Not knowing the depth of the ailment, I wept silently through the night, thinking I had a few years to live. At that time my daughter was 5 years.

With limited internet exposure those days, I remember pleading to the Almighty to give me 5 years so that she is 10 and in some position at least to manage herself. When she came of 10, I asked for an extension of 5 years Once she became 15, from then on, I get up every morning and purely thank God for giving me an opportunity to live the day and try to make the most it. It might sound strange but yes these were my intimate conversations with the Almighty! Only the person going through it would be able to relate to these situations.

From then on my personal mantra is Thank you God for thinking of me and keeping me alive and letting me doing fine! These words replace any negative thoughts and all through my journey this has grounded and centered me.

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be overwhelming, and may bring up many questions for you. One of your first concerns is likely to be: “How will I manage my daily life and tasks? The purpose of this website is to share some of my strategies, skills and tools that maybe you can use to help maintain a better quality of life. Armed with an understanding of how RA affects the body over the last 18 years, and learning about simple adaptations or work-around I have made, the goal is for to remain as active, productive and healthy as one can be.

My positive ongoing journey with RA for the last few years set me to think of penning my thoughts and in fact I drafted and started blogs which never got published and now it just got me going and here I am with you!

I have genuinely worked very hard on myself in terms of mind body and soul and have come a long way. I am an active Patient Representative for the Middle East Arthritis Foundation.

I want to be aggressive with overall RA treatment for a better quality of life. As a writer, it has also become my mission to be a voice to those who face chronic illnesses every day (no matter the person’s age) that are often “invisible” to everyone else. I am dedicated to helping people learn about Arthritic Disease, day to day management coping strategies and I spend much of my time writing and talking about this both formally and informally.

What I can share is my experience. Nobody has all the answers. We should always be in a learning mode mindset. I want to create awareness and inspiration for those battling adversity to pursue their dreams and not allow a medical diagnosis to detour them. It has made me realize how important it is to live each day in the moment.

This website is not about my ailment itself or its treatment but about the way it affects what I do throughout my day and the years so far. I hope that by describing the details of what my life is like people will be more enlightened as to some of the experiences people with RA must endure regularly. I also hope that sharing these experiences will make it easier for acquaintances, friends, and family members to interact with those who have this ailment.

The moral and the strength of my story is, I know the pain and the way it has changed my life but am a positive fighter! I have never been a quitter—or a complainer, even after having to live with pain day in day out for years. Coping with RA can be difficult, but there are ways to manage the challenges, make daily life the best it can be, and help keep you doing the things you need and love to do.

What I try to remember above all else is that I’m not my illness. I think about those parts of myself that I have nothing to do with RA: my love for my family, my passion for writing, my passion for social work, my thoughts and aspirations. Its these qualities I bring to my relationships.

I take this platform to thank my supportive and beloved husband and caring daughter to being my solid partners in this journey called RA Positive+. They are my rock and mortar on the road to my wellbeing! And my family and friends who pray for me relentlessly!

Let’s board this train and learn and share our experiences and spread hope and health!

My warm regards, sent to all as we each continue our journeys on our road back to health and wellbeing!

Sanria