Communication and Inspiration Archives | Page 6 of 20 | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Chronic Resilience: Strategies for Living with Chronic Illness

August 9, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 4 Comments Book review, Living with chronic illness like RA

My first glimpse of Chronic Resilience When Danea Horn contacted me last year to be interviewed for her upcoming book, Chronic Resilience I had no idea of her story. Danea was born with VACTERL Association, a rare kidney disorder. She has turned living with illness into a mission to explore redefining “positive” and to bring “creative affirmations”...Continue reading 4 Comments » Read more

Relax: Survival Mode and Our Intrinsic Value

June 11, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 57 Comments Encouragement for living with RA, Patience & living with RA

The past few weeks have been full of chaos and minor crises. Not enough to stress me out, but enough to keep my days overfull with no strength left at the end to write – only sleep. I read last month of a study of mothers of more than three children1, that they are less...Continue reading 57 Comments » Read more

Happy Birthday RAW! The Day I Could No Longer Stay Silent

May 17, 2013April 20, 2019 Kelly O'Neill 35 Comments Comprehensive RA Care, Cricoarytenoid arthritis, e-patient

This week the British Medical Journal published my article which they titled: Doctors’ understanding of rheumatoid disease does not align with patients’ experiences. But first, today is a very special day. Today begins year five of RAW Four years ago today, RA Warrior was born. I’d been studying, writing, and talking to patients for a few months....Continue reading 35 Comments » Read more

Words of Help From a Friend We’ve Never Met – Until We Do

May 2, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 2 Comments e-patient, Living with chronic illness like RA

Isn’t life full of special coincidences? Some even call them “God-incidences.” Circumstances show know that life is not all random, but the right words are often there at the right time – no matter when they were written. A couple of special coincidences occurred in February when I was in Washington. As my friend Leslie and...Continue reading 2 Comments » Read more

Don’t Give Up

April 8, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 60 Comments Encouragement for living with RA, Profiles in courage with RA

If it weren’t so debilitating, I’d be ok Maybe it’s the pain, but today I felt weary. Sara’s words resonated: “My doctor shrugged it off after the blood test. If the pain in my hands wasn’t so debilitating then I would be ok, but I’m still kind of worried.” The left side of my cervical spine...Continue reading 60 Comments » Read more

Same, Same But Different

April 5, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 5 Comments Profiles in courage with RA, Rheumatoid arthritis support

Symptoms are like snowflakes: the same, but different. We see patterns in Rheumatoid disease and say, “See, I’m not alone.” Yet, we also see that no two people are exactly alike because of what I call the immune fingerprint. Explore both our similarities and our differences with eighteen newly added RA onset stories! Your stories of how...Continue reading 5 Comments » Read more

What Drives Patients to Get Engaged in Healthcare?

March 22, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 15 Comments e-patient, Patient advocacy, Video or podcast

Did you ever forget what you were about to say? Last year when I testified at an FDA advisory hearing, I couldn’t even remember my name. I swear I could feel my heart leaping six inches in front of me. It was unexpected because I’d recited my five-minute speech dozens of times from memory. How...Continue reading 15 Comments » Read more