Profiles in courage with RA Archives | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

Rheumatoid Arthritis Ruined Her Elbow, But Nothing Could Break Her Hope

August 16, 2013May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 26 Comments e-patient, Profiles in courage with RA

Research of an engaged patient rescues her elbow I hope you enjoy this inspiring story of a young woman’s struggle to get the best treatment for her elbow destroyed by Rheumatoid Disease (RD). Carolyn is a brave patient who researched to find a procedure to relieve her pain and restore movement to her elbow. She illustrates...Continue reading 26 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

Surgery, Stories, and Feet amid Stubborn Rheumatoid Disease

November 2, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 35 Comments Courage & living with RA, Profiles in courage with RA

One thing I wish every day is that everyone in the world could read the priceless emails from other warriors I receive every day. If everyone treating or researching this disease could read them, comprehension of the disease and care for it would improve. Family members could have greater understanding. Employers and friends could begin...Continue reading 35 Comments » Read more

2 steps forward, 1 step back is not a dance move – It’s just life

October 16, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 2 Comments Professional patient, Profiles in courage with RA

I’m happy to share NINE new onset stories with you! People write to me all the time about how helpful it is to find these when searching for a diagnosis or trying to understand a new diagnosis. They paint a much more accurate picture than the textbooks have so far. Andrea’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story Amanda N.’s Rheumatoid...Continue reading 2 Comments » Read more

Hey Superman! Does Accepting Limitations Make Us Weaker?

March 14, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 17 Comments Courage & living with RA, Men with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Profiles in courage with RA

Katie Beth and I got in Monday night from a weekend with other warriors in Houston where I was able to speak about being an empowered patient. That immediately followed an e-Patient Boot Camp talk in Orlando with e-Patient Dave. Preparations and traveling drain so much time and energy that I haven’t been able to...Continue reading 17 Comments » Read more

Letting Fumbles Strengthen the Heart

February 9, 2012May 15, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 28 Comments Inspiration for living with RA, Living with chronic illness like RA, Profiles in courage with RA

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