In the fall of 2019, Addison Fisher’s mother, Sarah, began noticing that her daughter seemed to be more accident-prone than other kids her age. She didn’t understand why Addison was getting injured so easily. Addison was an incredible gymnast, dancer and soccer player and simply loved being an active nine-year-old girl. One day Addison showed her mom that both her thumbs were swollen and that’s when Sarah knew it was time to get Addison checked out.
A relationship between Addison’s pediatrician in Truro and care teams at the IWK began at the height of COVID-19. This collaborative effort was extremely effective during the extensive testing required to get to the bottom of Addison’s diagnosis. Addison in the end was admitted to the IWK three times. Addison required a bone marrow and liver biopsy and unfortunately experienced a gastrointestinal bleed which required blood transfusions. After many discussions along the way with different care teams, Addison was diagnosed with polyarticular juvenile arthritis in January of 2020. She had more than 50 joints affected when she received this diagnosis.
Addison’s IWK journey was just beginning, and her world did a complete 180 after the diagnosis. She wasn’t able to do the activities she loved and severe pain resulted in her being confined to a wheelchair for months.
Addison had to try many different types of medication to find something that worked for her.
“We were very worried about the possibility of her getting COVID 19 as well as her medications compromise her immune system which means she is more susceptible to infection,” says Sarah. “The IWK care team that follows Addison was always searching for ways to help her. They gave us hope for the future that she can lead as normal of a life as possible just like other kids. They never gave up on her and we’re very grateful for that.”
Flash forward to a long two years later and Addison is doing well. Her arthritis is controlled with medication that is working for her and she has now taken an interest in volleyball (just like her dad) and made her school’s developmental team! Addison still requires bloodwork every one to three months and visits the rheumatology clinic every two to three months. Despite all Addison has been through, her determination and fighting spirit has made her an IWK hero.
I was so frightened about what her future would hold with this lifelong condition – everything that she enjoyed doing might have to be put on hold. I had no idea what the coming year would bring.
~Sarah Fisher, Addison's Mom
