Mrs. Georgia International Champions Arthritis Awareness
June 17, 2008
Meredith Boyd - Mrs. Georgia International 2008
“My life changed overnight. I woke up one morning for school, put my feet on the ground to stand up…and fell to the ground. I had never been so scared in my life.”
Meredith’s journey with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) began at age 15 as a sophomore at Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia. She excelled in academics and had a passion for music, especially marching in the band playing her clarinet. Meredith considers herself one of the lucky ones, having received a diagnosis of JRA in only six months. The quick – and accurate – diagnosis allowed her medical team to proceed with treatment immediately. After using crutches and wearing knee braces to stay mobile at school, it became clear nothing was working to relieve the pain or reduce the swelling. She endured numerous painful knee drainings, but delicate surgery was needed to repair the damage arthritis left behind in her right knee.
Like many children living with arthritis, missing school and going to doctor’s appointments became a normal way of life for Meredith. She was determined to keep up with the work and maintain regular attendance, and she was lucky to have very understanding teachers who allowed her to make up her work and even take tests after school. Weeks of physical therapy followed, along with dispelling the myth that only older people get arthritis. Her family and friends soon began to understand that kids get arthritis, too.
“After my knee surgery, I was told to stand up out of my wheelchair and walk out of the hospital,” Meredith recalls. “I thought the doctor was crazy! I was so scared to collapse again and fall. To my surprise, I was able to stand and walk. It was like a dream to have my freedom back for just a few seconds. A ray of hope struck my heart and just those few steps is all I needed to motivate me to get through physical therapy and get on my feet again.”
With encouragement and determination, she has been on her feet ever since. She graduated from Georgia Southern University, where she met her husband Matthew. Now into adulthood, she still battles stiffness in her joints, but it doesn’t hold her back from accomplishing her personal and professional goals. In December 2005, Meredith again began experiencing severe pain, this time in her left foot. She endured numerous steroid injections to relieve the pain, but it was only a temporary fix until the pain came back more severe each time. This led to her second surgery to deal with her arthritis, and an entire bone was removed.
“I was shocked at the amount of pain and intense physical therapy it took to heal the damage of arthritis after my second surgery,” Meredith explains. “It is never easy no matter what age you are. I wasn’t able to walk out of the hospital this time. I was back in the wheelchair in so much pain.”
Having dealt with scar tissue and months of physical therapy, Meredith was determined to overcome this adversity and get back on her feet – yet again. Now at the age of 33, she has accomplished more than she ever dreamed possible. “No pain equals no gain,” Meredith says. “This experience has taught me to work harder for things in life and never take anything for granted as it can be taken away from you when you least expect it.”
Meredith is currently a Group Director for a multi-national PR firm in Atlanta. Makeup artistry is a passion for Meredith and she is comfortable in front of and behind the camera as a commercial model and makeup artist. Her quest for quality led her to start her own line of makeup called Mere Cosmetics. Her efforts have resulted in many national television commercials, print work and awards. You will also find her attending Arthritis Foundation events as an official spokesperson, carrying a message of hope for the nearly 1.7 million Georgians – including 9,200 children – living with arthritis. As the reigning Mrs. Georgia International, Meredith has adopted arthritis awareness as her official platform and plans to help the Arthritis Foundation, Georgia Chapter increase public awareness and to bring widespread attention to arthritis and the many people it affects.
“The Arthritis Foundation mission is to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases. I want to support that mission and be a voice for children who have arthritis and let them know they are not alone.”
To contact Meredith and follow her travels, visit http://www.meredithboyd.com/
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