Community Divided

NEVER MIND STICKS AND STONES, IT’S THE WORDS THAT HURT.

Lene Andersen

For most of my life, I never knew any-one like me. I have had autoimmune arthritis since childhood, back in the day when there were no treatments, so I was in a wheelchair by age 16. Aside from the other kids in hospitals, I never had a group, a tribe, a place to belong with people who knew exactly how I felt. Then, just about a decade ago, I discovered the online RA community, and it felt like coming home.

That is until the undercurrents popped to the surface. This community has groups and subgroups, and that’s normal – people are drawn to those who have similar journeys, ages, experiences. It is, however, the judgments that we sometimes direct at one another that break my heart.