Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis Archives | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Glenn Frey’s Cause of Death

January 20, 2016October 5, 2019 Kelly O'Neill 40 Comments Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Death and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid disease is not for the faint of heart. Just as 3 heartrending comments reminded me what a struggle it can be to keep fighting, RA Warriors began to grapple the shocking news of Glenn Frey’s cause of death. The Eagles’ website: “Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly, succumbed to complications...Continue reading 40 Comments » Read more

Recognizing the Anguish of Depression in Time for Help

Negative spaces are only part of the picture I was stirring early in the morning when everything was still gray. Something I saw looked like a fish for a moment. There’s no pet fish here, especially in my room. “Negative spaces,” I heard myself whisper. That’s what is in between the shapes of what is really there....Continue reading 13 Comments » Read more

Will Venus Williams’ Sjögren’s Syndrome Help RA?

September 2, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 29 Comments Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Communicating about RA, Sjogren's syndrome

We had an interesting conversation on Facebook yesterday about the Venus Williams' Sjögren’s syndrome diagnosis (actually 5 of them by day’s end). Some were wondering whether the diagnosis of another famous person with an autoimmune (AI) disease will help bring awareness for RA. Probably not. Why not? Celebrities have been diagnosed with RA (and PsA) and...Continue reading 29 Comments » Read more

The Tug of War of RA Awareness: Privacy of Pain & Agony of Disclosure

March 23, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 60 Comments Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Pain Tolerance / RA Stoicism, Patient advocacy, Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness, Transparency & living with RA

This week’s post on Rosalind Russell raised some important questions. A comment by Ronda was highly critical of Russell for the way that she hid from the public the severity of her suffering due to Rheumatoid Arthritis. How can we raise awareness if we hide how bad it is? It’s a good question. Rosalind Russell was...Continue reading 60 Comments » Read more

Rosalind Russell: Rheumatoid Arthritis’ Most Glamorous Celebrity

March 21, 2011May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 22 Comments Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Faith, History of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheum Disease in the Media

Rosalind Russell (Roz) may have been the most glamorous and famous woman to have Rheumatoid Arthritis. However, she shared three qualities with many others living with RA: She was determined, hopeful, and private. One of the most illustrious celebrities to live with Rheumatoid Arthritis was Rosalind Russell. Rosalind Russell (1907-1976) had an exceptional life, performing on Broadway...Continue reading 22 Comments » Read more

“Dealing with RA Is So Much Easier than Lupus” –Kathy Lubbers

October 14, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 107 Comments Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Communicating about RA, Rheum Disease in the Media, Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness

What causes the RA awareness problem? Every day, people ask me, “What can I do to help create awareness for RA?” Many suggest, “We need to find a famous person with RA.” Maybe first, we need to think about why we need awareness for RA. Why do people have such a wrong view of Rheumatoid Arthritis?...Continue reading 107 Comments » Read more

Phil Mickelson’s Psoriatic Arthritis

August 13, 2010May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 31 Comments Biologics for RA, Celebrities and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Enbrel, Rheumatoid Arthritis commercials, Spondyloarthropathy

“Mickelson arthritis” brings shrugs “Phil Mickelson arthritis” was such a common search already that it was suggested to me by Google’s search tool as I typed his name yesterday. That was only two days after Mickelson announced his diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis to the press. I have to admit that I shrugged the first time I...Continue reading 31 Comments » Read more