Michell’s Story 

Michell was in pain most of her childhood. When she didn’t want to be active, people told her she was lazy. As a young adult, she was diagnosed with cancer. While she won her battle with that disease, her body was still in pain. 

For years, Michell went undiagnosed but was actually living with psoriatic arthritis. Her health continued to decline, and she became lost. In 2017, she hit rock bottom emotionally, mentally and financially. Michell lost her courage and voice for some time and let the pain take over. 

Finally, Michelle decided to take action. She founded Invisible Me Warriors-Chronic Illness Advocates of Palm Beach County. This lead her to find the Arthritis Foundation, where she soon become a strong advocate voice. Michell traveled for the first time in two years to be a part of this year’s Live Yes! Advocacy Summit. Even during a flare, she made sure her voice was heard.  

Michell has learned to be proud of the struggle she has survived. She is grateful for the people who saw past her disability and illness and pushed her to keep going. Now, as a Live Yes! Connect group facilitator, she’s helping others. 

She held her first Live Yes! Connect Group meeting in March 2019 and is serving on the 2019 Palm Beach County Walk to Cure Arthritis Warrior engagement committee. She is thankful for the Arthritis Foundation and for her current team of medical specialists who finally acknowledged something was wrong. Michell hopes her strength inspires others like her to seek resources and become a strong voice to advocate for access to care.