I picked up the phone and heard, “Hi, this is Tatum,” and my vision went black and white for a second. Hearing that raspy voice, I saw Tatum O’Neal, at 8 years old, as Addie Loggins in the 1973 movie,纸月亮，这是黑白拍摄的。年轻的塔图姆演好了这个角色，并为自己赢得了奥斯卡奖。
Continue readingTatum O’Neal: On Top of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Feeling Lucky
Ana Villafañe has come a long way since she first belted out the Gloria Estefan song, “Reach” at the Arthritis Foundation’s juvenile arthritis camp, Camp Funrise, in Miami, Fla., at the age of 9. The rising star, now 26, is portraying Estefan in a new Broadway musical, “On Your Feet!” about the legendary singer’s life. If that weren’t enough, she’s also appearing in the summer movie, “Max Steel,” as well as the new Hulu series, “South Beach.”
Her mother, Carmen Villafañe, never anticipated such success when Ana battled her first systemic onset of life-threatening symptoms at age seven. “She had a fever of unknown origin, as high as 106, 107 degrees, consistently, for a month-and-a-half,” she says. “She also contracted secondary issues; her organs were shutting down. Finally, her rheumatologist Dr. Rafael Rivas-Chacon told me, ‘If you ever see a swollen joint, call me immediately.’ The day we were leaving the hospital, Ana said, ‘Mom, look at my knee,” and sure enough, it had blown up. Dr. Rivas-Chacon was back in ten minutes. That’s how she was finally diagnosed.”
Psoriatic arthritis has created plenty of challenges for Richard Kandalec, but the 65-year-old has found ways to continue the outdoors activities he loves.
Kandalec was diagnosed with psoriasis in his early 30s. Embarrassed by the red, flaky skin patches, the Mentor, Ohio, resident often wore long sleeves, even in the summer and in the woodworking, welding and industrial arts classes he taught – which was risky because his clothes could catch on the machines.
When Kandalec learned a few years later that he also had psoriatic arthritis, he says, “It was tough.”
Continue readingEven With Psoriatic Arthritis, Richard Kandalec Always Finds A Way
When arthritis is diagnosed in dogs, many owners with OA feel true empathy. They know what it’s like to have achy, stiff joints, so they make it a top priority to ease their pets’ discomfort.
Carol and Abe
当宾夕法尼亚州巴克斯县的卡罗尔·皮尔斯。去年，她注意到她的狗跛行，就直接去看了兽医。The diagnosis: kneeosteoarthritis(OA).
Carol has OA, too – in her right wrist. She occasionally takes an over-the-counter, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). But Abe gets the prescription NSAID carprofen (Rimadyl) daily. “I’m not one of those people who just sits around thinking about my aches and pains,” Carol says. “But for Abe, he comes first. He can’t talk, so I make sure his pain is taken care of.”
当你患有关节炎时，你可能会不断地遇到你不能再做的事情——在你的生活中有这么多“不”。除了持续的疼痛、僵硬和疲劳，关节炎还会造成行动不便，影响你的职业生涯、社交生活或你热衷的活动。
So what can you do to turn that around – to start saying Yes again? What enables some people with chronic illnesses to live full, satisfying lives despite their disease and limitations?
Many factors come into play, and everyone’s situation is unique, but one quality that helps these people is one that anyone can develop – resilience. Experts say that the ability to navigate and even learn from adversity helps you keep going, mentally and physically, no matter what life throws your way.
“Individuals with arthritis and related diseases who find a way to be resilient tend to stick to their treatment plan more often. They manage their health better, and have an easier time dealing with negative situations, too,” says Rochelle Rosian, MD, a rheumatologist at the Cleveland Clinic. “Resilience allows you to make arthritis one part of your life instead of your whole story,” she says.
Continue readingMeet Joy Ross- Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient & Champion of Yes
Singer and actress Melba Moore says her pain is gone and now she’s on top of the world.
When Melba Moore recorded her 2013 single, “What Can I Do to Survive,” the iconic singer and actress couldn’t help but think that it could serve as a theme song for her own life, with the physical and emotional challenges she’s overcome.
梅尔巴·摩尔(Melba Moore)的歌迷们几乎没有意识到，多年来，她在百老汇演出、录制热门歌曲的同时，也在与左膝和右臀部的剧烈关节炎疼痛作斗争。
她说:“当我在舞台上表演时，我成为了一个善于伪装的专家。”
Melba established herself as a triple threat in the 1960s and ’70s, and she’s still commanding stages and drawing fans with her singing, dancing and acting. Her first big break came in 1967 when she joined the cast of Hair on Broadway, and was later asked to take the lead role vacated by Diane Keaton. Melba went on to star in the 1970 musical Purlie, which led to her Tony award.
Continue readingNew Knee, New Hip, New Start- Melba Moore Overcoming Osteoarthritis
The first thing people notice when meeting best-selling authorHaywood Smithis her warm smile and positive energy – which is remarkable considering all that the 63-year-old has been through. For instance, she’s battled chronic pain most of her life.
Haywood has a genetic disorder: Her body produces too many T cells when exposed to yeasts, molds and fungi. As a result, her immune system goes into overdrive, causing an inflammatory response affecting her joints and pituitary system.
直到几年前，海伍德才得到了正确的诊断——T细胞受体缺陷导致的慢性真菌性关节炎。自12岁起，她的炎症就造成了关节疼痛和破坏。到57岁时，她已经接受了26次手术，包括双膝和双髋关节置换手术。
Haywood likens her life to living in a Stephen King novel, which she thought was normal till she started using her experiences in her books. She seems to take life’s adversities in stride, with optimism and wit. Already the author of six successful historical romance novels, she decided after her divorce 11 years ago to never read or write a book that didn’t make her laugh and feel good. So she began writing humorous novels targeting baby boomer women, which won her loyal fans and commercial success.The Red Hat Club(St. Martin’s Press, 2004) made The New York Times best-seller list.
Continue readingBest Selling Author, Haywood Smith -Writing Through The Pain
“I’ll never forget one night when she was crying in pain and rocking back and forth in her little rocking chair and said, ‘God, why won’t you help me? Mama, please help me!’”
Amanda Vizier, of Jackson, Miss., endured an eight-month nightmare trying to find a correct diagnosis and treatment for her daughter, Chloe, now 8 years old.
On Chloe’s sixth birthday, in 2010, she developed a rash. The doctor said it was probably some virus, and not to worry about it.
Within a couple of days, she started running a fever and we went back to the doctor. Chloe was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain spotted fever and went on antibiotics, but they didn’t help. For more than three weeks she had a fever of 104. She developed abdominal pain, she started limping, her rash was itching and she was screaming in pain. She ended up in the hospital for a few days. Over months of testing, doctors ruled out cancer, lupus and even juvenile arthritis. After all, her joints weren’t swollen.
She was diagnosed with strep throat, then with chronic hives. An allergist asked if she was just anxious.
Continue readingA Long Wait for Answers with JIA
她直言不讳地说:Alicia Arden是穿紧身衣的天后。Nearly every day, she stretches on the Lycra and with perfectly coiffed hair leaves work and heads to the gym, where she works out for two hours to ease her rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms and fight for her life, she says.
但她并不是一直致力于改善自己的健康。这位弗吉尼亚州沃伦顿的居民也患有癫痫，2008年被诊断出患有风湿性关节炎时，她的体重严重超标。由于膝盖、臀部和右肩疼痛，她几乎不能走路，医生给了她一剂现实的良药:减肥或慢慢死去，他们告诉她。
Alicia joined Weight Watchers and shed 50 pounds. Then she gained it back. In 2011 she started aquatic exercise classes. She stuck with it, slowly increased her workouts and hired a personal trainer and nutritionist. “Within one year I lost 102 pounds and I have not stopped,” she says.
Continue readingAlicia Arden Shares Journey to Losing 100+ Pounds with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Award-winning chef, cookbook author, owner of three New York restaurants and overseeing a fourth in London, Seamus Mullen, 40, seems unstoppable. But just a few years ago, he was battling pain from sometimes-debilitatingrheumatoid arthritis(RA) – a disease that threatened his career and his future.
WhenArthritis Todayfirst talked to Seamus in 2010, he was executive chef and partner of a trendy Spanish restaurant in New York City. It was a cloudy spring afternoon, and Seamus was in the kitchen prepping for the evening rush, facing the task of cutting up a 35-pound lamb.
他提到那天他的手很疼——这是这位才华横溢、前途无量的厨师几年前被诊断患有风湿性关节炎的唯一迹象，除了有点跛。这对他来说是一个晴天霹雳，因为他没有确诊的家族病史，这让他的生活发生了翻天覆地的变化。但这也激发了他继续做自己热爱的事情的决心。
他以外科医生的精准和耐心，用两把刀——一把日本切肉刀和一把锯子——将羊肉分开，轻轻地把羊架、羊颈、羊肩等各部分放到一边。到午夜餐厅关门时，他已经工作了12个小时，不过他经常工作15个小时或更多。
Continue readingStar Chef Seamus Mullen Sizzles Despite Rheumatoid Arthritis