Blog Post 1 - So what is this all about?
- jeddison54
- Nov 23, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 15, 2022
Hello, I’m Joe, I’m a 36 year old married dad of 2 (well, 1 child and 1 dog) and I am one of 220,000 adults (1 in 200 of the population) in the UK that have Axial Spondyloarthritis (AS). AS is a debilitating inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine – and 91% of the UK population have never heard of it.
Join me as I take you through my journey to AS remission and detail how I am walking for advocacy, awareness and support for AS.
This blog will give you an insight of what it’s like to live with the condition while I take you through my personal highs and lows and highlight the incredible work NASS do to help people like me.
What is Axial Spondyloarthritis (AS)?
AS is a form of inflammatory arthritis, most commonly affecting the spine, but it is a complex condition which affects different people in different ways. It is often present with other related health issues. NASS work tirelessly for raising awareness and improving care for AS patients. There is currently no cure for it.
Arthritis is too often associated solely with older people, AS goes against many of these assumptions. To open your mind AS regularly starts in late teens to early twenties with the average onset being at just 24! With 95% starting their journey before 45, it impacts all aspects of life. See NASS for more info.
My journey is like so many others but AS will affect everyone differently, so let me take you through my experience to give you an insight into its impacts.
My AS Journey and why walking?
Walk, walk and walk some more, that has been my AS coping strategy. It has given me a balance and limit to how much AS restricts my life.
My now 16-year journey with arthritis has had a lot of ups and downs, seen me understand myself more, find love, fatherhood and overcome a lot of personal challenges. I have found a way to get a healthy balance of life, health and managing pain. Walking has been integral to improving my condition, my general health and my happiness in life. My blog series will take you along that journey.
Like 3 in every 5 of those with AS, during my journey there has been extreme lows and mental health struggles. Walking has literally changed my life and me. So much so that after 6 stone in weight loss people no longer recognise me!
Now is the time for me to combine my passions for walking with my desire to help others like me and those organisations who have helped me in my journey.
Click here to give to my next walking challenge, a 50km hike around the Lake District to raise funds for NASS.
The graphic below gives you an overview of my journey so far and will shape my blog, with each post taking through the journey chronologically and the key parts of each phase.
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