Local Teen’s Battle With Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Leads to Annual Toy Drive

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published October 23, 2019 4:50 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — One local teen has turned his energy from his own health battle to helping others.

15-year-old Gary Matus of the Clarion area was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at the tender age of two. According to his mother, Rachel, it all began when Gary was just a toddler and didn’t hit some of his milestones on time.

“He wasn’t crawling, but we thought it was because his older sister, Amanda, was always helping him and carrying him around so much,” Rachel said.

At first, when Gary complained about “hot balls” in his legs, they thought it might be growing pains, but his pediatrician was concerned and sent him for testing at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. The doctors there discovered Gary had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), which is a type of arthritis that causes joint inflammation and stiffness in a children age 16 or younger, affects approximately 50,000 children in the United States. It is an autoimmune disorder that causes redness, heat, pain, and swelling.

In Gary’s case, it first affected his legs. Since then, Gary has been on a medical regimen to try to keep the arthritis under control. Rachel said that he suffered a major flare-up two years ago, but is currently in remission.

“Just like anything else, it can come back. You don’t outgrow it. It could be in remission for years or just months. It could still come back at any time and he will always be on the medication. It will always be there.”

Gary has had a lot of support from the local community over the years. He was named the Grand Marshal of the Autumn Leaf Festival “Tournament of Leaves” Parade in 2013, and was also honored by Clarion Little League in 2017 and supported by the Potter Baseball Tour that same year.

However, Gary is less comfortable being in the spotlight himself and more comfortable turning the spotlight on others in need.

“He’s always collected money or done something like that. He’s been very involved in the community from day one. It’s his outlet,” explained Rachel.

In 2018, Gary and his family decided to start a toy drive for the children at Children’s Hospital, where Gary is treated. They kept last year’s drive fairly small because it was a last-minute decision; nevertheless, they still received a great response from the local community, driving them to start earlier this year.

“It’s always stemmed from the idea of giving back on his birthday, October 22,” she noted.

While Gary’s birthday has passed, the family is still collecting toys for the drive. They will continue to collect donations until November 10 and will deliver the donations on November 11 when Gary goes to Children’s Hospital for his next appointment.

Drop off locations for the toy drive include St. Joseph Church in Lucinda; the Clarion Limestone School; Tonell’s Jewelry & Gifts in Brookville; and the Tom’s Riverside locations in New Bethlehem, Rimersburg, and Knox. It is requested that all donated toys be new, as required by the hospital. And, as a suggestion, there is a shortage of teething toys and other infant items donated.

Gary’s family hopes to not only make the toy drive an annual event, but they also hope to organize an entire group of supporters to attend the Walk to Cure Arthritis in Pittsburgh this coming year and in future years, as well.

For more information about Gary’s toy drive or the plans for the Walk to Cure Arthritis, visit Gary’s Friends Facebook page.

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