Galapagos’s LinkedIn Live series, Living my life with RA, seeks to bring together people from the Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) community to discuss the realities of the disease, information on life after diagnosis, and shared decision-making in the care journey. During the inaugural event, Living my life with RA: How I see it, independent health advocate Neil Betteridge was joined by Peter Boyd, who was diagnosed with RA in 2011.
At first, Peter felt that receiving a diagnosis was the end of his life, and experienced difficulties in finding information, support and tools to manage the disease. He experienced debilitating symptoms, and felt that he was navigating his disease journey alone. However, over time he was able to adapt to the impact of living with RA, reframe his goals, and become active and empowered in managing his condition.
“You just have to find new ways of dealing with the condition and once you do that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The journey is slightly different, and I’ve taken a few weird turns and pit stops along the way but there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
This article was developed and written by Galapagos, based on conversation between Neil and Peter. You can watch the discussion during the first event here:
The second event in the series, Living my life with RA: building a network, will take place on 19th October on LinkedIn Live, with Neil Betteridge and Clare Jackson, CEO of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, UK. You can register for the event, and ask any questions in advance, here.