Publications
While the majority of my writing has now been on Creaky Joints, I do occasionally write for other publications or have in the past. As a patient partner in research, I actively collaborate with healthcare professionals and researchers to provide valuable insights and perspectives from a patient’s point of view. This involvement allows me to contribute my firsthand experiences, knowledge, and expertise to help shape the direction of medical studies and ensure that patient needs are prioritized. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to share my personal stories and insights through various publications, enlightening readers about the challenges and triumphs of living with a chronic condition.
Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- How I Explain Rheumatoid Arthritis To Others Who Don’t Have it and Don’t Get It
- What’s a Real Day in Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis? Here’s A Look at Mine
- What Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Really Feel Like? The 10 Descriptions You Won’t Read in an Office Pamphlet
- How I Explain Chronic Fatigue to Those Who Don’t Have It
- Brain Fog: Why Don’t We Talk More About This Frustrating Symptom of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
- Since Being Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, I Always Feel Like I Have the Flu. Here’s What I’ve Learned About Malaise.
- A Timeline of My Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
- Exploring the Connection between Arthritis and Dynamic Disabilities
- Why Rheumatoid Arthritis Mistakes Happen and How I Manage Them
- What It Means When I’m in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare
- I’m Turning 34, But My Rheumatoid Arthritis Makes Me Feel Like I’m 87
Healthline/Bezzy RA
- 8 Ways Fatigue Is The Worst Symptom of my Chronic Illness
- The Truth About Rheumatoid Arthritis: 7 Things I Want You To Know About My Chronic Illness
- What Rheumatoid Arthritis Brain Fog Feels Like and How to Cope
Invisible Illness, Chronic Illness and Arthritis Awareness and advocacy
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- What It Means to ‘Fiercely Fight’ Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Story Behind the New York Fashion Week T-Shirt I Helped Design
- What It’s Like to Have Both Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis at Age 35
- The Frustrations of Living with an Invisible Disability like Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 12 Reasons Other Than Seeking Attention Why I Post on Social Media About My Chronic illness
- Top 10 Frustrations I Regularly Experience Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 20+ Terms That Explain Living with Arthritis
- Please Stop Telling Me I’m ‘Too Young’ to Have Arthritis
- Please Stop Saying That My Arthritis Diagnosis ‘Could Be Worse’
- The Number One Thing People Still Don’t Get About Rheumatoid Arthritis
- What The Heck is Arthritis
- Addressing Ableism and Arthritis
- Navigating Life with Chronic Illness: 13 Lessons Learned
Healthline/Huffington Post
Patient Voice
Arthritis Research Canada (Co-Author)
- A Patient’s Perspective on Attending the American College of Rheumatology’s Annual Meeting
- Patients Play Key Role in Arthritis Research
- Feeling Dismissed by Your Doctor? It May Be Medical Gaslighting
Health
Newly Diagnosed
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- The Letter I Wish I Sent Myself The Day I Was Diagnosed With Rheumatoid Arthritis
- The 8 Main Reasons I Went on Disability for My Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 12 Painful Mistakes I Made at the Beginning of My Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
Support for Rheumatoid Arthritis
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- How You Can Support Someone with a Chronic Illness (and Some Real Advice on How *Not* To)
- Here’s How You Can Support Someone During a Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare
- The Good and Bad That Comes with Connecting with Other Arthritis Patients
- This Is How Rheumatoid Arthritis Makes Me Feel Like I’m a Bad Friend
- The Best Gifts for Moms (or Anyone) With Arthritis
- 17 Things You Should Never Say to Someone Living with Arthritis
- Social Media and Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Good and The Bad
- You Can’t Get This From a Doctor: The Impact of Support Groups for Those Living With Arthritis
Arthritis Research Canada (Co-Author)
Disease Management
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- Sleep and Rheumatoid Arthritis Create a Vicious Cycle. Here’s How I Broke It and Finally Got Some Rest
- How a Sneaky Copper Deficiency Landed Me in the ER
- How I Handle Extreme Heat Waves Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- How I Make Mornings Just a Little Easier with My Rheumatoid Arthritis
- I Used to Be Afraid of Needles — Here’s How I Make My Rheumatoid Arthritis Infusion Day Easier
- How Rheumatoid Arthritis Changed My Relationship with Alcohol
- 11 Questions to Ask Yourself When a Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare Is Brewing
- Learning to Pace Myself
- How Inflation Is Making Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis Even Harder
- 8 Things I’ve Noticed About Virtual Care
- Occupational Therapy and Arthritis: The Unsung Hero of My Arthritis Care Team
- How I Handle Traveling with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Meal Prepping: A Game-Changer When Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- How I Manage Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain: Real-Life Tips for Relief
- How to Know When You’re Overdoing It with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Moving with Rheumatoid Arthritis Is a Challenge. Here’s How I Made It Easier.
- Holidaze with RA: Navigating Big Events with Inflammatory Arthritis
- Navigating a Beauty Routine with Arthritis
Healthline/Bezzy RA
- Pain, Patterns, and Progress: What Using a Fitness Tracker Taught Me About RA
- How Virtual Care Has Changed My Chronic Illness Treatment
- It Took A Team For Me To Learn To Live With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis Research Canada (Co-Author)
- Sun Smart Guide
- Sleep vs. Pain: The Battle for Rest with Arthritis
- Life with Arthritis: It’s a Balancing Act
- Weathering the Winter: Self-Care & Self-Love with Arthritis
- Navigating Brain Fog with Arthritis
- Occupational Therapy for Everyday Life with Arthritis
- Rheumatologist Appointment Question Guide
- Arthritis and Women’s Health: What You Need to Know
- Arthritis and Tattoos: Is It Safe to Get Inked?
- A Guide to Navigating the ER with Arthritis
Parenting
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- This Is How My Rheumatoid Arthritis Affects My 6 Year Old Son
- 12 Tips to Take the Guilt Out of Parenting with Chronic Illness (from a Single Mom with Rheumatoid Arthritis)
- Navigating Single Motherhood and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Journey of Challenges and Rewards
Healthline/Bezzy RA
- This Is How I’m A Kick-Ass Mom While Living With An Invisible Illness
- The Good and Bad That Comes with Being a Parent with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis Research Canada (Co-Author)
Medications
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- A Message for the Medication and Diet Shamers Out There (from Someone with Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Is on Biologics and Eats Healthy)
- Chasing Relief: Navigating My Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication Journey
Exercise
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- Exercising with Rheumatoid Arthritis Isn’t a Walk in the Park
- Hiking with Rheumatoid Arthritis Is a Small Victory Over My Disease
- I Was Scared of Strength Training Because of My Rheumatoid Arthritis. Here’s How I Got Over It.
- How I Get Started Exercising With Rheumatoid Arthritis
- What I Learned About My Rheumatoid Arthritis By Using a Health Tracker to Participate in Research (and How You Can Too)
- Canada’s Updated Movement Guidelines Acknowledge the Challenges I Face Being Active with Rheumatoid Arthritis – Creaky Joints Canada
Arthritis Research Canada (Co-Author)
- Rethinking Physical Activity with Arthritis
- Yoga for Arthritis
- 30-Day Exercise Challenge for Arthritis
- Strength Training for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Dating and Intimacy
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- I Am Not a Burden Because of My Chronic Illness (Even Though Dating Makes Me Feel Like I Am)
- The Bizarre Emotions of Dating When You Are 33 and Have Rheumatoid Arthritis
- The Sneaky Perks To Dating Someone With Rheumatoid Arthritis
- What I’ve Learned About Having Great Sex While Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- A Sick Girl’s Guide to Navigating Dating With a Chronic Illness
Healthline/Bezzy RA
Arthritis Research Canada (Co-Author)
Changes After Diagnosis
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- 7 Ways My Rheumatoid Arthritis Changed My Personal Style and Look
- Here’s Why I Stopped Making New Year’s Resolutions After Having Rheumatoid Arthritis
Mental Health
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- The 11 Moods of Rheumatoid Arthritis and How I’ve Learned To Cope With Them
- Mourning Your Old Life After a Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis – And How to Move On
- ‘You Can’t Spell Gratitude Without RA’: One Patient’s Journey to Finally Accepting a Positive Outlook
- How I Finally Found Courage in My Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
- Arthritis ‘Flare Fear’: What I Do When Flare Anxiety Makes Me Feel Trapped
- Self-Love and Self-Care: What Chronic Illness Taught Me About Both
- Top 10 Frustrations I Regularly Experience Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- What Stress Does to My Rheumatoid Arthritis — and How I Deal With It
- Confronting the Challenges of Loneliness and Rheumatoid Arthritis
- How My Cats Provide Me Relief from Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 8 Strategies for Coping with Envy and Chronic Illness
- Managing Burnout While Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- How I Cope With Loss From Chronic Illness
Healthline/Bezzy RA
Arthritis Research Canada (Co-Author)
- It’s Okay to not be Okay – Speaking up about Arthritis and Mental Health
- Bullying and Arthritis: We Need to Talk about It
- The Mental Side of Arthritis: Challenges & Strategies
Creaky Joints Canada
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Am Immunocompromised: Here’s Why I Decided to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine
- How the Canadian Winter Affects My Rheumatoid Arthritis (and How I Deal with It)
- 10 Ways I’m Shining a Light on Arthritis Awareness Month and How You Can Too
- My Message to the Freedom Convoy as an Immunocompromised Canadian
- What the Canadian Family Physician Shortage Means to Me as Someone With Chronic Illness
Covid-19
CreakyJoints/Global Healthy Living Foundation
- Here’s What It’s Like to Be an Immunocompromised Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient in the Time of Coronavirus
- A Plea to the World from an Immunosuppressed Single Mom to Flatten the Coronavirus Curve
- Here’s How I’m Adjusting My Rheumatoid Arthritis Self-Care Routine for Coronavirus — and It’s Not Easy
- A Thank-You Letter to the True Heroes of the Coronavirus Pandemic, from a Worried Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient
- Parenting During Coronavirus Is Not Easy, Especially as an Immunosuppressed Single Mom
- The 9 Emotions I Keep Struggling with During the Coronavirus Pandemic (and How I’m Dealing)
- World Arthritis Day ‘COVID-19 Time Capsule’ with Eileen from Canada
- Social Distancing Since Before It Was Cool: What Others Can Learn from Our Chronic Illness Lifestyle
- The 13 Silver Linings I Found in the Coronavirus Pandemic as Someone with Chronic Illness
- Keeping My Son Home From School This Fall Is a No-Brainer Choice, Says One Mom with Chronic Illness — But It Still Breaks My Heart
- 6 Ways the Coronavirus Pandemic Affected Me as Someone with Chronic Illness (Despite Never Having COVID-19)
- Telehealth for Chronic Illness: The Pros, Cons, and Why It Needs to Stay an Option No Matter What
- I’m Immunocompromised Because of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Here’s How I Want Society to Move Forward from the Coronavirus Pandemic
- How COVID Changed My Life as Someone Who Is Immunocompromised
The Mighty
- The Mighty – When Rheumatoid Arthritis Brings Out My Mean Side
- The Mighty –The Loneliness and Isolation That Have Set in Since My Chronic Illness Diagnosis
- The Mighty – What It’s Like to Be a Single Mom With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Other
- OT Now – How Occupational Therapy Is The Unsung Hero In My Arthritis Care Team
- Scary Mommy –Unrelenting Fatigue And Constant Pain Consume My World — Here’s Why
- Invisible Diaries – Five Facts About Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Mamas Facing Forward– 10 Tried and Tested Tips for Thriving as a Single Parent with Chronic Illness
- Arthur’s Place– The Bizarre Emotions of Dating When You’re 33 and Have Rheumatoid Arthritis