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On Saturday, Taylor Van Emmerik became Claus for a cause.

The 16-year-old, who was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis seven years ago, donned an inflatable Santa Claus outfit for a 5K (3.1 mile) run through Yankton. He triumphantly finished by crossing the upper deck of the Meridian Bridge, raising about $3,000 for the Arthritis Foundation.

This is part of the annual Jingle Bell Run fundraiser. Because of COVID, they werent having the large groups running together, he said. I decided to have a virtual run by myself, putting it on Facebook and YouTube for people to follow.

And the Santa outfit? Van Emmerik wore it in the spirit of the season and to raise more funds.

I bought it on Amazon for about $30, he said. I told people that I had to raise at least $2,500 for me to wear the Santa suit, and they came through.

Before he even started his run, Van Emmerik had traveled from his hometown of Tea, just outside Sioux Falls. His parents, Dean and Jodi Van Emmerik, operate a business in the community. Taylor attends Tea Area High School, while another son, Gavin attends eighth grade in the Tea schools.

Why come to Yankton to make the Jingle Bell Run?

Weve camped down at the Meridian Bridge resort (on the Nebraska side of the bridge), and Ive spent a good chunk of my summers there, he said. When I thought of running the 5K, I thought it would be cool to finish it by crossing the Meridian Bridge and finishing on the Nebraska side. Ive walked a mile for the Jingle Bell fundraiser, but this is my first 5K run.

On Saturday, Taylor donned his Santa suit at the corner of 29th and Douglas streets he mapped out the route and distance in northeast Yankton. He was accompanied by father; his grandmother, Mary Van Emmerik; and 10 friends affectionately described as his elves. Other family members were there in spirit, as Jodi was accompanying Gavin at his wrestling tournament.

Taylor laughed as he donned the inflatable Santa suit, but he turned serious as he spoke about his lifes journey. His struggle with arthritis began in his previous hometown, even though he didnt know what he was suffering at the time.

I came back from a trip to Mitchell, and I got out of the truck and just had this feeling on my left side. I went inside and took off my socks, and my ankle had swollen to the size of a water balloon. I didnt know what was going on, he said.

The next morning, my fingers were very stiff, and I couldnt loosen them enough to pull up my pants. Theres nothing more embarrassing when youre 9 years old than having your parents pull up your pants for you.

The pain became so bad that Taylor called to be taken home from school. Jodi took him to the local clinic, and he was sent to a pediatrician who was unsure of the condition but ruled out arthritis because Taylor didnt have the swelling in both ankles. His foot was placed in a boot, and he was sent home.

Dean said the family wasnt sure what to do. We were crushed, and we didnt know what to do and where to go for help, he said.

Jodi went online to search for more options. She learned one daunting statistic: More than 300,000 young people suffer from juvenile arthritis, with only about 420 pediatric rheumatologists in the nation and none of them were close to Taylor.

If you do the math, it comes out to 715 patients for each doctor, Taylor said of the odds for being seen by one of the specialists. The closest ones were located hours away in Minneapolis; Rochester, Minnesota; Omaha and Denver.

Taylor was seen by doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, who immediately diagnosed juvenile arthritis. He was placed on medication and scheduled for monthly visits, requiring an eight-hour round trip.

Jodi was the one who did a lot of work with scheduling and taking Taylor to appointments, while I stayed back and ran our business, Dean said. But now its made a huge difference that Sanford (Health System) brings down a pediatric rheumatologist from Fargo to Sioux Falls once a month. Taylor doesnt need to make those long trips.

When he was first diagnosed, Taylor was playing basketball, golf and soccer. As his condition worsened, he gave up those sports. However, his current passion for running has kept him moving, which he believes has been good for his arthritis.

Taylor has remained in school and has developed a number of close friends who have provided him with support. However, he suffered a physical setback when he had been in remission but the arthritis returned.

Its a lot of trial and error. We go back every few months to see if its working, he said. They have found something that seems to help, and we pray it stays that way.

While Taylor received support from others, he struggled mentally as others didnt understand what he was experiencing. At that point, the Van Emmeriks discovered Camp Cambria in Minnesota, which serves the needs for those with juvenile arthritis.

At first, I wasnt sure. A camp for a bunch of disabled kids? It didnt sound that cool. But my parents convinced me, Taylor said. I was scared. It was my first time away from home. I was the youngest male camper and the only one from South Dakota. But when I got to camp, there were a lot of friendly faces. It was life changing,

Dean could see the change in his son. The Cambria camp provided a big inspiration for Taylor. Its where he draws a lot of his energy, Dean said.

The camping experience also turned Taylor into an advocate for the Arthritis Foundation and for the recruitment of a full-time pediatric rheumatologist in Sioux Falls.

But Saturday, Taylors immediate goal was completing the 5K. He hadnt conducted a trial run in the Santa suit, which he admitted was a mistake. He was bogged down by the body mass, and he took off his fake beard for easier breathing. But the suit kept him warm in the freezing temperatures.

Im tired, but Im very happy and very glad I did this. It was really rewarding for my self-esteem to finish this. I told myself, You can do this, he said. My friends were awesome, but they were laughing at me all the time. They were jamming to Christmas music in the car while they were driving alongside me and were honking their horn at me. We had a few people who joined the parade (as I ran through Yankton), and it was very cool.

Dean watched the scene with a sense of satisfaction. Taylor carries a great attitude and a positive attitude. Were really proud of the man hes become, he said.

Taylor spoke with determination about his purpose, even if he was cold and tired from his run.

Arthritis doesnt control me, and it doesnt define me as a person, he said. Im doing this (run) for the 54 million people with arthritis and for the future generations and a cure, so it wont be necessary for any of us to deal with this anymore.

To donate or to learn more information, visit the Arthritis Foundation of South Dakota both online and on Facebook.

Follow @RDockendorf on Twitter

Read more:
Teen Becomes 'Claus For A Cause' To Raise Awareness Of Arthritis - Yankton Daily Press

This entry was posted on December 16, 2020 at 9:51 pm and is filed under Arthritis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |