from wheelchair to the London Marathon

[_andy_]

the first time today ive ever heard ankylosing spondylitis mentioned on television , was today whilst watching the london marathon ,, my ears suddenly pricked up when i heard ankylosing spondylitis . it was a short story of the journey of michelle hoffman .. at the age of 14 she was bedridden for a year with crippling arthritis ,, By the time she was 17, Michelle’s hips and back had become extremely painful and inflamed and she struggled to walk. She could not move her neck, often used a wheelchair and needed help with almost every task. ..

.After being almost entirely bedridden for a year, Michelle was prescribed Humira. Just three hours later, Michelle was able to stand unaided for the first time in a year. Within two weeks, she was able to walk again and is now completely pain-free...

today aged 24 Michelle is doing the london marathon and shes hoping to raise £4,000 for Arthritis Research UK...

well done michelle ,,

[_andy_]

found the link ... fenlandcitizen.co.uk/news/c...

[Josie2]

What a lovely story. So sad at such a young age to be confined to a wheelchair but to then go on to run a marathon all thanks to finding the right drugs.

An inspiration to us all.

[sylvi]

A beautiful young lady.xx

[watson3]

What a great blog Andy thanks for sharing.

[Hidden]

Really heartening, thanks for sharing this Andy.

[miss]

As above what a lovely blog. Just wish our NHS were not so tight with the tnf. Life could be so different !!!! xx

[_andy_ in reply to miss]

hopefully ,, and thanks to michelles story on tv ,, millions of people will now know just how important anti tnf is for people with arthritis and show them,, all the money it costs is well other it .. im sure getting the message out there will do some good ... .. well heres hoping ... xx

[miss in reply to _andy_]

I'M with you on that . Live in hope die in dispair. Come on NHS tnf for us !!!!!!!!!!!

[earthwitch]

great story.

Now why can't the NHS learn from that - that anti-tnf drugs can be miracle drugs for many folk, so we should all be given the opportunity to try them if other meds aren't working well. They may be expensive, but the lifetime costs of disability are a lot more than these injections.

[_andy_ in reply to earthwitch]

i know ,, it makes no sense ,, hopefully millions and millions will be watching michelle on tv this morning ,, and this gets the message across ... just how important this drug is for everyone .. fingers crossed

[allanah]

wow, well just had my second Humira heres hoping xx

[Hidden]

Excellent blog Andy - thanks! Xx

[claireyj]

Just wow .... How amazing

[shirlthegirl]

I enjoyed reading this Andy, Thanks for sharing XX

[antibes]

Wow thank you for posting xx

[Mumoftwin17]

Thanks Andy..........

GO MICHELLE.........................................X

[Hidden]

Thanks for sharing such an inspiring story x

[Hidden]

Thanks Andy, and well done to Michelle! X

[helixhelix]

Great example, thanks.. Px

[pennylane]

I saw Michelle's story too. Brought a tear to my eye & have thought about it many times today. Amazing x

[_andy_ in reply to pennylane]

what on the tele ?? it was amazing wasnt it it brought a tear to my eye too .. but dont tell anyone ,,, shes amazing .... goooooooooo michelle ... :))))

[pennylane in reply to _andy_]

Yes! The marathon was just on in the background but got my full attention when they started to talk about Michelle. Really inspiring. just goes to show what the right treatment can do. Amazing lady!!

Your secret is safe with me, probably just something in your eye eh?

[Hidden]

Wow there is hope for us all yet, really cheered me up this as I'm feeling rubbish and useless :/

[lorann]

Thanks for the inspiring story, Andy. Hopefully, some day soon, anti-tnfs will become standard treatment for everyone. I have been reading that doctors are prescribing them much earlier in the disease process, as it should be. Like earthwitch said, the costs of treating resultant disabilities is far greater than an injectiion early in the disease, before damage is done. We all should push harder for that, rather than waiting while damages happen. Loretxx

[jeanabelle]

Does your hear good to hear this sort of success story. Makes me want to get up and run around the house ( if only I could). Well done girl. X

[mhoffman]

Hi guys,

My friend forwarded this link to me. I am the person that ran the marathon you are referring to.

It is extremely touching that my story has been seen by people who genuinely know what it's like, and I hope that I give hope to others like yourselves.

The marathon was a real achievement to me, it was what I was aiming for when I was lying in hospital beds for years!

I really hope that you all find a treatment which works, just like I did.

All the very best,

Michelle x

[_andy_]

hello michelle ..

what a pleasant surprise , its so nice to see you here ,, i hope you didnt mind me posting your story ,, firstly congratulations on the marathon ,, very well done ,, youve raised lots of awareness aswell as funds to support arthritis " your a star " ..youve given hope to a lot of people ,,, please post a blog to let us all know how you did ,, everyone on here would love to hear from you ,,

i started anti tnf in january , and its changed my life , i also suffer with A.S ... not so much now though ,, my hope is that anti tnf , can become the first line of treatment for everyone .. im sure it will one day ..

once again well done michelle ..

kind regards andy x