Kelly holds masters degrees in both Special Education and Speech-Language Pathology. She works full-time as a speech-language pathologist in both a public school setting and as an adjunct faculty member at a university, in Philadelphia, PA. She specializes in both autism and augmentative/alternative communication and took her skills to Uganda, Africa to start a special needs program for disabled children living in an orphanage in 2011.
Kelly began experiencing symptoms of autoimmune arthritis in 1984 (while in her teens) but wasn’t officially diagnosed with autoimmune arthritis until 2001. Her first diagnosis was Sjogren’s syndrome. Eventually her diagnosis was changed to sero-negative RA and now Polyarticular Spondlyoarthropathy. She also manages thyroid disease (resulting from Graves Disease), fibromyalgia, renin-deficient hypertension, and disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP) on a daily basis.
Kelly connected with other autoimmune arthritis patients via social media in 2008. She began volunteering with the “Buckle Me UP! Movement”, which evolved into the International Autoimmune Arthritis Movement (IAAM) beginning in 2009. Then became a cofounder of IFAA in 2013. She has represented the ACR on Capitol Hill as an Advocate for Arthritis, was a finalist in Wego Health’s Health Activist Hero awards in 2014, and speaks at various healthcare conferences as a patient advocate in the Philadelphia area.
Someone recently asked me if I wrote an “advice blog”. The answer is NOPE. As My Joints turn is more of a journal of living with chronic illness and debilitating pain. I share my experience with doctors, medication, treatments, and daily life. I am not a medical professional, so any “advice” I give would be […]
I used to joke that if I ever woke up without pain, I’d think I was dead. I should clarify that I often wake up without pain, but as soon as I attempt to move… YOWZA This past summer, my diagnosis changed from rheumatoid arthritis to non-radiographic ankylosing spondylitis. My back has been killing me […]
tWitch’s death has spread around the globe and rocked many. He shone a light on your screens via television and social media. His life seemed golden and perfect with a beautiful family and successful career. Through this all, I’ve seen some posts where people claimed he was “selfish” and he had “so many options”. These […]
The holidays can be both enjoyable and stressful when you are dealing with a chronic illness. I’ve learned that boundaries are important. I’m not always the best at enforcing my boundaries, but after being sick for the past four months, I need to be extra cautious with my health. 🎄You may want to do everything […]
I’ve lived with Chronic illness for over 20 years. During that time, I admit, I haven’t always been good at communicating what I needed from friends and family. Over the years, I’ve learned how to set boundaries and ask for what I need. The issue is, I’ve become more discerning of whom I choose to […]
When I was diagnosed with COVID on November, 3, I was prescribed Paxlovid, an antiviral medication. It tasted like Satan’s spit, but I was testing negative 5 days later. My symptoms were mild overall with significant fatigue and a REALLY bad cold. After contracting pneumonia in September, I was worried. I knew there was a […]
I haven’t blogged in a while. Recovering from pneumonia was difficult, then I caught COVID….. After 2 years and 8 months of avoiding the dreaded virus, I tested positive. I had a mild case. Bad cold without a fever. Due to my immunocompromised status, my doctor prescribed Paxlovid, the antiviral medication. Although my COVID symptoms […]
In 2019, I finished out my school year, and traveled to visit my dad for father’s day. I was very run down and felt horrible, but attributed it to an autoimmune arthritis flare. I became deathly ill with vomiting/diarrhea and a high fever. I had pneumonia. Fast forward to my first day of school (with […]
I started my new biosimilar infusions to treat my autoimmune arthritis in May 2022. Everyone asked me, “Is it working?” Honestly, it’s hard to tell. I was cautiously optimistic. Slowly, I noticed I could walk my dog for longer periods, walk upstairs to use the bathroom at the end of the day (instead of crawling […]
COVID19 was a big part of my 2020. I’ve documented the death of my dad and uncle due to the virus. Both ended up in the hospital and rehab settings due to falls. That was pre-vaccines. Over the past two years, I’ve done all that I can to protect not only my immunocompromised self, but […]