Mother's Day is always bittersweet for me (a thread is coming). I've lived with #JuvenileIdiopathicArthritis since I was 14. It got in the way of a lot of things like family, friendships, school, career choices (I would be a pianist), & everything I do in life...

/2 It got in the way of so much and trust me, I'm not a complainer by nature. I was NOT going to let this this disease get in the way of having kids even though I received health advice that I would need to find a 'strong partner'. Yah, I still don't know what that means...

3/ So I would like to remind all of the people out there who live with inflammatory arthritis and other chronic conditions, that you can make this work. Having my two babies (who are now 12 and 7) is still one of the best things I ever did with my life. I won't lie though...

4/ Pregnancy was hard. I ended up with some serious complications during my second pregnancy that almost killed us both. I used these experiences to do better for Moms out there with inflammatory arthritis and disability. It started off as anger at what happened to me...

5/ and that's OK. I think a lot of amazing things start in this dark place. I started @CAPA_Arthritis project on pregnancy and parenting w/ arthritis, developed these resources for parents ( https://bit.ly/2Wk16Lg ), advocate for better policy and work with so many...

6/ kindred spirits @MariahForward @MamasForward @CreakyJoints @SethSaidSo @wendyporch, researchers @maryadevera @nevrebic @latarasoff @HilaryKBrown @yonalunsky @PharmaLauren) and others along the way. It's a journey that began with an idea that I wanted to be a Mom. So to all...

7 / the Moms out there who live with the struggles of being a parent and living with disability, this Mother's Day is for you. You're doing a great job and showing your kids that Moms come with different abilities, strengths and that it's not always the obvious ones.

8 / Keep doing what you're doing and celebrate on this Mother's Day. #arthritisparent (end thread)