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Member Profile
Autumn Tracey
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Autumn is a 22 year old woman from a "small, 'HICK' town" in Western Maryland.* She writes:
I, too, have the pain of Arthur. I was diagnosed at the age of 23 months with JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis). I have been fighting this pain for 20 years. But my life does go on.
When I was around 6 or 7 my right knee was ankylosed. Which means that they stretched my ham strings to make my leg stiff. I can not bend my knee at all. It is always straight. Then, in 1986, my left ankle had a triple fusion done to it, so it is fused and it doesn't move from side to side. Just a little up and down. I have felt the pain of people starring and pointing from the way I walk. Once, when I was very young I saw a mother and her very young daughter laughing so hard at me they were crying. (Because of my leg brace). I asked my mom what they were laughing at and she said "Autumn they must have told a funny joke." How cruel can people be? But as my parents always told me "God gave you this problem because he knew that you could handle it and someone like those mean people couldn't!" And, they are SO right. I love them with all my heart. They are my best friends. If I had one wish, I would wish to ride a bike. If you had one wish, what would your wish be?
When we contacted Autumn for permission to print her contribution, she sent us her picture and made it abundantly clear that she was a trooper when it came to her arthritis:
Does this picture look like someone that has had Arthritis for 20 years? NO! Well I have and it sucks. Now at the age of 22 I feel like I'm almost 80. Winter is coming extremely quick. I'm wishing it wouldn't. I live at the foot of a mountain and get lots of snow. But my life has to go on. This is a wonderful way to read articles about arthritis. My mother was watching the news and heard about CreakyJoints and told me to check it out. And, I'm glad I did. Thanks for having a site so I can look at some columns and know that other people are feeling my pain!
*Autumn called it "HICK"; we called it "Western."
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