Kathy Miller
Richard and Kathy's Page - Team Miller for NASS
Fundraising for National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society
Story
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Why are we raising funds for NASS? Kat started having hip and back pain when she was about 8 years old. Repeated trips to the GP always ended with the doctor assuring her parents that she just had 'growing pains'. Despite the pain, she was a very sporty person and soon realised that when she was moving, the pain was far less, but that when she stopped she would rapidly stiffen up and the pain would increase again. Every trip to the GP always ended with the same message - being told she was too young to have joint problems. When we met, Kat was having problems walking because of her hips and back, but she never let it get her down and just kept on moving, walking and working in the garden to stay active which helped her to cope with the continual pain.Bringing up a family and then going back to work took a heavy physical toll, but she was determined never to let the pain stand in her way or dominate our life. She still visited the doctor occasionally when things got really bad and on several occasions it was suggested that the pain was psychological. The ever-present low back pain and fatigue and very frequent pain her ribs, chest, shoulders, hips, knees, hands and feet were very real indeed and it was so hard to have to watch Kat struggle, especially when we didn't even know the cause.Finally, aged 42, Kat was referred to a rheumatologist. More tests and Kat was told that she had 'mild Ankylosing Spondylitis'. The relief of finally knowing what all the pain was about was massive! Fortunately it seems that she'd been doing the right thing all her life by staying active. She was told about the local NASS group and joined within a week of diagnosis and has been going ever since, now being Chair of the Woking and Weybridge group.
15 years on from diagnosis, Kat still walks a lot and stays very active. She can't tolerate anti-inflammatories so pain relief and exercise are her coping mechanisms. She doesn't sleep much as pain at rest continually wakes her. A good night for her is four hours sleep in 40 to 60 minute chunks, but often it's much less and how she copes I'll never know! Despite 18 orthopaedic surgeries on knees, shoulders, elbow, spine and neck - mostly the consequence of the hypermobility problems that she also has - she's still setting challenges for the both of us and still smiling and I'm proud to say she's a real fighter. Earlier this month she suggested we have a 'warm up' - 50km of 'Race to the Stones'! That was my first big challenge and we completed it in 10:09:08. Now we've just got to double it! Walking 100km will never be easy, but it will be even harder for Kat, but side by side we're determined to succeed!
Shockingly, even though AS is more common than MS (and everyone's heard of MS but few have still heard of AS), the average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis still takes seven to ten years. Years of not knowing what the pain is and why you have it. NASS is run by a very small and totally dedicated team of only 6 people! They not only support everyone with AS, but actively educate and raise awareness in the medical profession about the disease in the hope of reducing diagnosis times as well as fund important research. If our efforts can help to save a single person from having to go through an experience like Kats by raising funds and awareness, we'd be very happy indeed. That's why we're walking for NASS.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Why are we raising funds for NASS? Kat started having hip and back pain when she was about 8 years old. Repeated trips to the GP always ended with the doctor assuring her parents that she just had 'growing pains'. Despite the pain, she was a very sporty person and soon realised that when she was moving, the pain was far less, but that when she stopped she would rapidly stiffen up and the pain would increase again. Every trip to the GP always ended with the same message - being told she was too young to have joint problems. When we met, Kat was having problems walking because of her hips and back, but she never let it get her down and just kept on moving, walking and working in the garden to stay active which helped her to cope with the continual pain.Bringing up a family and then going back to work took a heavy physical toll, but she was determined never to let the pain stand in her way or dominate our life. She still visited the doctor occasionally when things got really bad and on several occasions it was suggested that the pain was psychological. The ever-present low back pain and fatigue and very frequent pain her ribs, chest, shoulders, hips, knees, hands and feet were very real indeed and it was so hard to have to watch Kat struggle, especially when we didn't even know the cause.Finally, aged 42, Kat was referred to a rheumatologist. More tests and Kat was told that she had 'mild Ankylosing Spondylitis'. The relief of finally knowing what all the pain was about was massive! Fortunately it seems that she'd been doing the right thing all her life by staying active. She was told about the local NASS group and joined within a week of diagnosis and has been going ever since, now being Chair of the Woking and Weybridge group.
15 years on from diagnosis, Kat still walks a lot and stays very active. She can't tolerate anti-inflammatories so pain relief and exercise are her coping mechanisms. She doesn't sleep much as pain at rest continually wakes her. A good night for her is four hours sleep in 40 to 60 minute chunks, but often it's much less and how she copes I'll never know! Despite 18 orthopaedic surgeries on knees, shoulders, elbow, spine and neck - mostly the consequence of the hypermobility problems that she also has - she's still setting challenges for the both of us and still smiling and I'm proud to say she's a real fighter. Earlier this month she suggested we have a 'warm up' - 50km of 'Race to the Stones'! That was my first big challenge and we completed it in 10:09:08. Now we've just got to double it! Walking 100km will never be easy, but it will be even harder for Kat, but side by side we're determined to succeed!
Shockingly, even though AS is more common than MS (and everyone's heard of MS but few have still heard of AS), the average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis still takes seven to ten years. Years of not knowing what the pain is and why you have it. NASS is run by a very small and totally dedicated team of only 6 people! They not only support everyone with AS, but actively educate and raise awareness in the medical profession about the disease in the hope of reducing diagnosis times as well as fund important research. If our efforts can help to save a single person from having to go through an experience like Kats by raising funds and awareness, we'd be very happy indeed. That's why we're walking for NASS.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.