In July of 2005 Ben Willaert started to experience strange pains. “At night I would have difficulty sleeping due to pain in my lungs and back. Every breath would hurt,” Ben said. He knew he should see a doctor, but with a baby on the way and his new home half-built he simply could not make the time. He tried his best to ignore the daily pain and cut back on his physical activities.
That November, Ben’s first son was born. “I’ll never forget that night in the hospital with so much hope and joy, but before I could spend the night, I had to call in a nurse to help me unfold the chair to sleep in. Here I was a new father and my hands were so painful and swollen that I couldn’t even care for myself,” Ben recalled.
A year after his pain began and six months of doctor visits later, Ben still did not know the cause of his pain. He turned 30 that summer. “For my birthday I had the traditional bash with prank gifts to mark how old I was getting. Amongst them was a cane,” he said. Irony would have it that within one month Ben was using that cane to get around.
Finally Ben was referred to a Rheumatologist. Within 30 minutes, the Rheumatologist had diagnosed Ben with psoriatic arthritis. After trails of different drugs, Ben found the right treatment for himself. “I am able to be much more active now,” he said. “I realize that being active and losing weight is very important to living a long, relatively pain-free life. I just have to be smart and keep the swelling in check so that I don’t do permanent damage to my bones and cartilage,” he said.
“I have psoriatic arthritis but it does not have me. Everyone has trials and challenges in their life. This is one of mine,” Ben said. Since being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis Ben has a new perspective on life. “Pain has given me a better understanding of what is important and what is trivial. Pain has also taught me to be humble and appreciate the good things in life more then dwelling on the bad things,” he said. Walk with us this spring
The Arthritis Walk® is the Arthritis Foundation’s annual nationwide event that raises awareness and funds to fight arthritis, the nation’s most common cause of disability. It is a tremendous opportunity to help improve the lives of the 46 million men, women and children doctor-diagnosed with arthritis.
Get your company involved or recruit friends and family members to form a team. Best of all, walk in honor of a loved one with arthritis and know you’re making a difference by raising funds to support Arthritis Foundation research, public health and public policy efforts to improve the lives of people with arthritis.
By registering for the 2009 Arthritis Walk, you are also becoming a part of Let's Move Together®, a nationwide movement led by the Arthritis Foundation. Let's Move Together® encourages people to move to prevent or treat arthritis.
At the Event…
Choose from a three-mile or one-mile walk route
Write an inspirational message on the Wall of Heroes
Wear a blue “hero” hat if you have arthritis
Enjoy the fun, festivities and free health information
Register Today
Register online today! Once you register, you can set up your own personal Web page and begin fund raising. Raise $100 or more and earn an official Arthritis Walk® T-shirt.
If you have questions, please contact: Lindsey Kumlien lkumlien@arthritis.org 651-644-4108
