Arthritis Society launches campaign to urge Canadians to speak up, "Share The Pain"

Arthritis SocietyOct 21 2013

Society Launches National Conversation on Living With Arthritis

The Arthritis Society today launched a nationwide campaign to urge Canadians to speak up and "Share The Pain" they experience in living with arthritis. The Society is aiming to change the conversation about arthritis and trigger a candid, national discussion on the reality of a disease that affects millions of Canadians of every age.

"We want to hear from the more than 4.6 million Canadians who live with the pain of arthritis each and every day - whether it is physical, emotional or financial pain. More than that, we want offer them a place to speak up, to share their stories and to inspire solutions," said Janet Yale, president and CEO of The Arthritis Society.

The campaign website can be found at www.ThePain.ca. The site offers a national exchange of experiences including tools to comment and "like" the stories of others.

To cast as wide a net as possible, stories can be shared in a wide variety of ways:

• Toll free line: 1-855-599-PAIN
• Twitter using hashtag  #ThePain
• Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArthritisSociety

"I wish this tool had been around when my disease was first diagnosed," added Sara Lebensold, a 31-year-old from Toronto who lives with chronic pain from palindromic rheumatoid arthritis.  "Having the support of a community of people going through the same things I am, their insights, inspiration - even just a sympathetic ear would have made a huge difference for me in coming to terms with my arthritis and taking back ownership of my life. It's empowering to know that I can access that support - and support others in turn - just by sharing my story."

The campaign launch is part of The Arthritis Society's 65th anniversary and a renewed focus for The Society to set lives in motion in all aspects of life including home, work and play. This means developing focused solutions for clearly defined problems.

"We believe we can change perceptions that others hold about this disease through a national conversation about the reality of living with arthritis," continued Yale. "As we like to say, we have arthritis but it doesn't have us."