A Force in the Arthritis Community
From seeking help to giving help on the Arthritis Foundation Helpline, Kevin Purcell defines and delivers the needs of a community.
By Bryan D. Vargo | Sept. 8, 2025
Having lived with arthritis most of his life, Kevin Purcell, 57, understands the power of support. Today he works as one the Arthritis Foundation’s Helpline Specialists, answering questions and providing support via phone and online to the nearly 60 million others living with the disease in the U.S. Kevin says he finds solace in assisting others. He knows what it’s like to not have the help he needed in his experience with arthritis, so Kevin understands just how precious that support can be.
His own journey with arthritis began with a single finger when he was 10 years old.
“The ring finger on my right hand started swelling. I went to my pediatrician and I was told it was a fluky thing and that it would go away,” Kevin explains. “That still makes me smile looking back because a couple weeks after I ended up staying in a teaching hospital outside of Boston. I was there for almost two months.”
Without proper support and the powerful medications we have today, Kevin’s juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (now referred to juvenile idiopathic arthritis) was aggressive. “Within those two months, both my wrists were fused and my left elbow was fused. And my knees, ankles and neck were partially fused. The fusions happened naturally. I remember looking back and thinking I knew this was not going to go away. This was not a broken leg. This was not recovering from a car accident.
“I knew at 10 years old my life was going to be drastically different than anybody else's,” Kevin says. “I remember what I wanted that first night at the teaching hospital is for somebody to tell me it was going to be OK. Life was going to be a little more difficult, but it didn't make it any less of a life, you know? But that did not happen. That did not happen until I was in my mid-20s when I went to my first support group.”
It was 32 years ago in that first support group at the Arthritis Foundation that Kevin had his epiphany. At age 25 he was forced to quit working due to his arthritis. He had stopped by the local Arthritis Foundation in Boston to ask, “What can you do for me?” The irony of that question is not lost on Kevin.
“It’s comical,” he says. “It makes me laugh looking back because, you know, people call the Helpline and they say that to me nowadays. ‘What can you do for me?’”
Thankfully, like today, the Arthritis Foundation had a support group for young adults. As fate would have it, they happened to be meeting the next day. But, Kevin admits, “It took everything for me to actually go to that meeting.”
Growing up with arthritis was painful, Kevin says. “But far worse than my physical pain was my emotional pain, my body image, my self-esteem. In my late teens, early 20s, if I was having a conversation with someone, I wouldn't look them in the eyes because I felt my words were meaningless. I hated looking at myself in the mirror for my body betraying me.”
At that first support group meeting, Kevin says, “For the first time I saw others my age with the same joint deformities as I had. But unlike me, who was angry and bitter, these people were friendly, successful and beautiful. They taught me in 45 minutes that it doesn’t have to ruin your life. It’s just something you happen to have.”
A week later, Kevin went to his first American Juvenile Arthritis Organization conference, an Arthritis Foundation event, and just like that, his circle of friends went from a dozen to three dozen. “That showed me that you’re not alone,” says Kevin. “That was life-changing for me, which is something, of course, I still think about today because I remain friends with so many of them.”
Soon after, Kevin relocated from Boston to Tucson and despite all the challenges — including losing much of his mobility in several joints — he persevered and began volunteering for the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run. It was during this time that Kevin had both his knees replaced. But ever resilient, Kevin worked hard through his recovery. He also added volunteering for the Foundation’s JA Camps and co-led its local Young Adult group to his resume. In 2007 he founded Arthritis Introspective, a program that supported younger individuals with rheumatic conditions and their loved ones. Arthritis Introspective eventually merged with the Arthritis Foundation to become the Foundation’s Live Yes! Connect Groups. The groups now connect people based on shared interests or specific types of arthritis both online and in-person.
Having lived with arthritis most of his life, Kevin Purcell, 57, understands the power of support. Today he works as one the Arthritis Foundation’s Helpline Specialists, answering questions and providing support via phone and online to the nearly 60 million others living with the disease in the U.S. Kevin says he finds solace in assisting others. He knows what it’s like to not have the help he needed in his experience with arthritis, so Kevin understands just how precious that support can be.
His own journey with arthritis began with a single finger when he was 10 years old.
“The ring finger on my right hand started swelling. I went to my pediatrician and I was told it was a fluky thing and that it would go away,” Kevin explains. “That still makes me smile looking back because a couple weeks after I ended up staying in a teaching hospital outside of Boston. I was there for almost two months.” Without proper support and the powerful medications we have today, Kevin’s juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (now referred to juvenile idiopathic arthritis) was aggressive. “Within those two months, both my wrists were fused and my left elbow was fused. And my knees, ankles and neck were partially fused. The fusions happened naturally. I remember looking back and thinking I knew this was not going to go away. This was not a broken leg. This was not recovering from a car accident.
“I knew at 10 years old my life was going to be drastically different than anybody else's,” Kevin says. “I remember what I wanted that first night at the teaching hospital is for somebody to tell me it was going to be OK. Life was going to be a little more difficult, but it didn't make it any less of a life, you know? But that did not happen. That did not happen until I was in my mid-20s when I went to my first support group.”
It was 32 years ago in that first support group at the Arthritis Foundation that Kevin had his epiphany. At age 25 he was forced to quit working due to his arthritis. He had stopped by the local Arthritis Foundation in Boston to ask, “What can you do for me?” The irony of that question is not lost on Kevin.
“It’s comical,” he says. “It makes me laugh looking back because, you know, people call the Helpline and they say that to me nowadays. ‘What can you do for me?’”
Thankfully, like today, the Arthritis Foundation had a support group for young adults. As fate would have it, they happened to be meeting the next day. But, Kevin admits, “It took everything for me to actually go to that meeting.”
Growing up with arthritis was painful, Kevin says. “But far worse than my physical pain was my emotional pain, my body image, my self-esteem. In my late teens, early 20s, if I was having a conversation with someone, I wouldn't look them in the eyes because I felt my words were meaningless. I hated looking at myself in the mirror for my body betraying me.”
At that first support group meeting, Kevin says, “For the first time I saw others my age with the same joint deformities as I had. But unlike me, who was angry and bitter, these people were friendly, successful and beautiful. They taught me in 45 minutes that it doesn’t have to ruin your life. It’s just something you happen to have.”
A week later, Kevin went to his first American Juvenile Arthritis Organization conference, an Arthritis Foundation event, and just like that, his circle of friends went from a dozen to three dozen. “That showed me that you’re not alone,” says Kevin. “That was life-changing for me, which is something, of course, I still think about today because I remain friends with so many of them.”
Soon after, Kevin relocated from Boston to Tucson and despite all the challenges — including losing much of his mobility in several joints — he persevered and began volunteering for the Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell Run. It was during this time that Kevin had both his knees replaced. But ever resilient, Kevin worked hard through his recovery. He also added volunteering for the Foundation’s JA Camps and co-led its local Young Adult group to his resume. In 2007 he founded Arthritis Introspective, a program that supported younger individuals with rheumatic conditions and their loved ones. Arthritis Introspective eventually merged with the Arthritis Foundation to become the Foundation’s Live Yes! Connect Groups. The groups now connect people based on shared interests or specific types of arthritis both online and in-person.
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In recognition for his work and surrounded by a standing ovation, in 2019 Kevin received the Arthritis Foundation’s top honor for volunteers, the Charles B. Harding Award for Distinguished Service. Kevin is the first and only Arthritis Foundation staff member to receive the Harding Award for their work as a volunteer prior to joining the Foundation staff.
A bit older and a lot wiser, Kevin says his interests outside of work have tamed a bit. Previously known as a daredevil, spending weekends pursuing his personal passions for motorcycles, sports car autocross racing, flying gliders and archery, Kevin is happy now just living the best life he can and helping others do the same — either through his personal friendships or through the Arthritis Foundation’s Helpline.
“It’s tough for me to remember the person that I was several years ago,” he admits. “The thought of me getting on a 1000cc sport bike and going 167 miles an hour just for the sake of being able to terrifies me.”
Now he enjoys part-time van life — splitting time between his home in Pennsylvania and taking weekend road trips to state and national parks across the country — while he works the Helpline.
“The way I think about my life now is, ‘What can I do for myself today to make tomorrow better,’” he explains. He often imparts those words of wisdom to callers on the Helpline. “‘When it comes to your diet, exercising, educating yourself … am I doing things today to make my tomorrow better?’”
Kevin no longer takes pain meds and is currently between biologic medications. “I have an interesting view when it comes to all that, and I say that on the phones. Another takeaway I tell them is that things are not always going to be like they are today. I tell that to callers because they’re often newly diagnosed or somebody in their family is newly diagnosed or they’re going through some sort of change in their life’s journey. That’s why they call us.”
In 2024 alone, Kevin and the small team of specialists answered more than 12,000 requests through the Arthritis Foundation Helpline. Pulling from the nearly five decades of living with arthritis, Kevin is an empathetic and knowledgeable lifeline for the arthritis community. He is able to field questions and concerns about being a kid, teen, young adult and adult with arthritis, from those going through similar experiences themselves or from their parents or loved ones.
“What we do as a team is share our resources as an organization — our variety of Connect Groups, our podcasts, our webinars,” says Kevin. “Just sharing what we do and how we do it, that often has an impact on our callers. And if we don't have the information, then we provide credible resources. The people are incredibly thankful to talk to me just because I'm able to empathize with them.”
Having a support network is key, says Kevin. “It’s priceless, honestly. I tell people on the phone all the time that the most important thing, of course, is to see a doctor and get on the right treatment. The second most important thing is to meet others in your situation. And I wholeheartedly, of course, I’ve believed that since I was in my mid–20s, when I walked into that first support group.”
Helping others has helped him, he says, providing a sense of purpose, a livelihood and a means to give back — a catharsis all its own.
“It is the people who supported me, the Arthritis Introspective volunteers, the friendships I had along the way and my loved ones who have made me the person I am today,” says Kevin.
If you, a friend or a loved one needs support, visit the Connect Groups or reach out to Kevin and the team at the Arthritis Foundation Helpline, 1-800-283-7800.
A bit older and a lot wiser, Kevin says his interests outside of work have tamed a bit. Previously known as a daredevil, spending weekends pursuing his personal passions for motorcycles, sports car autocross racing, flying gliders and archery, Kevin is happy now just living the best life he can and helping others do the same — either through his personal friendships or through the Arthritis Foundation’s Helpline.
“It’s tough for me to remember the person that I was several years ago,” he admits. “The thought of me getting on a 1000cc sport bike and going 167 miles an hour just for the sake of being able to terrifies me.”
Now he enjoys part-time van life — splitting time between his home in Pennsylvania and taking weekend road trips to state and national parks across the country — while he works the Helpline.
“The way I think about my life now is, ‘What can I do for myself today to make tomorrow better,’” he explains. He often imparts those words of wisdom to callers on the Helpline. “‘When it comes to your diet, exercising, educating yourself … am I doing things today to make my tomorrow better?’”
Kevin no longer takes pain meds and is currently between biologic medications. “I have an interesting view when it comes to all that, and I say that on the phones. Another takeaway I tell them is that things are not always going to be like they are today. I tell that to callers because they’re often newly diagnosed or somebody in their family is newly diagnosed or they’re going through some sort of change in their life’s journey. That’s why they call us.”
In 2024 alone, Kevin and the small team of specialists answered more than 12,000 requests through the Arthritis Foundation Helpline. Pulling from the nearly five decades of living with arthritis, Kevin is an empathetic and knowledgeable lifeline for the arthritis community. He is able to field questions and concerns about being a kid, teen, young adult and adult with arthritis, from those going through similar experiences themselves or from their parents or loved ones.“What we do as a team is share our resources as an organization — our variety of Connect Groups, our podcasts, our webinars,” says Kevin. “Just sharing what we do and how we do it, that often has an impact on our callers. And if we don't have the information, then we provide credible resources. The people are incredibly thankful to talk to me just because I'm able to empathize with them.”
Having a support network is key, says Kevin. “It’s priceless, honestly. I tell people on the phone all the time that the most important thing, of course, is to see a doctor and get on the right treatment. The second most important thing is to meet others in your situation. And I wholeheartedly, of course, I’ve believed that since I was in my mid–20s, when I walked into that first support group.”
Helping others has helped him, he says, providing a sense of purpose, a livelihood and a means to give back — a catharsis all its own.
“It is the people who supported me, the Arthritis Introspective volunteers, the friendships I had along the way and my loved ones who have made me the person I am today,” says Kevin.
If you, a friend or a loved one needs support, visit the Connect Groups or reach out to Kevin and the team at the Arthritis Foundation Helpline, 1-800-283-7800.
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