This week’s SoroptiVoice blog comes from Michelle Bart, President of
Soroptimist International of Southwest Washington (SI Northwestern Region, USA)
and the Public Awareness Chair for SI Northwestern Region. May is National Arthritis Awareness Month so
we asked Michelle to share with us her lifetime journey of living with
arthritis
“If We Don’t Move it we will Lose It” so Take Action
Today! May is Arthritis Action Month.
No time like the present “Let’s Move
Together!”
The term "arthritis"
encompasses more than 100 diseases and conditions that affect joints, the
surrounding tissues and other connective tissues. Arthritis can cause mild to
severe pain in the joints, as well as joint tenderness and swelling.
Approximately 46 million Americans have some type of arthritis or related
condition.
The various forms of arthritis and related conditions can affect anyone, no
matter what your race, gender or age. However, it is especially important for
women to be educated about these diseases since arthritis diseases affect women
at a much higher rate than men. Sixty percent of all people who have arthritis
are female, and several of the more common forms are more prevalent in women.
The month of May is one of
the most important public awareness months for women. Not only is May a time for
celebration of Mother’s Day, it’s also a time to help educate and bring
awareness to some important issues affecting women:
Ø
National Arthritis Awareness & Prevention Month
Ø
National Lupus Awareness Month
Ø
National Osteoporosis Awareness & Prevention Month
Ø
National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day (May 12th)
Ø
National Women Health Week (May 13-19th)
Ø
World Autoimmune Arthritis Day (May 20th)
Ø
National Missing Children’s Awareness Day (May 25th)
Do you see a trend? As we celebrate the women in our lives we are
also reminded that many epidemics plaguing our society revolve around women and
girls.
Some may ask, with all of the
arthritis awareness dates, above why did I include National Missing Children’s
Awareness Day? The answer is simple:
many family members, especially mothers of missing children suffering from Fibromyalgia or autoimmune disease (s) , find that the stress
and trauma of losing a child cause their condition to flare due to the added
stress. Furthermore, many children that
are found after being lost and/or kidnapped also suffer with diseases
later in life that may be linked to their earlier trauma experience. Although many
forms of arthritis are helped with exercise, diet, and medication, stress and trauma are two
culprits preying on the disease which we are all trying to keep under control. These two factors, more times than not, are
the causes for the flares.
Arthritis is an umbrella
term for more than 100 diseases. It affects 300,000 children and one in five
adults—two-thirds of whom are under the age of 65. In addition, arthritis
causes work limitations for nearly one in three people in the U.S. and is a
more frequent cause of activity limitation than heart disease, cancer or
diabetes. Annually it costs the economy $128 billion. Within the next 20 years,
an estimated 67 million people will have arthritis if the trend continues.
Michelle Bart as Ambassador for the Arthritis Foundation (above).
Kids Get Arthritis Too!
I was diagnosed at 17 years
old with JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) then at 22 with FMS (Fibromyalgia
Syndrome) and in my late 30’s was diagnosed with OA (Osteoarthritis) – to say
the disease has not slowed me down would be lying; I lost a scholarship in
softball, had to learn to walk again after being on walker for 8 months, have
suffered many hospitalizations (mostly due to the side effects from the
medications), lost relationships, been disabled three times in my life and have
had 4 surgeries including a complete hip replacement – “Kids Get Arthritis Too”
and I am one of those statistics.
Being self-employed became a reality in 2004
not because I chose to go that route but because the diseases chose it for me;
every morning and every night the uncertainty about whether my body will cooperate is a
harsh reality of my present and future life.
I inject myself every 14 days with Humira, Although many days make it seem like
it’s a waste of time, the reality is without it I would be bedridden.
In my late 20’s I decided to
start a support group for people with arthritis. With the support from the
Arthritis Foundation I created the Glendora Arthritis Group in Southern
California, it later became the Foothill Arthritis Connection and today is
known at the Citrus Valley Rheumatic Disease Center; it’s organizations like
the Arthritis Foundation, Citrus Valley Health Partners and the World Health
Organization that help to educate and inform the public around the world of
what we are faced with and how we can change the course of diseases; arthritis
and rheumatic diseases are no different.
The more we know and the more we work together to get this and all epidemics
under control, the better everyone’s quality of life will become.
“Arthritis is serious and it
is time we move from simply being aware of the disease’s existence to actually
doing something about ending the threat,” says Dr. Patience White, vice
president of public health for the Arthritis Foundation. “Arthritis
Action Month is the perfect time to change the course of the disease by knowing
the warning signs and protecting your joints to limit the impact.”
Warning
Signs
It’s important to recognize the symptoms of arthritis early as many forms of
arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can cause irreversible joint damage,
often within the first two years of the disease. Osteoarthritis, the most
common form, can develop within 10 years of a major joint injury.
Warning signs of arthritis include:
- Pain
- Stiffness
- Occasional swelling and/or tenderness
- Difficulty moving a joint
- Redness around a joint
Because symptoms can develop suddenly, it is crucial to see a rheumatologist if
these signs persist for more than two weeks.
About
the Arthritis Foundation
Striking one in every five adults and 300,000 children, arthritis is the
nation’s leading cause of disability. The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is committed to raising awareness and reducing the
unacceptable impact of this serious and painful disease, which can severely
damage joints and rob people of living life to its fullest. The Foundation
funds life-changing research that has restored mobility in patients for more
than six decades; fights for health care policies that improve the lives of the
millions who live with arthritis; and partners with families to provide
empowering programs and information.
If We Don’t Move it We Will
Lose It. May is Arthritis Action Month and there is no time like the present: “Let’s Move
Together!” Visit the links to see how you help “move” the world. Most
importantly, learn how you can become the best advocate for YOUR health!
Quick
Links:
Arthritis
Foundation – http://www.arthritis.org/index.php
Michelle Bart’s Arthritis
Journey – www.facebook.com/arthritisconnection
World Health Organization – http://www.who.int/chp/topics/rheumatic/en/
Center for Disease Control – http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/
Types of Arthritis – http://www.arthritis.org/disease-center.php
*Information and statistics
provided by the Arthritis Foundation.