Community Stories

Community Stories Meet Raj from the UK. He is the Chair of NASS, patient advocate and motivated to not let AS define him. Diagnosed in his early 20’s Raj was told he would likely be in a wheel chair in 10 years. Watch his inspiring video sharing how he set…

Community Stories Former Canadian Spondyloarthritis Assocation board member, Bjillian describes her first symptoms and how the pain progression happened. She also describes how she deals with the disease on a daily basis and how it impacts her life.

Community Stories For the hundreds of thousands of Canadians with inflammatory arthritis, the road to effective treatment can be rocky. Arthritis comes in many forms beyond the rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis we’re all familiar with. For those with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), one of a larger group of conditions known collectively…

Community Stories Canadian Spondyloarthritis Assocation’s member Dawn tells her story about how Ankylosing Spondylitis affects her life. She also describes her road to diagnoses and how it made her feel.

I want every young person to know that arthritis doesn’t have to derail your life. Ten years ago, after graduating with a degree in Kinesiology at the age of 21 I was feeling excited and optimistic about my future. I was hired for my first full time job as a…

Community Stories My journey with arthritis started at only 2 years of age. Random rashes turned into inexplicable sore joints and fatigue. Years and many medical appointments later, I was (finally) diagnosed at the age of 11 with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis as well as Enthesitis-related Arthritis by a specialist from…

Community Stories “God gives challenges to those who are strong enough to overcome them” ~ Unknown It was a particularly bad flare, not too long ago, when my mom turned to me quite randomly and asked, “do you remember what it feels like to not have back pain?” My response, “no.” As…

Community Stories Getting the right diagnosis changed my life Like so many Canadians, Marilyn Walsh had her life plans derailed by the devastating effects of arthritis. Fortunately, a proper diagnosis and treatment helped correct years of pain and suffering, and now Marilyn is devoted to helping others. Marilyn, a resident…

Community Stories My name is Jen and I live in Northeastern Ontario. I am currently 26 years of age and have been diagnosed with two forms of inflammatory arthritis: undifferentiated connective tissue disease and axial spondyloarthropathy with peripheral involvement. It was towards the end of my first year of university,…

Community Stories In retrospect, I think the first signs of AS started about 25 years ago, when I was about 40 years old. I remember lying on the floor and my back was really stiff when I stood up. I never thought much about it as it would quickly disappear…