Cecile’s Story
Cecile has persevered through the daily struggles of living with rheumatoid arthritis by focusing on the positive, having a can-do attitude and appreciating the good moments life has to offer.
Having a positive attitude and trying to make the most of every day has been Cecile’s motto since she was a child. For the greater portion of her life, Cecile’s grandmother was completely crippled due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). She was also one of the strongest, most positive people Cecile had ever known.
As an active, albeit hurting, mother of two sons, Cecile was diagnosed with arthritis at the Mayo Clinic at age 32. She was teaching various water classes, including an Arthritis Foundation water class, when she found out that the pain she was experiencing was not caused by cancer, but by a body full of osteoarthritis (OA) and fibromyalgia.
Cecile has been on quite the journey. She was told surgeries were an inevitable part of her future. She is currently recovering from a left hip replacement, her 14th surgery.
“Arthritis is hard,” says Cecile. “It is difficult on most good days, and the notion to never complain can sometimes make the hours in a day even more difficult. However, it is possible to live on the positive side of life and keep pursuing all that you want – you just have to keep trying! In reality, it isn’t always easy to focus on the positive, but in doing so, it allows you to appreciate all the great moments life has to offer.”
As an active, albeit hurting, mother of two sons, Cecile was diagnosed with arthritis at the Mayo Clinic at age 32. She was teaching various water classes, including an Arthritis Foundation water class, when she found out that the pain she was experiencing was not caused by cancer, but by a body full of osteoarthritis (OA) and fibromyalgia.
Cecile has been on quite the journey. She was told surgeries were an inevitable part of her future. She is currently recovering from a left hip replacement, her 14th surgery.
“Arthritis is hard,” says Cecile. “It is difficult on most good days, and the notion to never complain can sometimes make the hours in a day even more difficult. However, it is possible to live on the positive side of life and keep pursuing all that you want – you just have to keep trying! In reality, it isn’t always easy to focus on the positive, but in doing so, it allows you to appreciate all the great moments life has to offer.”