via www.webmd.com
After months of waiting and wondering, WebMD has finally posted all four of the My Life With RA segments featuring yours truly. Though all of it was filmed over the span of about 24 hours, it was divided up into four segments titled Single Gal With RA, Navigating the Dating Scene with RA, City Living with RA, and the rather dramatic sounding finale, My Invisible Pain.
I have to admit that it is a little weird watching myself. I am not above feeling self conscious and nit picky about my appearance, even when it's for a good cause. If only the series could have been filmed, oh say, after I had started Weight Watchers. I'm a good ten pounds lighter now than I was then, and silly or not, I cringed a few times, particularly at some of the clips that caught me at rather unflattering angles. (See for example, the clip of me opening a wine bottle, where it looks like my second chin is going to explode and take over my entire face, or possibly the world, at any moment. And just in case seeing me from that angle once wasn't enough, they replay that clip in slow motion just to make sure everyone gets a good glimpse of the bulbous mass beneath my chin. ick.)
But, all vanity aside, I feel pretty good about how they turned out. It's a little bit funny that I no longer live in New York; I felt a twinge of nostalgia at seeing the city and particularly my old apartment captured on film. A lot of stuff went down in that place. Watching myself describe what things were like at their worst brought up a lot of different emotions and memories, but it also made me realize how much better I am now. I am coming up on the two year anniversary of my diagnosis, and it has been a crazy journey over these past two years. Who could have known how so many things would change in a relatively short amount of time, all things considered?
Thanks to everyone has written in with your comments about the series. It's pretty cool, and I'm glad that I got to participate in it. I'll definitely be tuning in to RA TV to see what else they have in store.
sara! these are all so fantastic. and i think you look great! although, i have to say, you do look so much thinner now. =) great job!!
Posted by: jodi | October 04, 2009 at 04:55 PM
Sarah,
I just watched all four parts of your story. I'm so proud that you are a voice for RA, you're an articulate, beautiful, vibrant, smart, brave young woman. Please keep talking . . . you're speaking for lots of us.
Sincerely,
An RA Sister
Posted by: susan | October 04, 2009 at 06:34 PM
Hello. I haven't watched it but it sounds pretty cool. And if it can contribute towards greater understanding of what its like to be young and single and dealing with autoimmune diseases, then it makes our journey a little easier. Congratulations.
Posted by: Mumbi Kihumba | October 05, 2009 at 12:31 AM
Sara,
I thought they were great! I love seeing the images of a busy, successful, stylish young lady leading a full life with RA, especially the scenes of you going out with girlfriends (a very important part of my own life with RA) - and especially when juxtaposed with the Rituxan ads, which represent an angle of RA that generally gets more coverage, ie. the slightly more mature crowd. Thanks again for all you do,
Monica
p.s. thanks, too, for the tip on Muscles & RA blog way back when - it's been a nice inspiration.
Posted by: Monica | October 05, 2009 at 08:50 AM
Sara,
You are hilarious. I thought you looked and sounded great in the videos. I appreciate what you have done for those of us with RA. I have learned a tremendous amount from you over this past year about life with RA. You are so right, we can't choose having RA, but we can choose how to live our life with it. And I think having someone from your generation giving a face to RA is helpful to those of us that are older, but don't want to face a life of pain and inactivity either.
So thanks again for sharing you experiences!!!!
Liz
Posted by: liz | October 06, 2009 at 09:50 PM
It was so exciting for me to be able to watch these videos and see another young person's perspective. I am 22 and have had RA for 3 years. Many of the things someone with RA faces seem very much hidden or unseen,and I think I almost tried to make my self believe that the pain and fatigue weren't there. After seeing my RA taking a turn for the worst again, I realized that I needed to take better care of myself. I'm happy to see that there are other women like you in their 20's finding ways to live life well with arthritis. Thanks so much
Posted by: Jackie Obert | October 19, 2009 at 02:06 AM