Hello everyone,
Some of the activity on our NRAS HealthUnlocked platform has recently caused us distress at NRAS and as we are still at the start of a new year, I thought I would write a post to remind us all of the purpose of this forum and press re-set. I recall clearly the first time the original founder of HealthUnlocked visited us in our first offices in Maidenhead to talk about his idea for a new community health forum, back around 2010/11 I recall. We were one of the first HealthUnlocked forums to be established and I believe we are one of the largest in the UK. With support from the HealthUnlocked team, NRAS are extremely proud to have been able to build such a strong and thriving on-line community with the purpose of supporting anyone and everyone affected by RA or other forms of inflammatory arthritis.
I’ve lived with this awful disease for over 43 years now and am in the process of recovering from my 21st surgery – another left ankle replacement revision done at the beginning of January. So, I’ve had a bit more time than normal to reflect on what 2024 may hold in store. The news currently is universally awful, multiple wars causing unbelievable levels of human suffering, young people being killed on our streets in the UK, babies being left in shopping bags, floods and the impact of climate change in so many countries, there’s not much to be cheerful about. But something we all have the ability to do is to be kinder to others who, like us, are also living with chronic disease. People turn to this forum to find empathy, information and support. It’s awful when people start to pick on each other, say things from behind a computer screen that they would probably never say to someone’s face and criticise each other harshly. This is not what this platform is for, and we all need to remember that everyone’s experiences are different. We don’t preach, or lecture, we should be using our experiences to offer support and comfort and if you can’t do that, then say nothing.
It's NRAS’s job to keep this forum a safe, friendly and supportive place where new people can come to get help. New people don’t want to land on HealthUnlocked and discover the members fighting each other like kids in the schoolyard! Please people, I know the vast majority of you are a fantastic bunch of individuals who are incredibly helpful and supportive and have generously shared your experiences to the benefit of thousands of people who visit this forum. Let’s make 2024 a year to remember the purpose of the forum and be kind and considerate to all our visitors and members.
Thank you for reading this and supporting our Forum.
Ailsa Bosworth
National Patient Champion