TORONTO, Aug. 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Six million Canadians live with the fire of arthritis and are seriously good at hiding their pain.
It’s a defensive skill adopted after hearing “it’s just arthritis” too many times. But make no mistake – the pain is intense.
It burns like white hot shards of glass between their joints.
It feels like an electric shock that lasts for hours.
It causes relentless cycles of burning and numbness.
September is Arthritis Awareness Month and Arthritis Society Canada is using the opportunity to sound the alarm about the seriousness of arthritis. It’s time to get more people on board to help extinguish its fire.
Arthritis impacts people of all ages in communities from coast to coast to coast. It robs 25,000 children of a normal childhood; forces mothers to say “no” to a game of hide-and-seek; and it costs the economy billions as a leading cause of disability in Canada.
“If you think you don’t know someone who lives with the fire of arthritis, you’re wrong,” says Trish Barbato, Arthritis Society Canada president and CEO. “In Canada, 1 in 5 people live with this excruciating disease. From TV personalities to accountants and from teenagers to grandmothers, arthritis affects people of all ages from all walks of life.”
From investing in cutting-edge research to supporting innovators as they develop technologies to help make life easier for those living with arthritis, Arthritis Society Canada has stepped up its efforts to fight the fire of arthritis, which is a collection of more than 100 conditions.
“We’re innovating and we’re determined, but we can’t do it alone,” says Barbato. “We need people who know and love those living with arthritis to join us in the fight.”
People can help extinguish the fire by visiting arthritis.ca/fightthefire to increase their arthritis IQ and by donating to fund life-changing research.
Communities across the country will be doing their part to raise awareness this Arthritis Awareness Month. More than 50 monuments from Vancouver to St. John’s will shine blue for arthritis on Sept. 1 or 2.
“It’s time to speak louder and shine brighter to bring arthritis out of the shadows,” says Barbato. “We won’t hide any longer.”
About the Arthritis Society
Arthritis Society Canada is dedicated to extinguishing arthritis. We represent the six million Canadians living with arthritis today, and the millions more who are impacted or at risk. Fueled by the trust and support of our donors and volunteers, Arthritis Society Canada is fighting the fire of arthritis with research, advocacy, innovation, information and support. We are Canada’s largest charitable funder of cutting-edge arthritis research. We will not give up our efforts until everyone is free of the scorching pain of arthritis. Arthritis Society Canada is accredited under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. For more information, to make a donation or to volunteer, visit arthritis.ca.
For more information or to arrange interviews:
Danielle Milley
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Arthritis Society Canada
416-206-3638
dmilley@arthritis.ca
Brigitte Fortin
Director, Marketing and Communications
Arthritis Society Canada
514-688-0533
bfortin@arthritis.ca
