Hi, my name is Morgan Harris and I was diagnosed with JIA when I was eight. I had experienced unexplained swelling and pain in my knees and ankles that just wouldn’t go away. If it weren’t for the fact that I was so active in sports, I might not have mentioned anything to my parents and waited for it to go away. When I was diagnosed in October of 2010, I’d never heard of a kid having arthritis and I had no idea what to expect. Since the time I was diagnosed, I have been surrounded by amazing doctors who put me at ease by caring about my situation, helping me with every hurdle and who earned my complete trust.
My transition from pediatric to adult care was unique. My pediatrician was conveniently also a pediatric rheumatologist, plus I saw a specialist at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. I had two doctors constantly speaking to each other about my care plan and always suggesting ideas for my treatment. I had a lot of trust in what my doctors did because I saw that it worked and really appreciated the way they listened patiently, asked about me and explained the science in a way I could understand at different ages.
I must admit that turning 18 and moving from a lifetime of caring, nurturing childhood doctors made me a little scared. I’d had two doctors and multiple nurses who I knew cared about me and my health. I was afraid I may not find a doctor in adult care that showed that same amount of concern for my health and well-being.
I’m happy to report that I was wrong. I’m very grateful to live in Toronto especially because it gives me access to so many amazing health facilities. A couple months before I aged out of Sick Kids, my doctor mentioned a new transition program that had started to help juvenile rheumatology patients transition to adult care. This program is special because every appointment you get to meet with a pediatric rheumatologist, an adult rheumatologist and a physiotherapist.
So in addition to turning 18 during a global pandemic, I also met my new team of doctors for the first time over Zoom. Are all adult doctors this nice?! They were just as amazing as my rheumatology team in pediatrics and have already suggested new ways to tackle my flair up. I look forward to developing the same types of relationships with my new doctors.
Join us on Thursday November at 5th 4 pm PST/ 7 pm EST to hear from Morgan as she shares her experience transitioning from pediatric care to adult care at the Juvenile Arthritis Transitions Webinar: Making the Move from Pediatric to Adult Care. She’ll be speaking along side another patient speaker and a team of expert healthcare providers.
