Elizabeth Stafford didn’t dwell much on her one and only psoriasis flare during college. And she certainly did not expect that she would someday share her psoriatic disease with her son, who developed psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
Now, imagine you are 8 years old and you get diagnosed with PsA. Right after you ask yourself the question, “What is psoriatic?” you are probably thinking “I must be the only person this age with arthritis.” This is what Ethan Stafford experienced ten years ago.
“I was playing baseball at the time, and I started to feel my joint swell up and [become] inflamed,” says Ethan. “I've been living with it ever since and I get a shot every two weeks.”
For five years, the Stafford family dealt with the burden of Ethan’s disease on their own. But then they were introduced to the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), and their world opened up. You may even be familiar with Ethan’s story already, and his love of dancing despite his PsA. You can watch Ethan’s video to learn exactly how the Staffords became part of the NPF family.
Now the Staffords are champions for NPF’s mission to cure psoriatic disease and improve the lives of all affected. During their first year with NPF, they went to a Team NPF Cycle event to learn more about Ethan’s disease and get more involved. Every year since they’ve participated in NPF’s local fundraisers. In 2023, the Staffords were the top fundraising team for the inaugural Take ACTION for Psoriatic Disease event in Portland, Oregon.
“[Being a part of NPF] has made me feel better about my disease,” says Ethan. “Just knowing that there’s people there that I can talk to and relate to. It’s been nice to have that.”
For Elizabeth, she has learned much more about psoriatic disease itself, particularly about the increased risk of comorbidities. “This disease is not just about skin. It's not just about arthritis, it's about so many more things,” she says.
