Kids Get Arthritis Too: Meet Author and Advocate Kelly Rouba

Kelly Rouba wears many hats: She's an author, a journalist, a pr professional, a public speaker, a NJ resident and a young woman with a strong voice. Kelly also has Juvenile Arthritis and has released her first book called Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, sharing the stories of other kids, teens and young adults who live with the disease which affects more than 300,000 children in the U.S. Writing the book was an opportunity for Kelly to be that resource for families that did not exist when she was younger.

"I wrote this book to fill a void," said Kelly. "Prior to its release, resources on juvenile arthritis were either outdated or geared towards parents. This book is one that families can read together, and I have received positive feedback from quite a few who have done just that."

Since the release of her book in March, Kelly has met other people across the country, either through her blog or at her various speaking engagements, that have been truly grateful to her for bringing more attention to juvenile arthritis, a disease which she has lived with since the age of 2.

"I am often approached by parents of children living with juvenile arthritis, and they are devastated from having to watch their children live in pain and struggling to cope as they lose more and more of their mobility to this disease. It is hard for me to hear their stories and see their videos on their blogs because it is a constant reminder of what I went through as a child and continue to go through as an adult."

From her pain came advocacy and from an early age, Kelly has been an active volunteer and spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation and Arthritis National Research Foundation. It was because of her service that the ANRF honored Kelly with the Kelly Award which will be used to fund juvenile arthritis research.

"My biggest wish is that funds donated to the Kelly Award for Juvenile Arthritis will lead to a cure and our youngest generation won't have to experience all the pain--physically and emotionally--that I endured."

Even though Kelly has been able to spark local interest in her book and awareness about juvenile arthritis, there is still not enough national coverage given to this truly heartbreaking disease.

"Many commercials and television segments undermine the severity of arthritis. As someone who has suffered from the disease for more than 27 years, I know how damaging it can be to one's body. For this reason, I have been advocating on behalf of all those living with arthritis and working hard to raise funds for better treatments and even a cure."

You can read more about Kelly and her book at her blog: kellyrouba.blogspot.com. Her book, Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide is available online in hardcover and for the Kindle.

No more "sitting on the sidelines" with EA Sports Active for Nintendo Wii (Win a copy!)

Say hello to my client Kelly Rouba, arthritis spokesperson and author. Kelly recently launched her debut book, Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, a comprehensive guide for children who are living with the disability. Informative and personal, Rouba's book is a window into the lives of kids and teens with the disease including tips for parents, guides on symptoms and inspirational testimonies. For more information about Kelly, her book and her upcoming appearances, visit her blog: kellyrouba.blogspot.com.


On a recent night after work, I met up with my friends Jerry, Krystal, and Scott in the recreation center of Scott’s building to test out EA SPORTS Active. With the exception of Krystal, the rest of us have varying disabilities (arthritis, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy—we all use wheelchairs) and wanted to see how well we faired with this new fitness video game package, which allows users to create their own customized workout from more than 25 exercises or follow the recommendations of a virtual trainer. We chose to try both.

Although Scott bailed before we could get the Wii to work on the big screen TV, Jerry finally got it up and running and the three of us began taking turns replicating the exercises as demonstrated by our virtual fitness trainer. Some exercises, like inline skating or squats, definitely proved difficult or impossible when you’re sitting in a wheelchair. But, we had a good laugh over trying to figure out a way to do the exercises and eventually passed along the controls to Krystal once we gave up. Other exercises, like tennis or hitting the punch bag, proved to be something we all could do—and we even broke quite a sweat!!

After following the recommended routine for a while, we decided it might be better for Jerry and I to create our own workout made up of exercises we knew we could do based on our own abilities. This turned out to be even more fun, so much so that I had trouble tearing the couple away for dinner. As the minutes (and calories) flew by, we continued to laugh and sweat over games of baseball, volleyball, and even dancing. While this fitness game system certainly can be played alone, I think we all agree that exercising with friends makes it much more enjoyable!

Having the option to customize your own workout also makes EA SPORTS Active a worthwhile investment for those with physical limitations. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, it allows you to “get in the game,” literally. In “virtual life,” Jerry and I can engage in activities, like baseball or tennis, whereas in “real life,” we could not. Furthermore, the customized workout allows us to skip those activities that we still can’t do virtually, like squats.

I recommend trying EA SPORTS Active as a fun way for those with disabilities to stay in shape, especially if you are one who doesn’t venture out much. The game package allows you to select exercises that are right for you—and any exercise is better than no exercise.



Stay tuned to New 12 NJ: 12 To Your Health for Kelly's interview which is taping today!

Princeton Borders hosts book signing for local author Kelly Rouba's debut book Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide

With over 300,000 children in the United States afflicted with Juvenile Arthritis, there is now a voice of help and hope in a debut book, Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kelly Rouba, former Ms. Wheelchair NJ 2007 and National Arthritis Research Foundation spokeswoman.

Motivated by her own mission to spread the word about Juvenile Arthritis in way that inspires rather than scares children, Rouba shares the stories of children, teens and young adults who are also living and thriving with the disease. Princeton resident and college freshman Amanda White talked of dealing with JA as a champion figure skater and Hamilton resident Shaun Marie-Robbins reflected on how she went off her medication while she was pregnant. Rouba includes medical research, guides on symptoms and a history of the disease in this current and refreshing resource guide.

Rouba, who is a Hamilton, NJ resident, was a freelance writer for the Trenton Times and has written for a variety of publications and magazines like Action Magazine, Special Living Magazine, The Pennington Post, Arthritis Today and Next Step Magazine. Kelly was also recently featured as "Someone You Should Know" on HamiltonSpace.com.

Join Kelly Rouba, Diane White (Amanda's mother) and Shaun Marie-Robbins for a book signing and discussion on April 4th, at 2:00 p.m. at the Princeton Borders, 601 Nassau Park Boulevard, Princeton, NJ 08540. For more information, contact Borders Books at (609) 514-0040.

If you're interested in joining the Bloggers Unite campaign to help spread awareness about Juvenile Arthritis, please contact me with your Name, website and email. The campaign will launch May 1, 2009 in honor of Arthritis Awareness Month.