Dear Friends,
Wow, what a busy couple of months! From celebrating the 60th anniversary of Lennie’s 1957 UNC championship basketball game to cheering on the Tar Heels as they won it all once more this April, we’ve been constantly on the move – and that’s definitely the way we like it. Sometimes, staying active like this is difficult for us. We both get pain and fatigue from osteoarthritis, which can make it hard to motivate ourselves to get up and walk. So today, we’d each like to share one of the most important lessons we’ve learned that have helped keep us moving and might help you, too.
LENNIE: One lesson I’ve taken to heart is that you can’t hold on to a loss – instead, you have to use it. I remember in 1956, when our team lost to Wake Forest in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. Coach use to remind us of that loss all the time, and we played better because of it. We didn’t let the disappointment keep us down; instead, we let it energize us and push us to play better. I think it’s the exact same way with osteoarthritis. I try not to let setbacks from arthritis, like pain or fatigue, keep me down –instead, I find my way to live with it. I may walk slower, but I keep pushing forward.
DIANNE: One lesson I’ve learned both from my own journey with osteoarthritis and from my friends and family is to give yourself permission to have limitations. Both Lennie and I are very active, but simultaneously, we give ourselves and each other permission not to participate on any given day. And we also allow ourselves to adapt our activities however we need to in order to participate. One of the inspirational people who taught me this was Lennie’s mother, who lived to be 100 and had serious arthritis in both of her knees. If we were going to the mall, she would go with us –all she needed was a cart to hold that helped her keep moving. We know that pain makes certain activities very hard to do, and finding those little adaptations can help you keep doing the things you love –which is the most important thing.
In many ways, having arthritis is a mental game – it means finding ways, despite our limitations, to show that we’re still in charge. For us, that means making any changes we need to make, like taking pain medication and walking slower, to keep doing the things we want to do. And it also means accepting that bad days will happen, refocusing, and keeping our eyes on the future.
Stay well…and keep moving,
Lennie and Dianne Rosenbluth
Honorary Co-Chairs
OA Action Alliance