Jennie Garth's stressful six months

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Sep 6th 2008 2:00PM

Filed under: Big Kids, Medical Conditions, Celeb Parents

The new 90210 has put the old (old as in former, not as in old... ahem. Because if they're old, that might mean I am too) Beverly Hill teens into the spotlight again. Though Jennie Garth may have a role in the new series, she recently told US Magazine that she'd been living her own, real-life drama earlier this year.

Jennie's 5-year-old daughter fell several months ago, and the family didn't know what was wrong with her. "I was basically locked in a closet with her for three months," said Garth. Doctors finally diagnosed Jennie's daughter with JRA, or Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. She's been treated, says Garth, and is now healthy and in remission. In the midst of this crisis, however, Jennie's father died. "I had this six months of hell," she said.

JRA is the most common form of juvenile arthritis. The disease causes swelling of the joints, rashes, and fevers. Rarely, JRA can be a chronic, lifetime condition, but most children, like Jennie's, go into remission. It's scary enough when kids get sick, but when the cause is unknown, the fear factor is multiplied. Now that Jennie's daughter has recovered, she's turning her sites on reprising her role as Kelly Taylor in the new series.