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Juvenile arthritis, the ‘invisible disability’ nearby By NIColE WAGNER nwagner@liherald.com
Courtesy John Talbot
Molly Talbot, a freshman at H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square, was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis two years ago. She and her family have taken it upon themselves to raise awareness in the community, and attend conferences like the Juvenile Arthritis Summit to educate themselves about the disease.
Molly Talbot, a 14-year-old from Franklin Square, hopes to become an elementary school teacher one day. She enjoys playing the clarinet, singing, and performing in musical theater and color guard, is on the High Honor Roll and is a member of the Junior National Honor Society. Molly is also one of thousands of children in the United States who have been diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a form of chronic arthritis that affects roughly one in every 1,000 children younger than 16, according to the American College of Rheumatology. Roughly 220,000 children under 18 in the U.S. have arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease causes pain, stiffness, joint or body swelling and lifelong joint damage. Roughly 60 million adults in the U.S. have arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation. “It’s such an invisible disability, but it’s one that can ConTinued on pAge 7
Dream Court unveiled at Hendrickson Ave. Park By NIColE WAGNER nwagner@liherald.com
No dream is out of reach for youth in the Town of Hempstead, and the installation of a Dream Court at Hendrickson Avenue Park in Elmont aims to make more local aspirations come true. The outdoor court, made possible by Nancy Lieberman Charities and the Gatorade Equity in Sports Initiative, was unveiled on Aug. 19 as part of Hempstead Town’s commitment to providing safe places for local youth to play, make friends and build positive relationships.
It is a high-school regulation size court, 50-by-84 feet, with two basketball nets. The court is made of high-performance “PowerGame” surface created by Sport Court, in dark and steel blue with the Dream Court logo as its centerpiece. Lieberman, a Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer who grew up in Far Rockaway, has helped install more than 125 Dream Courts throughout the United States with her charity since 2010. The organization’s charitable efforts work to improve “outcomes for underserved youth in the areas of education, mental health and well-
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NANCy lIEBERMAN ness, and career/life preparedness,” according to its website NancyLiebermanCharities. org. “No matter how great you are, you can’t do it by yourself,” Lieberman said. “We bring people together on Dream Courts. We want people to be emboldened, to feel confident about who they are, what they are,
and you can do anything. We’re here for you.” The court project honors Ros Gold-Onwude, an ESPN sports broadcaster and former professional basketball player on the Nigeria national team. Gold-Onwude played basketball since she was 4 years old and said that “basketball has always been (her) love.” She
shared her experiences growing up playing basketball in parks like Hendrickson Avenue Park and how they shaped her knowledge of and relationship with the sport. “It has always been my vehicle,” she said. “It has absolutely been the game-changer in my life. I came up in parks like ConTinued on pAge 8