FieryBones

About FieryBones

FieryBones has been created to connect and share stories of all the people suffering from autoimmune forms of arthritis, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing spondyloarthritis, Psoriatic arthritis and many others, across the world. When you read stories of how others are fiercely coping with this illness, you realize that you are not alone in this daunting journey! You can also submit your story to share it with the community who truly understands.

For people living with chronic auto-immune illness, it is a daily struggle to balance their personal and professional lives with the unpredictability of these painful diseases.

If you would like to read more about rheumatoid arthritis, please click here.

Life stories

Share your Story

Story of Lori MacLean (R.A.Raw channel)

"Sometimes, people ask me what kind of hacks do you have? I don't have any hacks. I just deal."

Listen to the story of Lori MacLean, a vlogger and public speaker. Learn more about her experience of battling Rheumatoid Arthritis since the age of 2. She discusses with the community about what has RA taught her and how she manages to live life to the fullest despite the hurdles life threw at her.

Click here to open the video in different page.

Story of Ashley

"RA is not who I am, it's just a big part of what makes me, me"

Read the story of a multi-talented woman,

Ashley Girres - A Blogger, An Etsy Shop Owner, A Mom, A Wife, A Daughter, and yes, a Fiery Bone, RA warrior. Discover more about her experience with Rheumatoid Arthritis, learnings and message for the FieryBones community!

Click here to read full story

Story of Emma Taylor

“This isn't your fault, you're not a failure, cut yourself some slack,
allow yourself to rest and heal, practice self-care and manage who
you give your energy and time to. Again, this isn't your fault”

Read the story of Emma Taylor - a singer and a young warrior battling ME and Fibromyalgia.

Click here to read full story

Story of Judy

"Hold onto hope. Take charge of your healthcare"

Read our Q&A with Judy to discover her daunting journey with various illnesses and be amazed by her will to battle this strongly and spread her optimism to many others!

Click here to read full story

The Chronicles of Parenting

"I like to think the silver lining is that he’s more independent and resilient for all the times he had to be on the floor instead of in my arms"

Thought parenting is the toughest job ever? Imagine being a parent while simultaneously battling a chronic illness. Read the story of Suzie, an engineer, a mom, a wife and a children's book author, and understand her take on parenting with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Click here to read full story

Story of J.G. Chayko

"I don’t let my limitations define me - I learned to dance to my own rhythm. You can too."

Read the story of J.G. Chayko - a writer, an actress, owner of the blog 'The Old Lady in My Bones' and an international arthritis advocate - and discover her passion for writing and theater while living with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Click here to read full story

Story of Jed Finley

"Don't let your condition rule you. Rule your condition!"

Read the story of Jed Finley - a young warrior battling Ankylosing Spondylitis, spreading awareness and extending amazing support to all the spoonies!

Click here to read full story

10 things living with RA taught me

“Don't be afraid to ask for help. You are allowed."

Read the story of Sara Joy Dean - a professional writer, editor, blogger, and artist who suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjögren’s Syndrome, fibromyalgia, and hypothyroidism. She is currently working on a spiritual non-fiction book about dealing with chronic illness and writing her first cozy mystery novel.

Click here to read full story

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It's an Unpredictable Life

"It may be difficult and arduous at times, but I am determined to not let FND or my symptoms from stopping me live my life"

Read the story of Rhiann Johns living an unpredictable life with Functional Neorological Disorder but helping many others through sharing her story and experiences!

Click here to read full story

Articles

Cheryl Koehn wants others with RA to learn from the mistakes she made, such as missed symptoms, diagnosis denial, and treatment delays. “When you can see someone living life, and doing it okay, and you can role model the disease, that person sees promise."

What Rheumatoid Arthritis Taught an Olympic Volleyball

Player? - Everyday Health

May 23, 2017

RA throughout history | Here is a list of famous people who’ve battled the disease in recent history. (The first confirmed cases of RA were probably in the late 1800s)

11 Famous People with Rheumatoid Arthritis - Health Magazine

June 02, 2011

For a professional athlete a diagnosis like this can be physically and emotionally devastating. For O’Brien it was finally an answer to why her body was failing her. She experienced low points, but like a great athlete she persevered, rebuilt herself and triumphed against the odds.

Here’s How Olympic Snowboarder Spencer O’Brien

Overcame RA - The Inertia

October 04, 2017

Get inspired by these 9 famous athletes who beat arthritis like a true sportsman!

9 famous athletes who overcame arthritis - Healthgrades

May 10, 2017

About Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system which normally protects its health by attacking foreign substances like bacteria and viruses, mistakenly attacks the joints. This creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (the synovium) to thicken, resulting in swelling and pain in and around the joints.

RA affects the joints of the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles and generally, the joints affected are symmetrical. That means if one knee or hand is affected, usually the other one is,too.

Common Symptoms include joint pain, joint swelling, fatigue, low grade, fever, malaise, morning stiffness, loss of appetite and loss of weight.

Currently, there is no permanent cure for RA, but treatments can improve symptoms and slow the progress of the disease.

Hi, welcome to FieryBones! I was diagnosed with RA in mid-2017. It's been a hell of a ride so far and RA still keeps surprising me every single day! Although it is manageable now, I am yet to accept the new reality, much to the distress of my doctors. Pre-RA, I was quite an adventure junkie and still look forward to continue doing them - just a matter of time! I am a closed person who would bottle up emotions, so opening up about RA has not been easy. But I realized this unwanted companion is here to stay and through reading stories of other people who are going through a similar or even more challenging roller coaster would help deal with this more fiercely! So a big shout out - to all the strong warriors!

-Pooja Panchamia

"I don’t let my limitations define me - I learned to dance to my own rhythm. You can too."

"I don’t let my limitations define me - I learned to dance to my own rhythm. You can too."

J.G. Chayko

J.G. Chayko

Fierybones

About FieryBones

Life stories

Story of Lori MacLean (R.A.Raw channel)

Story of Ashley

Story of Emma Taylor

Read the story of Emma Taylor - a singer and a young warrior battling ME and Fibromyalgia.

Story of Judy

The Chronicles of Parenting

Story of J.G. Chayko

Story of Jed Finley

Read the story of Jed Finley - a young warrior battling Ankylosing Spondylitis, spreading awareness and extending amazing support to all the spoonies!

10 things living with RA taught me

It's an Unpredictable Life

Articles

What Rheumatoid Arthritis Taught an Olympic Volleyball

Player? - Everyday Health

11 Famous People with Rheumatoid Arthritis - Health Magazine

Here’s How Olympic Snowboarder Spencer O’Brien

Overcame RA - The Inertia

9 famous athletes who overcame arthritis - Healthgrades

About Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Meet Pooja, Founder of FieryBones