Art Pinney Photography

high divide

07.27.10 | north cascades, washington

last october, our son, indy, was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. many of his joints were swollen from the disease and it greatly impacted his mobility. he couldn't walk long distances or periods of time without experiencing pain and discomfort. for the past 9 months, indy has been participating in a medical research program at seattle children's hospital, and his condition has improved remarkably. when he enrolled in the program, he had a total of 47 joints affected by the disease. at his last checkup in june, he had just 2 joints that were active with arthritis.

on tuesday, indy and i hiked up to the high divide - a 3-hour, 4-mile, 1,500-foot climb to the top of the ridge line. it was our first father-son overnight hike. indy had the time of his life and did not show any signs of pain or discomfort...he was a real trooper, and i was so proud of him!

our son is a blessing and a gift. our wish for him is to experience a rich, abundant, and extra-ordinary life, free from the clutches of arthritis.