Ethan Greenberg: The Hardest Part of Arthritis

Ethan Greenberg explains the challenges he faces with juvenile arthritis.

At baseball practice, when I don’t run as fast as the others, some kids joke about my “creaky joints.” I laugh along, but inside, it’s exhausting. I have juvenile arthritis, and most people don’t understand what that means for a teenager like me.

I’ve played baseball for most of my life. But every season, I often ask myself whether I can keep going. Some days, it’s a real question. Juvenile arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own joints, causing pain, stiffness, and, if left untreated, permanent damage.

According to the CDC, over 220,000 children in the U.S. live with this condition, but it’s still widely misunderstood. Because the symptoms aren’t always visible, kids like me are often questioned or dismissed. I’ve had to explain my condition more times than I can count, and I often choose not to. Getting the right care is another challenge.

I live in San Francisco, where I’m lucky to have access to a few pediatric rheumatologists. But even here, appointments take months to schedule. In other parts of the country, families drive five or six hours to see a specialist. Some states don’t have any at all.

A UCSF doctor told me fewer doctors are entering the field. It takes years of extra training, but the pay is lower than in many other specialties. This affects more than just health. It shapes decisions about school, sports and even college. It changes how supported we feel — and how much we feel seen.

Organizations can help with resources and support. But the challenges that come with this condition are ongoing. Living with arthritis is lonely sometimes. It can feel like speaking a language no one else understands. But I hope that if more people hear our stories, it’ll get easier for the next kid who just wants to keep playing. Because juvenile arthritis lasts a lifetime, and care should too. With a Perspective, I’m Ethan Greenberg.

Ethan Greenberg is a high schooler living in Marin County. In his free time, he enjoys baseball, going on runs and playing the trombone.