Community Divided
Arthritis Today|March/April 2020
NEVER MIND STICKS AND STONES, IT’S THE WORDS THAT HURT.
Community Divided

Lene Andersen

For most of my life, I never knew any-one like me. I have had autoimmune arthritis since childhood, back in the day when there were no treatments, so I was in a wheelchair by age 16. Aside from the other kids in hospitals, I never had a group, a tribe, a place to belong with people who knew exactly how I felt. Then, just about a decade ago, I discovered the online RA community, and it felt like coming home.

That is until the undercurrents popped to the surface. This community has groups and subgroups, and that’s normal – people are drawn to those who have similar journeys, ages, experiences. It is, however, the judgments that we sometimes direct at one another that break my heart.

This story is from the March/April 2020 edition of Arthritis Today.

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This story is from the March/April 2020 edition of Arthritis Today.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.