作为一名关节炎患者和关节炎基金会的长期志愿者，蒂芙尼找到了回馈和鼓励他人的方法。She also recommends trying the new Vim app.
By Tiffany Coffman, Denver, Colorado
I’ve raised two children with arthritis and battle four kinds of the disease myself. I take 36 pills a day, from my prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to over-the-counter pain meds. Honestly, it’s been tough at times, but we’ve gotten through it all, thanks in large part to the many friends we’ve made in the arthritis community over the past 15 years. I became a passionate volunteer for the Arthritis Foundation because I wanted to give back and help others, like we were helped.
As part of a community of 54 million warriors, we can each do something to fight arthritis by giving what we can — whether that’svolunteering,advocating ormaking a tax-deductible donation.On World Arthritis Day, we can share hope with each person living with pain.
My family’s arthritis journey
我的疼痛在我上高中的时候就开始了。我在基督教青年会非常积极地参与足球、军乐队和体育运动。当我被诊断出患有类风湿关节炎时，这一切戛然而止。我全身都痛，尤其是脚、脚踝、手腕和手指。从那以后，我还被诊断出患有骨关节炎、纤维肌痛和Sjögren’s综合征，所有这些都是关节炎相关的症状。很快我就要做骨质疏松症的骨骼扫描，那将是一个全新的局面。
Arthritis has also affected my children. My son, Christopher, who’s now 17 and a high school senior, had symptoms at birth. I took him to the doctor when he was 18 months old to find out why he wasn’t walking. A year later, he was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis (JA).
几年后，我的女儿布列塔尼(Brittany)在15岁时被诊断出患有纤维肌痛。谁能想到它会影响生殖系统?我们从关节炎基金会了解到这一点，以及当我27岁的已婚女儿不能怀孕时我们可以探索的替代方案。我很高兴第一次成为我可爱的新孙子的奶奶，他是他们最近收养的。
I love kids.
Over the years, we’ve participated in Arthritis FoundationJA camps, JA family days and the NationalJA Conference，随着我的孩子们的成长，这些故事给我们全家带来了丰富的信息和鼓舞。Besides my involvement in those, I became a leader and moderator forLive Yes! Connect Groups为JA的父母们准备的，我们在大流行期间几乎一直都是这样。My family has also been active in our localWalk to Cure Arthritis.
I volunteer for the Arthritis Foundation’sHelpline, too, when questions come up about JA. I feel the best way to help is to listen and show compassion for what someone believes is their most difficult situation ever. I have learned to be more compassionate. Everyone has an issue, so we make the best with what we have.
I love my job, and I love kids, which is why I’ve run my own daycare center from home for several years. But watching 10 kids a day can be challenging at times. To keep up and keep me going, I’ve been using the Arthritis Foundation’s newVim app. It’s part of the Foundation’s overall focus on managing chronic pain, which I also love.
The Vim app can help change your life.
The free Vim app有很多好处。我希望你能尝试一下。它很容易使用，这对于像我这样的技术挑战者来说非常棒!
- In Vim, I get asked what my pain level is every day — a question I don’t usually get asked except at my doctor’s appointments. So, I get to monitor my pain over a period of time, see what’s triggering my symptoms when, and maybe make adjustments so I’m in greater control.
- I have used everything — the app’s diet tips, info about yoga, meditation, self-reflection, breathing, different supplements you can use and more. It’s all there.
- You can set your own short-term goals and keep track of how you’re doing. Like walk to the end of the block three times a week. Get in the car and take a ride twice a week. Reach out to a friend for moral support. Just give it time and practice.
- The encouragement I get from others in the arthritis community is unbelievably motivating. Besides seeing people cheer me on, I can help others if they’re having a bad day. We’re all in this together.
With Vim,you can take back what chronic pain has taken away. Give it a try. I whole-heartedly recommend it!
The invaluable support and resources that have made such a big difference in Tiffany’s life are made possible thanks to friends like you. You can power more life-changing research, support and tools bymaking a donation today.