A Patient’s Story: “I Feel Like My Biggest Loss Is My Independence”

Have you heard that 1% of the world population suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis? These are millions of people fighting an invisible illness and struggling with normal daily activities that we usually take for granted. Yes, these people are all around us and we want to meet them and hear their story…

His name is Quinn and he found about us while searching for Rheumatoid Arthritis on the web. He works in the Department of Family Medicine of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada and is also currently contributing to Home Remedies for Life with useful content and visuals.

Quinn found FindMeCure website “really helpful” and wanted to share with us an infographic he had created on 10 of the Best Foods to Fight Your Arthritis in case we consider it useful for patients coming to our platform. It’s a nice one, right? Make sure you follow our next posts as we are also going to deep dive into the benefits of healthy eating and how it can improve your life.

Going back to my conversation with Quinn, I actually understood from him that his article was not the only reason why he was searching for information about RA. It turned out his father John suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis. Yes, his father is one of the 1% of people out there fighting an invisible illness, one of those RA warriors that deserves our attention and respect.

And here comes his story…

John Masons is from Hamilton, Canada but has now retired and moved down to Florida. He was a lawyer for 42 years and a father to 4 children. He was diagnosed with RA in 1997 and has had to battle it for roughly 20 years now. Although he is retired, he feels many restrictions in his daily life.

Depression, moodiness related to the degree of pain…this is what he felt when he first heard he had this diagnosis. “I feel like my biggest lost is my independence”, he describes the illness. In fact, the worst thing about RA for him is there is no cure.

“I’ve discussed it with family and everyone is most understanding and helpful in making my tasks easier and less painful”, he says.

What really impressed us was his advice to those who have just been diagnosed with RA.

“Try not to focus on what u cannot do and do more of what u can do! Do not focus on the pain.”

John is part of that 1% of people who have not lost their faith and positiveness: “I believe anything is possible and hope that there will be a cure in the near future for the current and future generations so that they will not face the same problems as I face.”

And yes, medical research is already working on finding these new therapies which will save so many destinies. Moreover, they will help people take back their lives and live with dignity and without pain.

You can actually check them even now on FindMeCure: over 300 clinical trials around the globe are currently exploring new and more effective therapies for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Make sure you type your exact location here so you can see what is there near you.

Maybe you will be among the first ones to meet the innovations in the field. You can be among the first ones to reduce this 1% to 0.

This cannot happen without you.

Article by Daniela Shikova