This year's RHS Spring Flower Show at the Royal Hospital. (Garden dedicated to Arthritis)

[petalnumber2]

Hello all,

There must be a few amongst you who, like me, saw the programme earlier this evening about this year's RHS flower show at the Royal Hospital London. If so, you will have seen that there is a garden dedicated to the journey of emotions people go through after being diagnosed with arthritis.

For those who didn't see it, the chap (drat, I didn't catch his name) who designed the garden has had arthritis for over 20yrs. He said he refused to believe the diagnosis at first and so he wasn't treated for some time. Eventually, he accepted that it was a fact in his life and now he has put a garden design together which best describes his own journey through the years of coping with arthritis.

There is a light beautiful area which he said represents the time of acceptance after believing that life held nothing for him anymore and then finally being able to see a way forward.

Alan Titchmarsh asked him about arthritis and the gardener explained that there are lots of different types of arthritis, but didn't mention which one he has. He did explain that he has great difficulty just pushing a wheelbarrow and that at times the pain in his ankles is so bad that it actually feels like he has broken some bones in his feet.

There are I'm sure, many of us who can identify with that feeling !!

How great though, to have a spotlight on arthritis at the RHS Flower show this year through this gardeners awesome efforts

All good thoughts and wishes to you all. June xxx

[Hidden]

Hi June. Motheroftwins17 has also posted about this in the questions too but you have explained more about him. I've put a link to an interview but yours sounds more interesting with Alan Titmarsh. His name is Chris Beardshaw and I thought his garden idea was very interesting and great for promoting arthritis as a hugely varied condition. I looked him up on Arthritis Research and it says he has had a particular type of RA since he was about 12. Tilda x

[miss]

I think it can only be good thing. It may shine a light on arthritis and how many types there are. So thank you for the blog will now keep an eye open RHS garden show. xx

[sylvi]

From what i have just seen from the interview with chris beardshaw i would say he has rheumatoid arthritis. xx

[petalnumber2 in reply to sylvi]

I agree Sylvi, what he said sounded very familiar, didn't it !

I'm sorry to hear that you are having a very bad flare at the moment. Take care of yourself and sending lots of hugs. June xx

[watkin]

It was a beautiful garden and a fantastic interview to help non-sufferers to understand a little more of what it's like to deal with living with a disabling condition and the impacts which aren't just physical. It was featured on the morning news today too. It made me want to grab lots of my family and friends and say "watch this, it's how it feels".

[petalnumber2]

Hi watkin,

I missed it on the news this morning, but it's great that his message through his garden is getting the coverage it deserves. I am in hopes that some of my friends and family have seen it too, because I have long given up mentioning anything about my daily struggles with pain and restrictions. "It just makes me feel like a whining winger."