Inspiration & Thank You

This past weekend I was lucky enough to go to a JA Family* day in Denver, Colorado. I got to speak on the panel that was there. My speech that I gave was not planned and was purely from the heart. I did not expect to even be on the panel, either. 

But, the point of this post is, I was inspired by so many of the people who listened and even came up to me afterwards. Each and every single one of you brought me so much joy in the fact that I knew the words that I was saying were hitting home. I'm aware some of the things I said hurt by being so familiar. I know when I voiced the fact that I did not want to acknowledge that I have arthritis for a very long time. Even today, as I type away in my bed, I don't want to write the word "disease" because it makes me cringe. I do not want to be described as a diagnosis. I shared these thoughts with the parents of kids with some form of JA. 

So many of you made me feel that I was exactly where I was suppose to be. I can't thank you all enough for this. 

In a very strange way, I am thankful for my JRA because I would not be Leah without it. I am thankful for the relationships it has given me, the outlook on life and even my crazy high pain tolerance. I am thankful that I am so close with my parents because of this and developed so many friendships via the internet because I was "too sick" to go out with my friends when I was a kid. 

I can not wait to see where my strange adventure keeps taking me. 

But, I wanted to thank everyone who came up to me, who asked questions, and allowed me to speak in front of them. I want everyone to know that they are never alone in the strange adventure they are on with either themselves or their families. 

If you want to reach out to me, please do so. I added my social media to my "about the author" page and there is a contact me on the menu bar, too. Never hesitate to reach out, I promise you are not alone and I will do my best to answer any & all questions! 

Thank you for reading, 

Leah 

*JA Family day is through the Arthritis foundation. Click here for more information on JA Family Days!