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Mission, Vision & History

Mission and Vision

My mission is to educate, empower and inspire people living with inflammatory arthritis. My vision is a world where every patient feels empowered to live life to the fullest despite the inevitable challenges of autoimmune arthritis.

I achieve my mission through producing educational, empowering and inspiring content on the Arthritis Life Podcast and social media channels. I also created and facilitate the Rheum to THRIVE comprehensive self-management course, support group and empowerment program to help people with rheumatic diseases go from overwhelmed, confused and alone to confident, supported and connected.

Why did Cheryl start Arthritis Life?

As a patient on social media groups, I noticed that people were often confused and overwhelmed with navigating daily living challenges, and were feeling socially isolated, stressed and confused with how to manage their condition. As a 2015 study found, “In general, patients’ levels of knowledge about the disease were low to moderate and patients expressed they had received insufficient information.”  (citation).  I also did an entire research study that showed that navigating daily challenges and expressing / receiving emotional support were most common topics of discussion on disease-specific social media groups for rheumatoid arthritis.

I wondered why, as a gestational diabetes patient, I was given multiple sessions with a “diabetes educator” for my short term condition, yet I had never once been provided education for my lifelong, progressive diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.  Where were the “arthritis educators” in the healthcare systems?

The most efficient way for me to solve this problem was to use the power of social media and online platforms to share my life hacks, health management and general coping strategies from my experiences as a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and occupational therapist. 

No one should have to navigate daily life with arthritis on their own, and patients deserve more than one twenty minute appointment every 3 months with a healthcare provider to meet the complex needs of their fluctuating, complex condition. Through Rheum to THRIVE and my other programs I am doing my part to help fill the self-management and patient empowerment gap that currently exists in this patient population.

At the same time, I felt it was important to provide a broader platform for other patient stories. Elevating the patient voice can help not only other people with chronic illnesses but also help providers remember what the daily life struggles are truly like. By publishing patient stories on the Arthritis Life Podcast and social media channels, I also hope to increase public awareness of the prevalence and deep impact of arthritis and related conditions beyond joint pain. 

FAQs

  • How can I contact you? Use the “contact” page above.
  • Is this, like…a business? A passion project? A hobby? Arthritis Life was originally a hobby / passion project, which Cheryl developed into a company in 2019 called Life Skills Occupational Therapy, PLLC. “Arthritis Life” is a registered trade name, or DBA (“doing business as”) for Life Skills Occupational Therapy, PLLC.
  • Where else can I find and follow Cheryl and Arthritis Life?