Inspiration for living with RA Archives | Page 3 of 7 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

A Tribute: Oyster Suppers, Patient Advocacy, and Ice Cream

April 13, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 14 Comments Inspiration for living with RA

We lost someone very special yesterday, the last grandparent in our family. Her name was Mary and I want to tell you that she lived a long, healthy life to the age of 96. But decades ago, she’d become a patient advocate. I don’t even know whether that was a word back then. Nevertheless, after...Continue reading 14 Comments » Read more

Letting Fumbles Strengthen the Heart

Like most people, I was always proud of what I could juggle and how many balls I could keep in the air at once, while making it look easy. Most of us also know that living with Rheumatoid disease changes that. One by one, I’ve had to put down things I’d rather have continued. I remember...Continue reading 28 Comments » Read more

The Mouse in My Pocket: We Are Not All Alone

November 30, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 31 Comments Inspiration for living with RA, Professional patient

RA can be Isolating. Even with loved ones, we might feel lonely because they don’t know what we’re going through. Our friends can’t visualize the ice-pick that’s stabbing us or appreciate what it’s like to move around in cookie dough all the time. Being alone is not all bad, but feeling cut-off sucks Being alone can be...Continue reading 31 Comments » Read more

Accomplishing Thankfulness via Thorough Commitment

November 24, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 12 Comments America, Courage & living with RA, Inspiration for living with RA

The pieces to the puzzle of me are scattered across this blog. Elephants. Humor. Space exploration. Don Quixote. Determination. Eagles. Pollyanna. Pollyanna gets a bad rap It’s stunning to me how some things are construed as opposite of what they are. Somehow Pollyanna has become synonymous with sounding dismissive and detached. We all know people who dismiss...Continue reading 12 Comments » Read more

Do Doctors Need to Love Patients?

August 29, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 20 Comments America, Inspiration for living with RA, Talking to doctors

The most admired leaders of our country have been the ones who trusted us, valued us, and actually loved us. President Reagan called America a “shining city upon a hill,” a biblical reference to the country’s position of service to the world; and in his final goodbye letter he reminded us that it is still...Continue reading 20 Comments » Read more

My Dear Friend Renoir: a Poem on Life with RA

August 16, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 7 Comments Guest post on RA Warrior, Inspiration for living with RA

This poem is one reader’s sentiment about fighting Rheumatoid Arthritis after the model of Renoir. by Eveira Prados What a shame I felt and I still feel, When the contemplation of quitting invaded my mind. Thoughts that keep telling me, “What a mess!” “Is this real?” “How am I going to survive?” I took the liberty to write to you this humble letter, My...Continue reading 7 Comments » Read more

I Want My Life Back

June 17, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 65 Comments Inspiration for living with RA, Rheumatoid arthritis disability, Unrelenting RA - Persistent disease

RA can hurt so bad that even tough guys cry. Lately, I’ve cried for a different reason. I want my life back so much. I want to run on the beach, but I stumble running to the bathroom. I want to hold a tennis racquet, but most days can’t hold a TV remote properly. Want to...Continue reading 65 Comments » Read more