It has been thirty years since I was diagnosed with IAFTAIWGA by my doctor. Well, It's A Fluky Thing And It Will Go Away never did and Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis took away my strong lanky body. Within weeks both wrists and my left elbow became permanently fused, as well as losing range of motion in my knees, ankles and neck. On the first night of a twenty-one day stay at a teaching hospital in Boston I clearly remembering thinking how this new problem with my body was going to screw up the rest of my life. A powerful thought for a ten year old.

Medications came and went to try to ease the pains of my body as I built walls around myself and my feelings to try to save my failing self esteem and body image during my teenage years. It was not until my middle twenties that I met another young person with arthritis. Faced with having to stop working full time because of the pain and fatigue and leaving the friends who were my support system, I walked into my first support system meeting lost and broken. This group, that was put together by volunteers of the Arthritis Foundation, showed me for the first time that people like me could laugh and be beautiful just by being who they are.

I soon moved to Tucson where I started my own volunteering journey. From running the local young people with arthritis group, being a counselor at the kids with arthritis camp, and writer for the local Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. At the peak of my time volunteering for the Arthritis Foundation I was the editor of the American Juvenile Arthritis Organization's newsletter, and the chair of the first and only ages 20 to 50 with arthritis national Arthritis Fountation conference. It was in Tucson in 1999, and it was there I meet the dear friends that you see all over the rest of this website. It was about that time when I meet the love of my life Becky, who I have shared the last ten years of my life with.

I will always be thankful to the Arthritis Foundation and their volunteers for being there for me years ago. I started AI to help fill a gap of needed support systems and programs for the people living with arthritis during the prime of life. I remember that day when I meet others who understood, and I want all who need this type of support to be able to get it.

Besides the AI adventure, I enjoy Horology (the study of time and time devices). As well as learning the art of repairing and servicing old mechanical pocketwatches. You can see some of the watches I have worked on at www.myspace.com/pocketwatches

Here I am with Becky and our doggie Ewyon