As promised in our last post on World Arthritis Day here are the results of the Vision 2043 competition.

For this competition people what one thing would make their lives with a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease easier.

And today sees the winners announced.

The EU winning vision for 2043 is ‘Understanding’ which explains that for Argyri Stara “What has made living with an RMD easier? When I was being given my first blood transfusion the stabbing pain penetrated my heart so violently that I covered my face with the pillow to hide the tears, and just when I thought I was about to faint, I felt someone remove the needle and put it in the other arm. My mom had brought in the nurse. When, for the first time, I needed to give myself injections and thought I could not do it, my sister said she would drive over and do it although she had never done anything like it before. Just hearing that gave me the courage to give myself the first shot. When I was terrified that I might need a kidney transplant, my husband selflessly offered his. It’s excruciatingly difficult living with a severe form of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and its unexpected twists. Love, UNDERSTANDING and the support of my family have given me the strength to live with it.”

Argyri Stara is from Greece and has had arthritis for 14 years.

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