And there it is

On June 19th, 2009 I was officially diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  It didn’t come as a surprise, but the fact of the matter was that I have an autoimmune disease, which I will  have to deal with for the rest of my life, it was hard to take.  I was advised to give up running and basically change my life to deal with my new disease, how did I take that?  That very evening I attended my daughter’s dance recital in a pair of four inch heels (oooh, how I love those shoes) and did the Grouse Grind and set a personal best the next day.  And I paid dearly for looking RA in the eyes and saying FU.

I have been relatively private about my struggle, I take my meds, take care of my body as best as I can and try not complain too much.  The reality is that this disease won’t kill me, and watching the other brave battles that are going on around me, I realize that RA is just another bump in my road. So when I was asked to speak publicly about my daily struggle, I was a bit hesitant.  I remembered back to when I was going through my diagnosis, and speaking to other ladies who had been living with RA for some time.   They were so strong and inspiring and gave me such encouragement (hence the four inch heels and what they mean to me), I knew that I was going to be ok.

So here is my contribution to the AOL article…

Keri Cawthorne first noticed joint pain and stiffness about a year ago while training for a half marathon. After a month of constant soreness in the morning in both her hands and feet, she consulted a doctor. Her rheumatologist prescribed medicine and cautioned her against running, lifting weights or doing push-ups.

“I continued to run until the pain was so bad that my toes wouldn’t bend,” Cawthorne said. “That’s when I realized I needed to modify my workout schedule so that I could run at night when my body felt better and started listening to my body. I do gentle hatha yoga once a week and go to couples yoga with my husband once a month. “

Although she doesn’t practice formal meditation, Cawthorne does a lot of breathing exercises.

“My mantra is ‘because I can,’” Cawthorne said. “Don’t get me wrong I have had my fair share of pity parties and meltdowns, but I choose to be a survivor not a victim.” — Keri Cawthorne.  Read entire article