Athletes Joined Against Spondylitis (AJAS) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization formed to raise awareness of a rare form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We are currently achieving this goal by attending PSP paintball tournaments where we are fielding at least two paintball teams and also sponsoring an awareness booth in the trade show area. Hundreds of thousands of participants and s
pectators come to these tournaments each year. Not only are paintball players directly in the demographic for ankylosing spondylitis, but many of the players and their family members are in the medical community. We are proud to say that despite the tough economy, in 2011 we attended every tournament with both the teams and the booth for the first time! We have also established a relationship with the local Arthritis Foundation chapter and have participated in several of their events and conferences.
2. Create a platform for ankylosing spondylitis patients. Through our website, www.joinedagainst.org, we have given AS patients an ear and a voice to express their fears and talk to others who actually have the disease. This goal is still in its infancy but we are making strides. Also, many young men find out they have AS while serving our country in the military. Therefore many AS patients are treated at the nation’s VA medical centers. One of the largest patient “pools” is actually right here in Cincinnati because we have one of the best VA hospitals with one of the best research facilities nearby, University Hospital of the UC Health system. We have made contact with Dr. Jerome Herman, who takes care of this patient base, about working with him in the future.
3. Use some of our proceeds to fund research, such as through the Spondylitis Association of America. SAA's mission is to help find a cure for AS and to empower people with AS. AJAS embraces that mission and intends to extend it by providing financial assistance and providing a very-real platform for publicizing their efforts, through Team FUSE and competitive paintball. We also hope to be able to sponsor Dr. Herman’s activities, mentioned above. As we are still not breaking even in supporting our own activities yet, this goal is still in the future.
4. Establish a resource for the un- and underinsured to help give them access to medication. Working with the pharmaceutical companies, some of whom already offer financial assistance to their patients, we hope to help provide some form of centralized assistance to AS patients. Because the disease is so debilitating, many patients find it difficult to have the energy to seek assistance while trying to pay for medication. And because the disease often means loss of employment, AS patients often lose their insurance that might have covered the very medication that might have saved their jobs. We have not even begun this yet, but it is on our radar.
