For today’s #ThrowbackThursday — the time Amy (and baby Lola) teamed up with the Arthritis Foundation to give me quite a surprise on live TV. 💚
The Jingle Bell Run has always been one of my favorite Arthritis Foundation events. In this clip, I was interviewing adult honoree Joanna Helon and youth honoree Daisy Howard about the 2014 event in Columbus, Ohio.
I was not in a good place — physically or emotionally — when this interview took place. Lola was born in August of 2014 — nine months after I had had both of my hips replaced. While I had lost all of the steroid-induced, pre-surgery weight by this point, I was still walking with a cane — and knew that I still needed to have both knees replaced as well. (That would happen in February of 2015).
I always get emotional interviewing our honorees anyway… but when Amy walked out with tiny, three-month-old Lola Jean — it was all I could do to keep it together.
We had already been through so much — and still had SO far to go — before we even knew that having another child (let alone TWO) was even a remote possibility.
Arthritis doesn’t discriminate. Millions of men, women, and children of every race and ethnicity across the country are affected by one of the more than 100 different types of arthritis.
The Jingle Bell Run is just ONE of the many events that take place across the country every year to support the Arthritis Foundation and its work to support all of us who are living with some form of arthritis.
I encourage you to visit arthritis.org to learn more about arthritis — and find an event near YOU to support the Arthritis Foundation and its mission to improve the lives of people like Daisy, Joanna — and me. 🙏❤️
#PSNeverGiveUp #RAwarrior #TBT #arthritisawareness #arthritis #theumatoidarthritis #juvenilearthritis #IVF #nevergiveup #scaliapartyof5 #petesprogress #lifewithlolajean
