According to Hayman, arthritis is the leading cause of disability among adult Americans. In Maryland, more than 1.1 million individuals have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. In Western Maryland, about 192,000 people suffer from the medical condition.
Cindy Lyons of Smithsburg is among those who have been diagnosed with arthritis.
"My mom had arthritis and last fall, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis," she said. "We have a family history of this disease. We can't figure out why, but it is what it is."
On Saturday, she and other family members and friends formed a team called "Lyons Pride" and participated in the local walk. Through pledges, the team had raised $110.
"I thought it was important to be a part of this," she said. "Hopefully, one day they'll find a cure."
Elizabeth Bauer, board president of the Western Maryland Branch of the Arthritis Foundation, said she was diagnosed with arthritis when she was 15 years old.
"I'm now 52, so I've lived a lot of years with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis," she said.
Bauer said the disease is prominent in her family, spanning several generations.
"That's why I'm very passionate about supporting this cause," she said "I walk with devices, and I'm limited in what I can do, but I stay as active as I can. I walk. I kayak. I won't give up."
Bauer said many people think of arthritis as something that only targets older people.
"They don't think about the children who suffer," she said. "So many people, young and old, are crippled by arthritis and take horrible medications with side effects. In my lifetime, I probably won't see a cure. But we should be thinking about the young people who have arthritis and what their future will hold."
Tables of pamphlets and magazines concerning arthritis were available during the event, as well as information on the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act, a bill in Congress supported by the Arthritis Foundation.
As people walked at Fairgrounds Park, signs with facts about arthritis were posted along the track.
"Take notice of some of the information and statistics," Hayman said. "That's why we're here today."
