that people
3:38
Speaker 2: are donating, which we're going to ask you to today
3:41
Speaker 2: and get on the Arthritis Foundation website, how you can volunteer,
3:44
Speaker 2: be a help and kind of just delve into it
3:48
Speaker 2: a little bit more. But what I want to do,
3:50
Speaker 2: and speaking of context, Brett, I'd love for you to
3:52
Speaker 2: tell the listeners about what the Arthritis Foundation does, because
3:55
Speaker 2: when they hear about the foundation, I don't think they
3:58
Speaker 2: truly can grasp the incredible kind of tentacles and different
4:01
Speaker 2: buckets that you have to deal with that you really
4:03
Speaker 2: handle you and your team differently. Just alone in this region,
4:06
Speaker 2: you know, national office. Is national office still in Atlanta?
4:11
Speaker 2: In the DMV, you know, you do your own work
4:15
Speaker 2: here and you were quoting some of the numbers. So
4:17
Speaker 2: let's give some context to listeners. What does the foundation do?
4:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would put it probably into two simple buckets.
4:24
Speaker 4: Our goal is to make life better and improve the
4:27
Speaker 4: quality of life for all people living with arthritis. So
4:29
Speaker 4: I would say that's possibilities for today. It's how we
4:32
Speaker 4: improve life. It's how we bring folks together. It's how
4:35
Speaker 4: we amplify our understanding of arthritis and our resources and
4:38
Speaker 4: And it's how we strengthen our organizational work to broaden
4:41
Speaker 4: our impact, to reach more people and be visible in
4:45
Speaker 4: our community. But then it's also the work that we're
4:48
Speaker 4: doing for that brighter future tomorrow. So it's the scientific
4:51
Speaker 4: insights that lead to improved treatments and prevention. It's how
4:54
Speaker 4: we can help transform health care policy and the systems
4:58
Speaker 4: that better support arthritis care and research systems. and how
5:01
Speaker 4: we're bolstering alliances and partnerships so we can tackle these
5:03
Speaker 4: shared challenges and priorities together. So I think at our core,
5:08
Speaker 4: we know that living with arthritis can be tough, but
5:11
Speaker 4: we want people to know that they don't have to.
5:12
Speaker 3: Face it alone.
5:13
Speaker 4: Our job, my job, my team, the entire organization is
5:17
Speaker 4: to make it clear that we're here to provide support, resources,
5:21
Speaker 4: connections to help make the most of our everyday living
5:25
Speaker 4: with a disease that folks often don't understand or isn't
5:28
Speaker 4: always visible. So whether it's our helpline, so folks can
5:33
Speaker 4: reach out to our national helpline that's available to tackle
5:36
Speaker 4: insurance challenges, to understand treatment options or how to ask questions.
5:41
Speaker 4: Connecting folks is part of our national or local connect
5:44
Speaker 4: groups so that they can be in community with one another.
5:47
Speaker 4: Attending some of our local foundation events and recognizing that
5:51
Speaker 4: sometimes just being around others, saying hello, introducing yourself, it
5:55
Speaker 4: helps make this disease visible as we try and improve
5:58
Speaker 4: that public perception. So we're gonna conquer arthritis with life-changing science, resources, advocacy,
6:05
Speaker 4: And then every day here locally with those community connections
6:08
Speaker 4: as well.
6:08
Speaker 2: Outstanding. Thanks for that. And I want to back up
6:10
Speaker 2: a little bit and spotlight not only the helpline, but
6:13
Speaker 2: the community groups. And here's why. When I tell people
6:16
Speaker 2: my story, I don't ever want them to feel sorry.
6:20
Speaker 2: I was just, you know, it was a matter of
6:21
Speaker 2: when you're in the late 80s, there's no Internet, there's
6:23
Speaker 2: no social media, there's no education on R.A. And I
6:27
Speaker 2: was just to spend some medication and it just was
6:30
Speaker 2: what it was. And things have come so far now
6:33
Speaker 2: in 2026. But the other thing that happened to me
6:36
Speaker 2: back then in the late 80s, Brett, is that because
6:39
Speaker 2: of the isolation about not knowing anything about the disease
6:43
Speaker 2: with zero education, I didn't know that anybody else had it.
6:46
Speaker 2: So I felt like I was on an island by
6:48
Speaker 2: myself and kind of a lost boy. And when you
6:52
Speaker 2: go through something like that, folks, whatever you're going through,
6:56
Speaker 2: if you have cancer or RA or anything out there,
6:59
Speaker 2: it's mentally debilitating. It just is. It's isolating you. Not
7:03
Speaker 2: to mention friends and family disappearing because, you know, that's
7:06
Speaker 2: easier to do than to hit it head on. That's
7:08
Speaker 2: kind of the human spirit. That's why I jump in
7:10
Speaker 2: when anybody's ever sick. I'm there for them to say, listen,
7:14
Speaker 2: let's try and normalize this and keep on talking and
7:16
Speaker 2: not try to disappear on each other. And I tell
7:19
Speaker 2: that story because between your helpline and the community groups
7:23
Speaker 2: that you have, people want to be able to relate, folks.
7:27
Speaker 2: You know, there's two things that I always think that
7:29
Speaker 2: people want is simple acknowledgement for whatever it is. And
7:31
Speaker 2: then also to be able to relate that I'm not
7:33
Speaker 2: in this alone and that you guys do that is
7:37
Speaker 2: extraordinary and it's welcome. And people say, well, it's pretty
7:40
Speaker 2: simple to do that. It's not. Brett and his team
7:43
Speaker 2: and the national office have to organize all these things.
7:46
Speaker 2: And then people have to have the courage to come
7:48
Speaker 2: together and hopefully share what they're going through, whether it's themselves,
7:52
Speaker 2: a family member, a friend, a coworker, anything that And
7:55
Speaker 2: I love that you do that. That's why I wanted
7:57
Speaker 2: to spotlight it, because I just think it's great that
7:59
Speaker 2: people can talk to somebody and get some help or
8:03
Speaker 2: to be able to relate that I'm going through this
8:05
Speaker 2: and you are, too. We're going to be OK. And
8:07
Speaker 2: I think it's extraordinary that you do that.
8:11
Speaker 4: I love to hear that you put a spotlight on
8:14
Speaker 4: it because it's truly, it is a 100% free resource
8:18
Speaker 4: that we just want folks to know exists. So our
8:21
Speaker 4: Arthritis Foundation helpline is there for up-to-date arthritis information. It's guidance,
8:26
Speaker 4: it's insurance questions, and it's support where possible. So we
8:30
Speaker 4: have trained staff who truly understand this disease. And we
8:34
Speaker 4: also now have a Spanish-speaking expert, which I want to
8:36
Speaker 4: make sure folks understand how important that is. We're not
8:39
Speaker 4: just taking our website and running it through an AI translator.
8:42
Speaker 4: We have folks on our team that are dedicated to
8:45
Speaker 4: talking through these questions, these issues. And they're available by phone, email,
8:50
Speaker 4: and web. So obviously I'm doing a disservice if I
8:53
Speaker 4: don't throw that out there, but it's arthritis.org slash helpline.
8:56
Speaker 3: That includes a ton of our resources.
8:58
Speaker 4: Folks can email directly helpline at arthritis.org. Our number, it's
9:03
Speaker 4: a 1-800 number. So it's 1-800-283-7800. I'm sure we'll get
9:08
Speaker 4: that all into the show notes. But again, I'm loud, vocal, proud.
9:12
Speaker 4: People can reach out to me directly and I will
9:13
Speaker 4: connect them with those folks. And so will anyone on
9:16
Speaker 4: our team, because it really is that important that folks
9:19
Speaker 4: just know that there is somebody that can listen, that
9:21
Speaker 4: can talk. And then when you're ready to take that
9:23
Speaker 4: next step, if you are ready to get out into
9:25
Speaker 4: the community, I love our Connect Groups, the Live Yes
9:28
Speaker 4: Connect Groups. We meet virtually, we meet in person. We
9:31
Speaker 4: have a couple right here in DC, whether that's for
9:35
Speaker 4: actual patients, whether it's for caregivers of young ones, So
9:38
Speaker 4: we have a juvenile arthritis care group as well. And
9:42
Speaker 4: then we also have national groups that are meeting both
9:44
Speaker 4: on topics specifically about specific webinars, on pain management, on
9:50
Speaker 4: chronic disease, on healthy eating, on living, on better movement,
9:54
Speaker 4: literally on any topic you can think about. I just
9:57
Speaker 4: wish we could be louder and prouder about the resources
9:59
Speaker 4: that the Arthritis Foundation is offering. So definitely want to
10:03
Speaker 4: encourage folks, whether they're looking to meet face to face
10:06
Speaker 4: in person, whether it is meeting virtually with others around
10:09
Speaker 4: the country that can connect with them on these topics.
10:12
Speaker 4: or attending some of those Living Well events that we're
10:14
Speaker 4: doing locally, our webinars.
10:15
Speaker 3: I mean, I'm learning.
10:17
Speaker 4: It's been a couple of months with me for the foundation,
10:19
Speaker 4: but I'm ready to get involved with one of our
10:21
Speaker 4: Walk with Ease programs. It's a community-based physical activity and
10:24
Speaker 4: self-management program over six weeks. That's just for somebody with arthritis,
10:29
Speaker 4: how we can have a true program that includes the strengthening,
10:33
Speaker 4: the stretching, the education. that we need to just walk
10:36
Speaker 4: a little bit better because we know that things like
10:38
Speaker 4: movement really are so important in these disease pieces.
10:42
Speaker 3: So I was just watching a.
10:43
Speaker 4: Video even on an exercise I can do from my
10:47
Speaker 4: desk at my chair that is good for my lower
10:50
Speaker 4: back pain that I have with arthritis. And when you're
10:52
Speaker 4: ready to keep going, like I said, there's so many resources, eBooks,
10:57
Speaker 4: our national podcast series, Obviously, conversations like we're having this morning,
11:02
Speaker 4: but how we can continue to expand it and put
11:03
Speaker 4: those out in front of people.
11:05
Speaker 3: It really just is that impactful.
11:09
Speaker 2: Well, very good. And there is a wealth of information
11:11
Speaker 2: on the website. And listen, there's a lot to digest.
11:14
Speaker 2: And Brad was just hitting the tip of the iceberg
11:15
Speaker 2: of what they offer on the website. But it's easy
11:18
Speaker 2: to navigate, and all the information is there, and it's
11:20
Speaker 2: truly remarkable because it's Herculean what you and your team do,
11:24
Speaker 2: but just getting a website up to date because research
11:27
Speaker 2: is always ebbing and flowing. Everything is fluid in this industry,
11:31
Speaker 2: and there's just a lot out there. Just anybody who's
11:34
Speaker 2: done arthritis drugs with insurance like me or Brett, I mean,
11:37
Speaker 2: that could be a pain in the butt too. There's
11:39
Speaker 2: a lot of things going on out there, so it's
11:40
Speaker 2: a very helpful website and a good tutorial just to
11:43
Speaker 2: get on there and check everything out. I did want
11:46
Speaker 2: to talk about funding, and then, of course, we're going
11:48
Speaker 2: to get into programs and events because you've got your
11:50
Speaker 2: big commitment to Cure Gala coming up on October 24th
11:53
Speaker 2: that I know is gigantic. It's a great fundraiser, but
11:55
Speaker 2: it's also a great evening, folks. So we're going to
11:57
Speaker 2: talk about that, how to get tickets. Also, during the holidays,
12:00
Speaker 2: there are some great runs that have been going on
12:02
Speaker 2: for years and years that are very famous, but we
12:04
Speaker 2: want to get that on your radar during the holidays.
12:08
Speaker 2: But I did want to talk about funding and people say, well, listen,
12:12
Speaker 2: you got my attention. Either arthritis is a part of
12:15
Speaker 2: my family or my friends or my coworkers, or you
12:19
Speaker 2: just have my general interest. And I'd like to donate,
12:21
Speaker 2: especially here in the DMV. So how do they fund
12:24
Speaker 2: you and how can they do it? Because I know
12:26
Speaker 2: there's many ways to get bread. And then where is
12:28
Speaker 2: the money allocated?
12:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's really important to always revert back
12:32
Speaker 4: to that why. So you were very generous in sharing
12:35
Speaker 4: her story with rheumatoid arthritis. One in five people with
12:38
Speaker 4: RA have no treatments that are working for them. There
12:41
Speaker 4: are currently no FDA approved drugs that effectively treat osteoarthritis.
12:47
Speaker 4: We talked about some of the insurance delays. And so
12:50
Speaker 4: I was one of those patients, it sounds like you're connected,
12:52
Speaker 4: are required by their insurance companies to take medications and
12:55
Speaker 4: fail first before you can actually get the treatment that
12:58
Speaker 4: your physician was working to provide you on. Here's one
13:01
Speaker 4: that's really shocking to me that I am continuing to
13:04
Speaker 4: learn about. There are nine states in this country that
13:07
Speaker 4: have no practicing pediatric rheumatologists currently.
13:10
Speaker 3: My goodness.
13:11
Speaker 4: And there are six states that only have one. So
13:15
Speaker 4: we are talking about hundreds of thousands of children in
13:18
Speaker 4: the US with painful and debilitating arthritis that are traveling
13:21
Speaker 4: hundreds of miles just to get initial appointments to start
13:25
Speaker 4: on their treatment journey. So we know that arthritis undermines well-being.
13:29
Speaker 4: It impacts mental health. It steals quality of life from folks.
13:33
Speaker 4: So we ask about that why, why we're supporting the organization,
13:36
Speaker 4: why we're doing things like having these conversations to raise awareness.
13:40
Speaker 4: It's because we can find ways to help people build community,
13:44
Speaker 4: but then we have to start looking towards that future,
13:46
Speaker 4: those scientific insights that are doing the work so that
13:50
Speaker 4: we can find truly a cure for arthritis so that
13:54
Speaker 4: it's not something that I have to live in for
13:57
Speaker 4: the rest of my life and neither will you.
13:59
Speaker 3: So let's talk a little bit about those stats.
14:02
Speaker 4: Since 2018, I was reading a report on the work
14:05
Speaker 4: of the foundation recently. We've invested over $ 35 million for
14:09
Speaker 4: our osteoarthritis research, $ 4. 8 million for rheumatoid arthritis, and almost
14:15
Speaker 4: $ 50 million in juvenile arthritis. So we are really walking
14:20
Speaker 4: the walk and talking the talk when we say we're
14:23
Speaker 4: taking these funds, we're putting them to the best use
14:26
Speaker 4: possible at institutions of research all across the country. I
14:30
Speaker 4: don't think it's lost on anyone, especially locally here in
14:33
Speaker 4: the DMV with some of the health funding cuts that
14:35
Speaker 4: we've faced and some of the work that we're seeing.
14:37
Speaker 4: So in many ways, as an organization, we're stepping up
14:40
Speaker 4: to try and fill that gap. I was so impressed
14:43
Speaker 4: to see, and I'm going to get to head down
14:44
Speaker 4: to Atlanta to see Our new ease of use lab.
14:48
Speaker 4: We talk all the time about products and how folks
14:51
Speaker 4: can live and make marginal and incremental differences in their life.
14:54
Speaker 4: Our ease of use lab is actually going to be
14:57
Speaker 4: in-house and be able to do research on products, talking
15:01
Speaker 4: about how we can open jars a little bit easier.
15:04
Speaker 4: how we can have the right spray bottles with our
15:08
Speaker 4: cleaning products, for example. So just these ways that we
15:11
Speaker 4: are trying to improve the quality of life for folks
15:14
Speaker 4: that are facing a disease right now that often does
15:17
Speaker 4: not have a cure, or we're trying to use stopgap
15:20
Speaker 4: treatments for them. And then obviously making those big transformational
15:24
Speaker 4: changes in healthcare and policy and in systems so we
15:28
Speaker 4: can treat this. I mean, I said it earlier, but
15:30
Speaker 4: When we ask why we need to fund a disease
15:33
Speaker 4: like arthritis, it's what we were saying is this is
15:37
Speaker 4: a public health crisis. And yet most folks assume it's
15:41
Speaker 4: an old person disease, assume that it's just a natural
15:44
Speaker 4: course of aging. But we are talking about the nation's
15:47
Speaker 4: number one cause of disability. And when we put it
15:51
Speaker 4: like that, when we realize that there's over 60 million.
15:54
Speaker 3: Adults suffering and over a hundred types of arthritis.
15:58
Speaker 4: I will talk to folks every day in the course
16:00
Speaker 4: of my work that don't recognize that they may even
16:02
Speaker 4: fall under the umbrella of arthritis. So we have to
16:09
Speaker 4: So folks listening today can say, you know what? I
16:12
Speaker 4: do need to talk to my doctor. Am I part
16:14
Speaker 4: of a community that I didn't even recognize could support
16:17
Speaker 4: me in that way? So I'm really thrilled, obviously, that
16:21
Speaker 4: the focus and the spotlight that we're putting on this
16:24
Speaker 4: and then we get to build that into those local connections.
16:27
Speaker 4: So I know you mentioned our upcoming gala. The reason
16:30
Speaker 4: I like a gala event like ours is. is because
16:34
Speaker 4: we're bringing together folks so they can see providers sitting
16:38
Speaker 4: at a table in the same room as them. It's
16:40
Speaker 4: not every day that you get to go to an
16:42
Speaker 4: event and you may run into your doctor in public.
16:45
Speaker 4: I think about it when I was younger and I
16:47
Speaker 4: would go somewhere out in the community or be in
16:48
Speaker 4: the grocery store and there was my teacher.
16:51
Speaker 3: It's in many ways the.
16:52
Speaker 4: Same idea is if we can put providers, if we
16:54
Speaker 4: can put patients together If we can put community members
16:57
Speaker 4: together in a room, it's truly that exciting, just such
17:02
Speaker 4: a unique way of getting together to raise support, to
17:05
Speaker 4: raise visibility, to raise the cachet of what otherwise is considered,
17:10
Speaker 4: like we said, a disease that folks just expect to get.
17:13
Speaker 4: And that's not how I want to be looking at
17:16
Speaker 4: something that I'm fighting every day. Right.
17:18
Speaker 2: And to close the loop, if they get on the website,
17:20
Speaker 2: there is a donate button up there. And there are
17:22
Speaker 2: many ways to give, right? There are many.
17:24
Speaker 5: Always.
17:26
Speaker 4: I would never say no to how folks want to
17:28
Speaker 4: give their time, their talent, their treasure. It does not
17:31
Speaker 4: have to just be financial contributions. Come out and volunteer
17:34
Speaker 4: with us. Just come to one of our upcoming runs
17:36
Speaker 4: and see the community that builds folks. But yes, support
17:40
Speaker 4: is absolutely, I'm a fundraiser at heart. So I do
17:43
Speaker 4: know the value of the dollar that somebody is investing
17:47
Speaker 4: in us.
17:47
Speaker 3: But I can also confidently say, that we are putting
17:50
Speaker 3: it to good use.
17:51
Speaker 4: And that's why I wanted to keep underscoring some of
17:52
Speaker 4: those resources. But yes, if you head to our upcoming
17:56
Speaker 4: GALA website, it's arthritis.org slash commit cure DC.
18:01
Speaker 3: That is October 24th. We'll be in Bethesda.
18:05
Speaker 4: Like I said, bringing together providers, community members, philanthropists, community leaders,
18:09
Speaker 4: business leaders. It is an all hands effort to come
18:13
Speaker 4: together on October 24th to say like, we have to
18:15
Speaker 4: be elevating this disease.
18:17
Speaker 2: So I want to mention, because I've been to one
18:19
Speaker 2: of the galas before, and it truly is incredible. And
18:22
Speaker 2: what you get beside what Brett had talked about, and
18:25
Speaker 2: I want you to go in depth a little bit more, Brett,
18:27
Speaker 2: of the night that people can expect. It's a lot
18:30
Speaker 2: of fun, but also there's a lot of fellowship. There's
18:33
Speaker 2: a lot of people in the room that have some
18:34
Speaker 2: type of arthritis or their family member does, and you'll
18:37
Speaker 2: hear some really great guest speakers. Have you locked in
18:40
Speaker 2: your guest speakers yet, Brett?
18:41
Speaker 3: We have.
18:42
Speaker 4: I'm super, super excited. Each year we try and honor
18:46
Speaker 4: a clinician or a physician who's doing the work. So
18:49
Speaker 4: we will be honoring Dr. Evan Siegel from Arthritis and
18:52
Speaker 4: Rheumatism Associates, a rheumatologist in the D.C. area for years
18:56
Speaker 4: and years now. So really excited to obviously have the
18:59
Speaker 4: provider lens in the room. But we're also honoring this here,
19:03
Speaker 4: Kathy Aitken. She is a certified aquatic physical therapist. And
19:08
Speaker 4: the reason I underscore that is when we think of
19:10
Speaker 4: the continuum of care around arthritis and how we can
19:14
Speaker 4: be doing great work for our own bodies, it doesn't
19:17
Speaker 4: always just look like the pharmaceutical side or in your
19:20
Speaker 4: doctor's office.
19:21
Speaker 3: In this case, we wanted to elevate the story of
19:23
Speaker 3: folks that.
19:24
Speaker 4: Are seeking care and support and seeing progress in their
19:29
Speaker 4: own disease journey through.
19:31
Speaker 3: Aquatic physical therapy.
19:33
Speaker 4: And then, of course, really, really excited to be honoring
19:36
Speaker 4: this year our young adult champion, Nyla, who has been
19:40
Speaker 4: involved with the foundation both at our events, but also
19:43
Speaker 4: on the advocacy side. She has shared her story in
19:46
Speaker 4: front of lawmakers. She's stepping up as part of our
19:48
Speaker 4: ambassador program. And so she'll be with us to share
19:51
Speaker 4: that patient perspective as well, both from a young adult
19:54
Speaker 4: perspective and as a patient and advocate who's doing the
19:57
Speaker 4: work and how she has refused. And that's what I
20:00
Speaker 4: think is so cool to let arthritis... stand in her
20:04
Speaker 4: way or prevent her from doing anything that she wants
20:06
Speaker 4: to be doing as she goes into her senior year
20:08
Speaker 4: of high school.
20:09
Speaker 2: Outstanding. So you're going to get an outstanding meal. There's
20:11
Speaker 2: going to be great guest speakers. There's going to be fellowship.
20:14
Speaker 2: What else do you have going on that evening that
20:16
Speaker 2: people can get excited about?
20:18
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, in some ways it is really that
20:21
Speaker 4: dazzling celebration side. So you will have our dinner, live
20:26
Speaker 4: and silent auctions, live entertainment, a moving program, because that's
20:30
Speaker 4: how we know we're honoring those that are shining in
20:32
Speaker 4: our community. And again, I think you're stealing my thunder.
20:37
Speaker 4: You're using fellowship because that's really what it is. I've
20:39
Speaker 4: been to a lot of galas. I've been to a
20:41
Speaker 4: lot of events. But there's not always that moment where
20:44
Speaker 4: you get to look around a room and say, we
20:46
Speaker 4: have patients here. We have providers here. We have folks
20:49
Speaker 4: that just get it. I've heard from a couple of
20:51
Speaker 4: folks that I know are already going to be attending
20:54
Speaker 4: our event today. that have said, Brett, the thing that
20:57
Speaker 4: we love about your gala is I can walk in
21:00
Speaker 4: that room and see people that look like me, that
21:02
Speaker 4: walk like me, that just understand this journey in a
21:07
Speaker 4: way that you would never get otherwise.
21:09
Speaker 2: I'm glad you mentioned that because that's the powerful thing
21:12
Speaker 2: that I did. And even though I had been around
21:14
Speaker 2: people before and I've been to many galas in the
21:16
Speaker 2: different cities I've worked in, when you go in, folks,
21:19
Speaker 2: you just feel a lot of love. It's really cool
21:21
Speaker 2: that way. So how do people get tickets and more
21:24
Speaker 2: information on that, Brett?
21:26
Speaker 3: Yes.
21:28
Speaker 4: One, I encourage you to check out our event website.
21:30
Speaker 4: Like I said, it's arthritis.org slash commit cure DC. You
21:36
Speaker 4: can also email me directly. I give out my email
21:39
Speaker 4: address like candy. It's be Curtis at arthritis.org. Send me
21:43
Speaker 4: a note, say hello, talk to me about how you
21:45
Speaker 4: want to get involved. It can be as simple as
21:48
Speaker 4: volunteering with us that night. There are tickets, there are
21:50
Speaker 4: sponsorship opportunities. We're thrilled to have a community of supporters
21:54
Speaker 4: that really rally behind this event because they see the
21:57
Speaker 4: value in bringing folks together for a special evening and
22:01
Speaker 4: then see how that support continues to extend into all
22:03
Speaker 4: of our events throughout the rest of the fall season.
22:06
Speaker 4: And then, of course, we're already underway for a really,
22:08
Speaker 4: really busy 27 and beyond as well.
22:10
Speaker 2: And then we should mention during the holidays, you've got
22:12
Speaker 2: a famous run that's been around for decades, as long
22:15
Speaker 2: as I can remember. I know that's a ways off,
22:17
Speaker 2: but I want to get that on people's radar. So
22:19
Speaker 2: what have you got planned for the holidays?
22:21
Speaker 3: I love it.
22:21
Speaker 4: If you have not heard of Jingle Bell Run, I've
22:25
Speaker 4: got to say I'm not new to the running community,
22:29
Speaker 4: especially here in D.C., but there is something really cool
22:32
Speaker 4: about your local Jingle Bell Run. So this is a
22:36
Speaker 4: festive holiday tradition. I have seen pictures. I've been to
22:40
Speaker 4: the events previously. I mean, we are talking about people
22:43
Speaker 4: coming out dressed to the nines in costumes for a
22:46
Speaker 4: community 5K.
22:47
Speaker 3: It is a walk and run and there is kids run.
22:51
Speaker 4: Reindeer dash all of the fun pieces but it's on
22:54
Speaker 4: certified 5k courses timed opportunities in december so if you
22:58
Speaker 4: are looking for that new holiday tradition or a reason
23:01
Speaker 4: to just come out on on a saturday or sunday
23:04
Speaker 4: morning i'll share all of our event dates of course
23:06
Speaker 4: but the idea is to just have folks be in
23:09
Speaker 4: community with bells on that's what we say it's our
23:11
Speaker 4: original festive race for charity whether you're running you're walking
23:15
Speaker 4: wearing your favorite holiday gear We're asking folks to jingle
23:18
Speaker 4: all the way to a cure over the holiday season.
23:22
Speaker 2: Before I get some final thoughts from Brett in the
23:24
Speaker 2: last five minutes that we have, I want to relate
23:26
Speaker 2: a quick story about arthritis and how one more it
23:29
Speaker 2: affected me. And I've actually never shared the story on air,
23:32
Speaker 2: but a lot of my friends and family know it.
23:33
Speaker 2: So when I was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and
23:37
Speaker 2: I was playing play-by-play hockey on the radio for minor leagues,
23:41
Speaker 2: And this is what I did. Every time I moved
23:44
Speaker 2: in radio or TV, I reached out to the Arthritis
23:47
Speaker 2: Foundation and I said, hey, listen, I've got RA. I'd
23:50
Speaker 2: love to be a spokesperson for you. So if you'd
23:52
Speaker 2: like my time, I'd love to be a part of it.
23:55
Speaker 2: I did that in Albuquerque and I reached out to Claire,
23:58
Speaker 2: who was the president, not knowing this would be the
24:01
Speaker 2: sister of my future wife. And when I met Claire,
24:05
Speaker 2: got her involved in the hockey team, and then I
24:07
Speaker 2: was introduced to her sister, Lindy. I have now been
24:11
Speaker 2: married for 25 years, and I have a 24-year-old daughter
24:14
Speaker 2: who lives in Brooklyn, New York, who's a filmmaker. And
24:18
Speaker 2: I always thought when I was younger that I was cursed.
24:21
Speaker 2: And then because of this, this happens. So, you know,
24:24
Speaker 2: I always tell people that you can turn a scar
24:26
Speaker 2: into a star. That's something my wife talks about, about
24:29
Speaker 2: there's a real untenable situation. But also there can be,
24:33
Speaker 2: you know, when there's challenges, folks, there also can be
24:35
Speaker 2: some opportunities. And I wanted to share that because that's
24:38
Speaker 2: a special thing because I had R.A., And I took
24:41
Speaker 2: it upon myself to reach out to that local foundation
24:43
Speaker 2: and ended up meeting my future wife. So I wanted
24:46
Speaker 2: to share that with everybody. Real special story.
24:48
Speaker 4: Dennis, I know that my predecessors and folks from the
24:52
Speaker 4: foundation have said thank you. I'm sure in a variety
24:55
Speaker 4: of ways, but I want.
24:56
Speaker 3: You to hear it again.
24:58
Speaker 4: Because it really is that important to underscore. There are
25:01
Speaker 4: so many things. I am a big believer that everyone
25:04
Speaker 4: that you pass in life is fighting their own battles.
25:07
Speaker 3: They're on their own journeys.
25:09
Speaker 4: But this one uniquely, arthritis is truly one that folks
25:14
Speaker 4: can go... without ever realizing how many people in their
25:18
Speaker 4: lives are affected by it or how many people they
25:20
Speaker 4: engage with on a day-to-day, whether it's at the coffee shop,
25:23
Speaker 4: in the grocery store, at their favorite restaurant.
25:27
Speaker 3: You are passing.
25:28
Speaker 4: The numbers are truly that staggering. And so you being
25:32
Speaker 4: willing to share that story, being willing to continue to
25:36
Speaker 4: uplift other folks, obviously, and I'm privileged and thankful for
25:41
Speaker 4: all of the causes on your show today, that are
25:43
Speaker 4: highlighting so many great people and organizations. So thank you
25:48
Speaker 4: for continuing to be a leader in this movement with us.
25:50
Speaker 4: We would not be able to do what we do
25:52
Speaker 4: without having good people who are willing to share those stories.
25:55
Speaker 2: Well, it's my pleasure, Brett. So I do want to
25:57
Speaker 2: get some final thoughts from you. And I want to
25:58
Speaker 2: remind everybody once again about the 2026 Commitment to the
26:02
Speaker 2: Cure Gala that's happening on October 24th. And Brett's going
26:06
Speaker 2: to give the web address where you can go for
26:08
Speaker 2: that and also when it comes to the run during
26:11
Speaker 2: the holidays. And before I let you go, too, is
26:14
Speaker 2: there anything else that I kind of because I know
26:17
Speaker 2: you're still new in the gig is what is what
26:19
Speaker 2: has surprised you in this industry? that you've learned in
26:24
Speaker 2: the short time that you've been executive director. I know
26:26
Speaker 2: that could be its own separate podcast, but what's, what's
26:29
Speaker 2: either been interesting, fascinating, or taking you off guard that just,
26:32
Speaker 2: you know, we should know about what you do.
26:34
Speaker 4: Yeah. I, I definitely mentioned it. It's, it's truly the
26:37
Speaker 4: incidence rate for juvenile arthritis. I am both particularly impressed
26:44
Speaker 4: by the community and some of our local leaders who
26:46
Speaker 4: stand up for that cause, but equally as floored by
26:50
Speaker 4: a disease that is, is, taking so much from young people.
26:54
Speaker 3: And it's just one that we often don't talk about
26:58
Speaker 3: or highlight.
26:59
Speaker 4: So if I could implore anyone who's listening to this
27:04
Speaker 4: or out in the community later today is recognize, I mean, locally,
27:08
Speaker 4: like I said, just locally here in the DMV, we're
27:10
Speaker 4: talking about 10,000 plus children that are affected by juvenile arthritis.
27:15
Speaker 4: And the fact that there are states here in the
27:18
Speaker 4: country with the healthcare systems that we're supposed to have
27:21
Speaker 4: in place that don't have access to pediatric rheumatology or
27:25
Speaker 4: that we have drugs, lack of treatment options and drugs,
27:30
Speaker 4: or that we're still trialing and just hoping and praying
27:32
Speaker 4: we'll work on smaller bodies. That one really gets to me.
27:37
Speaker 4: And so it is both, sad side, but also growth
27:42
Speaker 4: and opportunity for us to bring people together. So we
27:45
Speaker 4: recently just did out here locally with the Chesapeake Bay Sox,
27:49
Speaker 4: a JA family day. I have seen pictures of our
27:53
Speaker 4: National Juvenile Arthritis Family Summit. What I love about that
27:57
Speaker 4: and that I've continued to get to see is we're
27:59
Speaker 4: not just inviting a young person who's impacted by juvenile arthritis.
28:04
Speaker 4: But we bring out the entire family, siblings, parents. One
28:07
Speaker 4: of our local champions here in the DMV leads the
28:11
Speaker 4: male and dad's caregivers group for the national juvenile arthritis
28:15
Speaker 4: side because we recognize it's not just an individual who's
28:18
Speaker 4: impacted with arthritis. It really is the whole family, its
28:21
Speaker 4: loved ones, its neighbors. So it's how we continue to
28:25
Speaker 4: raise that story.
28:26
Speaker 2: All right, Brad, we've got less than a minute left.
28:28
Speaker 2: Let's give some websites to everybody to make sure that
28:30
Speaker 2: they check everything out right away.
28:32
Speaker 3: Let's do it.
28:33
Speaker 4: Arthritis.org slash commit cure DC. That's our upcoming event on
28:37
Speaker 4: October 24th. We will have all of our jingle bell runs.
28:41
Speaker 4: We've got four across the region, Baltimore, Montgomery County. here
28:45
Speaker 4: in DC and down in Solomon's Island. So jinglebellrun.org, you'll
28:50
Speaker 4: find all of your local events. And like I said,
28:52
Speaker 4: arthritis.org slash helpline. Find those resources. Email me directly, bcurtis,
28:57
Speaker 4: B-C-U-R-T-I-S at arthritis.org.
29:00
Speaker 3: I want to talk to you.
29:01
Speaker 4: I want to reach out and I want to put
29:03
Speaker 4: you in contact with local folks who are leading this cause.
29:06
Speaker 2: Outstanding. Brett, that went quickly. It was a lot of fun.
29:08
Speaker 2: Welcome to Community DC. We're going to have you back
29:10
Speaker 2: on again, but thank you so much for your valuable
29:12
Speaker 2: time and continued success.
29:13
Speaker 3: And thank you, Dennis.
29:16
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