What’s it like to grow up with juvenile idiopathic arthritis? Suruthi’s Journey

Episode at a glance:

• Suruthi’s diagnosis story of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) at age 3
• What it was like to be a small child with hip displasia and JIA, unable to walk for long periods of time, including social isolation
• The challenges Suruthi faced in college with some “friends” and roommates not understanding her condition, accusing her of faking and ultimately bullying and shaming her
• How Suruthi’s painful experiences and her volunteer work with “Versus Arthritis” in the UK led her to create her “Fight Rheumatoid Arthritis” instagram account and be more open about her story
• How Suruthi’s south Asian culture affected her experience of disability and chronic illness
• How and why Suruthi is pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering
• “A Day in the Life” for Suruthi today
• What Suruthi wishes everyone knew about living with arthritis 

Speaker Bios:

Suruthi, I am 22  and I have had Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis since I was three! Having arthritis has impacted my life in many ways but I rarely saw people like me talking about it which is what led me to start my instagram account, fightrheumatoidarthritis.

Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others with rheumatoid arthritis figure out how to live a full life despite arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare I say) FUN patient education and self-management resources.

This episode is brought to you by Rheum to THRIVE, an online support group and education program Cheryl created to help people with rheumatic disease become more confident, supported and connected. 

Episode links:

• Suruthi account:
  • Instagram @fightrheumatoidarthritis
• Cheryl’s Arthritis Life social media pages:
  • Cheryl &  Arthritis Life on Instagram
  • Cheryl’s website: Arthritis Life
  • Arthritis Life Tiktok: @ArthritisLife 
  • Arthritis Life Facebook Page
  • Cheryl’s Twitter: @realcc 

For full episode details and links, go to: https://arthritis.theenthusiasticlife.com/2021/07/20/whats-it-like-to-grow-up-with-juvenile-idiopathic-arthritis-suruthis-gnanenthirans-journey-from-isolation-to-advocacy/