The Seated View

© The Arthritis Society We talk a lot about empowering people who live with chronic illness, such as arthritis, to get to a place where they can live better lives and get better care. This weekend, I was thrilled to participate as a mentor in ArthritisHack at the MaRS Discovery District here in Toronto. The event brought together designers, programmers, health professionals, policy analysts and the people who have lived experience with these conditions to create something spectacular. ArthritisHack was hosted by The Arthritis Society , sponsored by Lilly , and produced by Hacking Health . On Friday evening, teams pitched their ideas and then spent the rest of the weekend putting it together and, I suspect, drinking a lot of coffee. Mentors signed up for one or more sessions of three hours. Our job was to roam between the teams, offering encouragement, guidance, and every now and again challenge an idea so it could be finetuned and improved. The Arthritis...

Sometimes, sharing the chronic pain voice and perspective on opioids feels like shouting into a gale. But you have to keep trying. Thank you so much to the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance for the great work they do and for hosting my article about the n ew Ontario Opioid Strategy and the missing missing voices of people who have chronic pain therein: "Ontario has a new opioid strategy and it’s missing the voices of Ontarians who live with chronic pain. One in five Canadians have chronic pain. The cost of chronic pain is more than the combined cost of cancer, HIV and heart disease. Direct healthcare for those who live with pain exceed 6 billion annually, and lost productivity is $37 billion. For many who live with chronic pain, opioids are an important part of their pain management program. Without these types of medications, so many of us would be unable to function and participate in our families, communities, and work. “I was struggling with the pain of u...

The night before I dreamed that I was late to this first-ever Facebook Live event that I hosted on Friday. I’d gotten held up by the tornado, but somehow managed to get there anyway. Then the lights went out as a massive natural disaster commenced. I couldn’t find my notes, so I talked for a good 90 minutes, rather than the 10 minutes I was supposed to. Eventually, they took the phone away from me rather forcefully. The reality  was a somewhat similar, without the tornado. There were some technical challenges and some RA-related challenges, as well as rampant idiocy challenges (that latter one was me), but for a first time, it was alright. I promise to do better next time! Now I just need a better tripod....

“Is this worth $5 of happiness?” This is a question my friend and sister-in-law Janet asks herself when tempted to purchase something slightly frivolous. It’s a great way to find out if you’re in the grip of an impulse that will evaporate the minute you leave the store, or whether you will actually be happy you bought this the silly little thing (or not-so-silly — good chocolate could qualify, as well). Today I’m asking you for five dollars. It can be the five dollars you didn’t spend on a trashy magazine or neon-coloured bandana. Or it can be the five dollars you spend on a coffee and a muffin, or the tips for the delivery guy. There’s nothing wrong with spending your money on any one of those things, but today - and just today - I’m going to ask that you spend them on research and support programs for people with arthritis.   On June 4, I am walking the 5K in the Walk to Fight Arthritis . And I’d love to raise $500 in donations of five dollars each. ...