• Chronic Illness,  Occupational Therapy,  Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Shopping with Arthritis: My favorite pain-reducing shoes

    When people find out that I have rheumatoid arthritis (also known as autoimmune arthritis),I’m often asked how I’m able to swing dance and what shoes I find are most comfortable.  As part of the blog carnival “Non-medical ways to ease rheumatoid arthritis pain,” I’d like to share some of my favorite shoes that reduce or prevent foot pain. While I’m at it, I’ll also share my favorite professional and casual shoes and some simple gadgets that help those with arthritis put on and take off shoes easier. I hope you find it useful, and hey, now that the holidays are here, you just might find a gift idea for a…

  • Invisible Illness,  Rheumatoid Arthritis,  Swing Dance

    Why I Dance (with arthritis)

    I created this video ostensibly for a Jazz Video Contest in 2010, but in reality the idea had been kicking around my head for a while and I just needed an excuse to get out and actually complete my vision 🙂 It pretty much speaks for itself, but I will add a few notes for context below: Video Objectives To show that everyone can enjoy the swing dancing community, regardless of what challenge they may have in their life. Many people in the Seattle dancing community had no idea I had Rheumatoid Arthritis, so I also wanted to communicate my health situation to them in a way that would make…