“My hands don’t obey me anymore. I’m terrified of losing my independence. It’s too painful to travel to my daughter and her family on Christmas Day. Staying home alone will break my heart.”
When Katrina uttered those words, she was in a world of pain from her arthritis and was fighting to keep her hands mobile enough to feed and dress herself. And the mental anguish of how arthritis was wrecking her life barely left room to think about anything else.
The thought that arthritis could keep her from her daughter Briony and granddaughters this Christmas prompted Katrina to act. ‘The pain was forcing me to stay home alone. Missing my family at Christmas would have been the cruelest pain of all.’
Sadly, there are many people like Katrina in NSW, people whose world is shrinking because of arthritis. They’re brave and resourceful – nurses, tradies, teachers, parents and grandparents – doing their best to keep moving and caring, to keep life stitched together.
But they can’t ignore the pain and stiffness that interrupts their day, every day. And even the thought of travel, and how it would trigger their pain, is overwhelming.
With a kind gift today, you could put a product such as a Pain Pack in someone’s hands right away, equipping them with tools to ease their pain at home.
Your generosity now can help people like Katrina look forward to Christmas with their families.
