Arthritis knows no boundaries when it comes to age, or gender.
Sometimes, it comes with no warning.
"I was just really shocked, I mean devastated, I always thought it was an old people's disease. I said what does that mean? I didn't even know what it was all about," Karen Oshiro, a medical receptionist said.
There are a lot of people like Oshiro, thinking they're too young to have Arthritis. But Arthritis doesn't care how old you are and affects one in four people in Hawaii.
"It will affect literally every man or woman sooner or later as we age and therefore is a huge problem. A huge cost, generator of a lot of misery and pain. And is something we should all come together as a community and as a society to help cure, conquer and treat more effectively," Dr. Scott McCaffrey said.
"I couldn't even lift up my shoulders above my head, it was just so painful," Oshiro said.
Karen got it bad, and early. Her Arthritis started when she was a freshmen in college.
"My hands got really swollen, I couldn't even make a fist out of them. My knees all of a sudden swelled up, I couldn't even get out of bed. I couldn't pull the covers off, I took almost an hour to just sit up right. That's when I realized something was definitely wrong," Oshiro said.
Her everyday life and tasks became not only challenging but painful.
"Sometimes if my hands aren't feeling well, just brushing your teeth or washing your face is painful," Oshiro said.
Arthritis affects women at a much higher rate than men.
"Every day is different, you never know when you're going to have a flair up. There are good days and bad days, and I always say, take advantage of the good days and do the most you can," Oshiro said.
The bad days can be really bad. It's not just the patient, it can be the caretaker dealing with the mental, physical, emotional and financial challenges. But Karen says her family, son and friends never let her miss out on anything and encourage her to live life to the fullest.
She's lives day by day and has joined the Arthritis Foundation, leading the fight and is ready for this year's Walk to Cure Arthritis.
The money raised from the event stays in Hawaii and goes toward, patient education, a summer camp for kids living with Arthritis and research to find a cure. Like the 50 million other Americans diagnosed with arthritis, Karen Oshiro's strong mind and heart keeps her body going.
"Keep that positive attitude, I know it's difficult and you're ashamed to show what you have, you know your deformities are present all the time and people look at you differently. But I say let them look, let them feel what they feel. Because it's you and when you keep yourself stress free it's just amazing and you can do anything," Oshiro said.
http://www.kitv.com/story/38228823/arthritis-knows-no-boundaries-when-it-comes-to-age-or-gender
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