Peer Support Partner – Kim
Age at diagnosis?
I was diagnosed at age 16 and am now 42.
RA sent my life in a whole different direction. It actually pointed me to a course of study in college and allowed me to help others professionally and personally in ways I never imagined. I have had numerous joint replacements and figure I am not in trouble until something wears out that we don’t have a spare part for. As tough as the road has been at times my arthritis has been a gift and a great learning and sharing/educational opportunity.
Why I chose to be a Peer Support Partner
- to help others adjust to life with arthritis
- to understand that it is an ending but also a brand new beginning
- to impart that this is a lifestyle change that is ever changing and evolving
- to help with tips/ways that make life living with arthritis easier
A little about me
My hobbies are reading, crocheting, making wreaths, and travel.
I have been supporting others with RA for over 10 years. I taught 2nd year med students and health care professionals, nationally and internationally, how to examine the joints of the body. I have run support groups at the Arthritis Foundation in the past. I volunteered at both the Arthritis Foundation and at Camp Dartmouth-Hitchcock, a camp for children with arthritis, for 7 years. I have done presentations with and without doctors about RA.