Only the goods

Arthritis Introspective has friends who are writers and artists. If you have something you think would work on this page and want to be part of it let us know.

During the Gathering summer 2007 our group had the pleasure to have an evening of entertainment with the wonderful Tucson musician John de Roo. John has had Fibromyalgia for many years and used his talent to write a fun, empowering song that all who heard that evening will never forget. Due to popular demand John has professionally recorded the song in the studio for the world to hear. To learn more about John's music visit his site

Warning!! The Fibro Song contains adult language and is not intended for children or for adults sensitive to naughty words.

Also during the Gathering 2007, one of our keynote speaker's was David Jacobson. According to David he is the funniest person in the history of the world, and Psoriatic is the coolest arthritis, because only cool people get it. David has written a book entitled The 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Humorous People. You can order a copy of it here for $12 shipping included, or for only another $10,000.00 you can have the book personally delivered by David on his unicycle.

Someday soon this site will have a cool way to pay on-line, but for now send a check to the address on the contact page and please fill out this form.

Wendy Hawkins was diagnosed with JRA when she was only 16 months old. Living with chronic illness her whole life, she turned to art as a helpful outlet for expression and release. Her book "Inner Landscapes: A Personal Journey of Healing Through Art" shares her story of living with JRA as told through the lens of her watercolor mandala paintings. She writes about the frustrations, sadness, fears, insecurities, challenges, hopes and victories of day-to-day life with chronic illness. She shares her challenges with career/work, relationships, body image, surgeries, and long-term disability in a very open way throughout the book. In addition, Wendy teaches readers about the powerful healing art form known as the mandala, giving them step-by-step instructions on how to create their own healing mandalas. Painting mandalas has helped her tremendously on her healing journey. Her book is available from Lulu.com, which offers a book preview so you can read the first several pages, the front and back covers, as well as, see some of her mandala paintings in full color.

Here is the link to go directly to the book: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/inner-landscapes-a-personal-journey-of-healing-through-art/4622447

Ben Graham was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was diagnosed with JRA at age three, and has been writing about his experiences for most of his life. He wrote and produced several plays while attending the Residential College at the University of Michigan. While there, he received the James H. Robertson Award for outstanding achievements in drama and the national Arthritis Foundation's Hero Overcoming Arthritis Award.

Ben began writing his novel, Ending in Angels, after graduating in 2000 and finished the first draft in 2001. With the help of several professional editors, Ben completed one new draft every year until 2007, when he self-published the novel on Lulu, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble’s websites. Ben also published his own website at http://endinginangels.com.

Ending in Angels is a story about overcoming challenges. The novel is based partially in fact and partially in fiction. Much of the book focuses on the difficulties of growing up with JRA, and on finding the resilience to succeed in spite of them.

Dawn Hafeli, the parent of a child with arthritis wrote, "I really liked it. It was well written and engaging. I found that when I finished, I wanted to go back and re-read some parts for clarity and memory. I think it's a great book for our teens with arthritis and their parents - though there might be some issues with language here and there. But I get that that is a reflection of the real world!"

Sophie Catherine Reich, the sister of a young adult with JRA wrote, "I definitely laughed and I definitely cried. I'm such a cliché!"

Email Ben at endinginangels@hotmail.com. Check out pictures, reviews, purchasing, or start reading the book today at Ben’s website: http://endinginangels.com.