In August 2019, our daughter was 11 when she was diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), a form of juvenile myositis (JM). It had been eight months since we first noticed changes in her skin. I remember how much we wanted an answer and how much there was to take in when we finally got one.

Juvenile myositis is a rare autoimmune disease that causes a child’s immune system to attack their own muscles and other parts of the body. For a long time, many doctors knew very little about JM. Some children went too long without a diagnosis, and too many families lost a child to this disease. That’s hard to think about as a mom. It also makes me grateful for the work Cure JM and its supporters have done to help more children get diagnosed sooner and give families better treatment options.

Since our daughter’s diagnosis, we’ve seen firsthand how much research, better treatments, and thoughtful care can mean to a family. I’m grateful for the people who helped make those advances possible, many of them families who were going through the same things we were. That’s part of why I’m a Cure JM Ambassador. I want to do what I can so that the next family hearing those words has even more reasons to hope.

There are potential new treatments in clinical trials now. At the same time, cuts in research funding could slow that work. When I think back to those early appointments, I think about how much it would have meant to know that other families were working to make things better for ours. This is one way we can do that for someone else.

Our family is hoping to raise $10,000 for Cure JM. Right now, the Coffey Family Match will double every donation. If you’d like to help us reach our goal, you can make a gift by clicking “Donate Now.” We’re also grateful when you share our page or keep children with JM and their families in your prayers.

If you’d prefer to give by check, please make it payable to Cure JM, write Golob family on the memo line, and mail it to the address below.

Cure JMP.O. Box 45768Baltimore, MD 21297

Cure JM Foundation Tax ID: 35-2222262

Thank you for taking the time to read a little of our story. It means a great deal to us that you’re thinking of our daughter and the other children and families living with JM.

With gratitude,Julie Golob and family