Last night I got to meet Jerry Stiller, who definitely resides on my list of all-time favorites.

We only met for a few minutes -- enough time to talk about the show we just saw, where we’re living now and how things are going.  What struck me about meeting him was how many times he kept saying, "Just stay healthy."  It was all I could think about as I walked away -- and into this morning as I woke up.

"Just stay healthy."  As if to say that no matter how much fame and fortune you amass, no matter how much your life is a dream come true, when you lose your health ... everything slips between your fingers.  And coming from Frank Costanza, that resonated with me.

When you have arthritis, you can appreciate the subtle upward and downward ticks that life takes, whether it’s on a morning when you wake up in worse pain than when you went to sleep, or after chaperoning a 6 year-old Gymboree birthday party.

"Just stay healthy" is officially the best -- albeit hardest -- advice I’ve ever gotten.

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It has been an action-packed past few weeks.  Just last week I had the opportunity to accompany everyone's favorite Real Housewife, Jill Zarin, to the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade conference in Washington, D.C.  Jill was the closing luncheon's keynote speaker.  She talked about being the mom of a daughter with arthritis, as well as having a stepson battling Still's disease.

It was great to watch her relate to everyone and have a very meaningful conversation about raising the profile of arthritis among the general population.  Even though I wrote a few notes ahead of time for her to reference, she didn't look at her notes once -- she didn't need to.  Instead, she spoke from the heart about arthritis in her household.

I had the chance to introduce her and say a few words up front about CreakyJoints and our opinion of what advocacy should mean.  Addressing an audience of about 300 people from 60 countries around the world humbled me quite a bit, and re-emphasized the global nature of arthritis and bone disease.  It was kind of like the United Nations for arthritis -- there were doctors and advocates from all around the world, including every continent -- coming together with a singular mission.

Even though the Bone and Joint Decade -- originally created as a 10-year push to raise awareness about, pool resources for, and elevate the profile of arthritis -- is nearly completed, the future is bright for all of us living with these conditions.

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