如果你有自身免疫和炎症疾病，称为类风湿性关节炎（RA），或者知道某人，你知道它是多么愚蠢。在RA中，您的免疫系统错误地误导了身体中的健康细胞，引起炎症和肿胀。ra造成的痛苦和疲劳可以使最简单的任务感到纪念碑 - 更不用说，更不用说完成你的梦想。但纪念碑并不意味着不可能，因为这五个ra战士已经显示出来。以下是他们希望您与（或没有）RA实现目标的信息。
名称和年龄：Cathy Kramer，53
Location:Naperville, IL
诊断年份：2004年
Job:Adult education specialist/Instructor
我用RA做了_______：I rode my bike down Pikes Peak.
How I did it:On days that I was not flaring, I made sure I got as much physical activity as I could to support my body on days when it was struggling. I walked, rode my bike, and did strength and high-intensity interval training.
最难的部分：我的焦虑！我和我的丈夫，妹妹和姐姐在一起，我不想让任何人失望，包括我自己，因为我的ra。随着海拔地区导致飞行峰值的变量温度，我担心我的关节如何回应。到底，我的手腕和手指感觉有些僵硬，但我的身体做了惊人。
最好的部分：我做的！我喜欢为自己设立目标并完成它们。此外，这是我们四个人将始终分享的经验。我很高兴我没有错过。
If I could tell others living with RA one thing:Visualize yourself doing the things you want to do. Today or even tomorrow might not be your day to do them, but if you keep the vision in mind, you have a better chance of it happening. Don’t let RA dictate your life.
名称和年龄：劳伦斯'瑞克'菲利普斯，62
Location:Indianapolis, IN
诊断年份：2000年
Job:I’ve been a politician, local government administrator, school administrator, and sometimes troublemaker.
I did this _______ with RA:I earned a doctorate degree in education at age 59, 12 years post-diagnosis.
How I did it:To start, I picked an outstanding mate. I met Sheryl while we were in high school. We were married when I was a sophomore in college and we had our son right after I graduated. Over our 43 years of marriage, my wife has never lost faith in me nor I in her. Through thick and thin, and three chronic diseases, we have stuck together. No way could I have accomplished great things without her.
最难的部分：It has been scary. Nothing is given to us and at times it has felt like we are operating without a net. I was the main wage earner, and if I could not work, I knew we would suffer. This was difficult on me as my health started slipping away, yet I knew the responsibilities I had in our marriage. Sticking together was tough sometimes, but our faith in each other made the difference.
最好的部分：我们作为一个团队。早在1977年,当我19岁nd Sheryl was 20, we decided we would be better off together than apart. We merged our meager fortunes and off we went. When we look back today, we say thank God we share it together. Who else could possibly understand?
If I could tell others living with RA one thing:Chronic disease is not a sprint, it is a marathon. It helps to look for positives. It also helps to turn outward. Looking outward is healthier than focusing only on yourself.
名称和年龄：DINA RIOS，36
Location:Sacramento, CA
诊断年份：2002年
Job:Media Account Manager
我用RA做了_______：我有资格参加美国三项全国锦标赛的奥林匹克距离三次（到目前为止），全部有两个总髋关节替代品和一系列手腕融合。
How I did it:多年的辛勤工作和身体和精神上的决心。
最难的部分：保持一致，知道当我的疾病耀斑时如何适应。
最好的部分：Improving my quality of life and being healthy while doing what I love.
If I could tell others living with RA one thing:永远不要让任何人 - 包括医生 - 决定你的生活质量。你坚持这个权力。做你喜欢的东西，永不放弃你的目标或自己。
名称和年龄：Lene Andersen，58
Location:多伦多，加拿大
诊断年份：1971
Job:Author and freelance writer
我用RA做了_______：I wrote a book. Well, actually I’ve written several, but the first one was really special. I'd wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember. It is called Your含有类风湿性关节炎的生活：用于管理治疗，副作用和疼痛的工具.
How I did it:一步一步。当时我没有在身体上做得很好，所以我每天一小时写作一小时的目标 - 在糟糕的日子里，谈论写作，阅读写作，思考写作所有合格。从我开始之前的那天起花了三年时间。
最难的部分：最困难的部分是我的RA所要求的侧面侧面。必须停止这么令人沮丧，所以我可以重点关注再次变得更好。
最好的部分：实现我的终身梦想。
If I could tell others living with RA one thing:你绝对可以跟随你的梦想。可能需要更长时间，它可能看起来不像你想象的那样，但你会到达那里。
名称和年龄：kenzie libbesmeier，25
Location:St. Paul, MN
诊断年份：2010年
Job:Social worker
我用RA做了_______：我毕业于我的社会工作的学士学位，成为一名持牌社会工作者。
How I did it:I had an incredible roommate named Maddie during my freshman and sophomore years of undergrad. She saw me at my weakest and sickest. She slept next to me in an awful hospital recliner just days after I had major surgery. She listened when I wanted to give up. She never turned away from tough conversations or accepted the answer of “I’m fine” when she could tell I was in pain.
最难的部分：在那些本年年期间，我不断抱着自己不可能的标准并让自己失败。我生活在永恒的避免状态下，但它总是赶上了我。我努力跟上我的课程，同时也是玩杂耍程序，专业任命，主要手术和新药物。
最好的部分：I am the woman I am today because I made an incredibly long series of teeny, tiny choices over the course of four plus years. I had an extremely traumatic hospitalization in January 2018 during which I had to be intubated and put into a medically induced coma for several days. But I kept going, and slow and steady eventually won the race. There is nothing in this world that compares to being able to look back and say, “Wow, I’ve really made it.”
If I could tell others living with RA one thing:When you are in the thick of things, it can feel like your dreams are impossible to attain. That’s when you really have to dig your heels in. The only way to fight back against your own resistance, hesitation, and fear of failure is to keep showing up, day after day after day.