When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Erika Mitchell never thought she’d have to make lemonade. As a talented high school track star, she was recruited to Alabama State University to compete in the heptathlon – a track and field competition that involves numerous running, jumping and throwing events.
“In heptathlon, you don’t dominate in only a few events, like Usain Bolt,” explains Erika. “It’s more about being good at several different events including the hurdles, high jump, long and short distance running, shot put and javelin. It’s about being a really good overall athlete.”
Erika immersed herself in heptathlon training, fine tuning her skills and preparing for competition. Then came the lemons.
在阿拉巴马州立大学读大三的时候，在接受了关节镜手术后，Erika的右肩开始出现明显的疼痛。“我就知道不对劲，”艾瑞卡说。“有很多痛苦。我又去看医生，问他:‘这样对吗?我应该经历这么多痛苦吗?’”
Testing revealed that Erika had glenohumeral arthritis in her right shoulder – a type of arthritis that causes deterioration in the shoulder joint, often leading to bone-on-bone contact.
Erika was devastated. She couldn’t throw the javelin and could only barely jump or run without pain. She feared her scholarship and future were in danger. Then she made lemonade.
The only remaining event Erika could do without significant pain was the hammer throw. She changed her training regimen to focus solely on the event.
艾丽卡现在说:“原来我天生就擅长扔链球。”“第一年，我获得了西南体育联盟第二名。在全国大学生体育协会，我是前十。”
Erika’s track and field days are long gone, but her drive continues. Today, she works as a marketing and public relations consultant for the National Football League Player’s Association Metro Atlanta. In her spare time, she trains for her new passion, the Spartan Race – a race of varying distance and difficulty that incorporates physical obstacles and challenges, oftentimes immersed in mud, water or other complicating features.
“我在3月参加了我的第一次斯巴达赛跑。我真的不知道会发生什么。”“我想，因为我的关节炎和过去的岁月，我不能再参加比赛了。但我错了。这只是重新回到正轨的问题。I’m not as fast as I was, but I still did a pretty good job.”
Erika recently joined the Foundation’s Advocate program and plans to work with her state and federal lawmakers to improve access to care for people living with arthritis. She also is the 2016 Atlanta Jingle Bell Run honoree and is fielding a team named SportsUnlimited/NFLPA. Her goal is to raise $5,000 in support of our mission to conquer and cure arthritis.
Through it all, Erika refuses to settle for lemons. “I didn’t think I would be able to compete again. I thought it was the end of everything I worked so hard for,” reflects Erika. “Arthritis didn’t stop me. It changed my direction and helped me realize the opportunity to excel at something else.”
Learn more about Erikaand supporther Jingle Bell Run team today!