Maria continues, “People are still so unaware.  And that’s one of the things I’ve learned from our involvement with the Foundation is to help educate the public about what to do to try to nip it in the bud, if you can, or to get early treatment.”

As is true for many of us living with arthritis, Byron’s family doctor didn’t recognize his arthritis at the time it initially developed.  It was in London that they found a specialist who correctly diagnosed his psoriatic arthritis (PA).  I asked Byron if he already had psoriasis prior to developing arthritis.  The answer was no, so his case falls in the minority 30% of patients who do not develop psoriasis prior to developing arthritis.

Even after working with the Arthritis Foundation for the past 27 years as ambassadors, Byron Janis and Maria Cooper Janis remain passionate about awareness and education regarding arthritis and about encouraging children facing challenges.  Near the end of our afternoon, the Janises told me that they are returning to Washington, DC, to attend the Juvenile Arthritis Conference on July 7-10, 2011.  If you plan to attend, I highly recommend that you try to hear any presentation which Byron and Maria may give.

In addition to discussing issues related to arthritis and perseverance, Byron Janis was willing to discuss topics of a more musical nature.  For a continuation of our discussion, please visit my blog, Brass and Ivory.

More information regarding Byron’s autobiography, the PBS documentary The Byron Janis Story, articles and public appearances is available at www.byronjanis.com.  More information regarding psoriatic arthritis.

Lisa Emrich is author of the blog Brass and Ivory: Life with MS and RA and founder of the Carnival of MS Bloggers.