This week is National Arthritis Week in the UK. I live in Wisconsin, but you know what? Arthritis Research UK is an amazing organization and I’m happy to be helping them out this week by spreading the word. The late great Laura of Still’s Life was a huge supporter of theirs and I’ve been working with them to try to pick up a bit where she left off, even if it isn’t anything huge.
All this week, I’ll be posting information in general about arthritic diseases (like I don’t normally anyway haha). You can feel free to ask how to get more involved, or contact many organizations directly. A great example is World Arthritis Day, coming up this Saturday, October 12th. You can visit their site to learn more about their activities.
If you’d like to make a pledge, feel free to snag the pictures above and post “My joint effort pledge is…” with what you’re planning on doing. It could be something as simple as waking up despite your arthritic/rheumatic/autoimmune disease, or as involved as volunteering with an organization. More info can be found at the Arthritis Research UK site for National Arthritis Week or by asking questions of me and others participating.
Watch for some more posts this week (GASP) and upcoming information. If you tweet or use hashtags elsewhere, the following are the hashtags for this week: #pledgend #nationalarthritisweek and #jointeffortpledge
I had almost totally forgotten that the 12th was World Arthritis Day, so definitely a big thanks for sharing this reminder! I am thinking about writing an article on it this year, but I want it to be about a specific aspect of this awareness event. Any suggestions?
You could focus on twitter or social media. Twitter specifically has really blown up in the last year with chronically ill people, from rheum people to generally spoonie types. Contacting Dawn M Gibson on there would be beneficial I think for you – she started #spooniechat earlier this year and it has been hugely successful.
Hey KirBir, thank you for responding so quickly! (I am only sorry that I could not do the same) I'll definitely work to get connected with Dawn Gibson, although I would need to do a little more personal research. Would you be willing to provide some more insight into what you mean by "spoon"?
Hey Stephen,
A "Spoonie" is a person who has a chronic illness that causes fatigue. Spoons are a measure of energy. It's all very interesting! You can find more here: http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/wpress/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/