Kelly Mack

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), now called juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), impacts an estimated 300,000 children in the U.S. (about 1 in every 1,000). While a challenging diagnosis, newer treatments in...

Over the years, talking about my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and explaining it to others has changed as I have shifted my mindset and experienced the progression of the disease. I...

It may seem an obvious thing to say, but I have to point it out: surgery is challenging. For me (and I’m guessing many other folks with rheumatoid arthritis or...

During the first months of my reverse shoulder surgery recovery, I saw rapid changes and improvements. First the healing, then the strength made great strides in recovery. Now that I’m...

When I had my knee infection and revision surgery about 10 years ago, I told everyone my goal for recovery: to stand and walk. It was my fifth joint replacement...

Read the first part of this article here. As a child, my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (now called juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA) was extremely aggressive. Starting with my left knee...

When I moved out of my childhood home to go to college, I was thinking about the adventures of my new life. I was excited and terrified. It was a...

My world shrinks smaller when I go into “fierce mode.” I pull back from outreach and engagement. I determine what are the necessary things for me to do, and concentrate...

Many people who receive federal benefits for disability have a challenge with being able to save due to asset restrictions. While you may want to put away some funds for...

A bit of advanced planning and preparation before shoulder replacement surgery can help with the recovery process. Although every individual is different, there are considerations that can be helpful for...

I am a planner, and I always have been. When I was 15 years old and had my hips and knees replaced, I thought about how I may need to...

It’s seared in my memory: sitting in my wheelchair across the desk of my school guidance counselor with my mother sitting beside me, talking about my goal to go to...

At a recent visit to a new spinal doctor, I learned that my top couple of vertebrae have become "naturally fused" as a result of my rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He...

In recent years I’ve had more problems with reduced neck and shoulder mobility and increased pain. I went for some sessions of physical therapy and found that helpful, but not...

I’ve always been a fan of ramps. When I was younger and could walk more, I liked them for being easier for me than stairs because I could walk them...

When I was a kid growing up with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (now called juvenile idiopathic arthritis), I spent a lot of time in the car being driven to medical appointments...

My husband Richard knows my true nature. I try to hide it and improve upon it, but the truth is that I am impatient. People mistake my exhaustion for patience...

There’s a lot of improvements that have come along for families who have children diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (or JRA- juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which is what it was called...

“No one is harder on you than you are,” said my husband Richard recently, and I had to agree! In this case, I was getting over a tough cold and...

All of the times I have had surgery, it never felt optional. It always felt like something I needed to do to either maintain quality of life or to survive...