For her persistence and courage, the first-year student-athlete was recently awarded a scholarship from biopharmaceutical company UCB.
When a teenage Jennifer Schmidt '12 wondered aloud why it hurt so much more for her to squeeze a tube of toothpaste in the morning than at night, her mother—a rheumatologist—knew something was up.
At age 14 Schmidt was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), a disease which, according to the Arthritis Foundation, afflicts more than 300,000 children and teenagers in the United States. But Schmidt hasn't let the constant pain in her neck, back, hands and feet keep her from pursuing her love of sports—and this fall, her persistence and dedication was rewarded with a 2008 UCB Family RA Scholarship. Sponsored by biopharmaceutical company UCB, the scholarship recognizes students with rheumatoid arthritis who have reached beyond the boundaries of their condition.
Schmidt, currently a member of Haverford's lacrosse team, played varsity field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse as a high school student at Baltimore's Friends School, serving as captain of all three teams her senior year and earning 10 varsity letters in the process.“For me I never know from year to year or season to season if I will be able to play, and I pretty much see every practice and every game as a gift,” she says.“I am so lucky that I am still able to do something that I love so much.”
She recalls being told by the doctor who first diagnosed her that continuing to play sports would be impossible, and that she should instead join the marching band.“I don't play an instrument, and I knew that nothing could be as fulfilling to me as playing sports,” she says.“The camaraderie, the adrenaline rush, and the feeling of accomplishment are what motivated me to keep playing, and that is still true today.”
Schmidt admits that the strenuous physical activity involved in lacrosse practices and games aggravates her pain, and there are limitations to what she can do. For example, while the rest of the team sprints, she bikes or swims. There are also some days she can't run or hold the lacrosse stick properly.
“The team has been really understanding,” she says.
Schmidt manages her disease with daily medication and weekly self-administered shots. She performs some therapeutic exercises to keep up the mobility in her neck and back, and must take a shower every morning just to be able to walk in comfort. After lacrosse practices and games, she lifts weights, and stretches and gets ice and heat treatments before and after practices.“And Flexall has become my new best friend,” she laughs.“Although my teammates always ask ‘What's that smell?'”
She has yet to declare a major, but is leaning towards biology with a pre-med concentration. Schmidt isn't sure what her specialty would be—although, she notes,“There's a shortage of pediatric rheumatologists.”
Schmidt has also been involved in arthritis advocacy since her teens. She serves as an ambassador with the Maryland chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, and has traveled to Washington to meet with members of Congress about issues of concern to those with arthritis.“Over the last year my main focus has been trying to get representatives to support and pass the Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act,” she says.“This bill will help to raise awareness of arthritis as the number one cause of disability in the United States. It will hopefully encourage doctors to go into the field of pediatric rheumatology, and is also geared to help raise money for further research to find a cure.”
