A.S. Face 0942: Annie

Passed away February 14, 2016

I was diagnosed with AS when I was in my early 20s though I think I had symptoms for many years before that- including my gym teacher telling me off for not being able to do the high jump back flop although I looked tall and sporty. I am now 59 and my picture shows me after I got my MSc (Research) last year. I put the sticks by the bushes in my garden so this is just before I fell down! It was hard going as I was working full time and had a family and I had to ask for extra time as I had 6 months confined to bed with severe AS symptoms combined with haywire diabetes while I was doing it. I have other complications as well but try not to dwell on them.

I just want to say that even if diagnosis is devastating, with perseverance and support you can still have a GOOD life even though you have to sometimes live within the confines of day to day illness/ fatigue/ infection. I often sing the praises of Embrel that gave me back a certain quality of life and help me get back to work as a genetics researcher in a University, after being sick of seeing the four walls of my bedroom, reading a thousand books on my kindle and achieving massively high scores on Angry Birds on my IPAD as I didn’t have enough strength to hold a book …

Thanks for all you do – much appreciated.

Annie

Wales, United Kingdom

2 Responses to “A.S. Face 0942: Annie”

Dear Annie,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
Sincerely Cookie

Cookie Has A.S. said this on August 31, 2013 at 4:37 pm | Reply
Excellent, wonderful, fabulous…is what comes to my mind Annie. Thanks for giving me my bed time encouragement.

Derek said this on September 2, 2013 at 3:27 am | Reply

Our Stories

© Cookie Hopper and The Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis , 2011. There is an implied agreement and permission granted to Cookie Hopper and the Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis that the participants photo/story will be used only in order to raise awareness for Ankylosing Spondylitis. There will be no monetary value gained by either party. The Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis agrees to uphold the integrity and honor of each individual’s story when doing projects to raise awareness, and will be a mutual agreement of both parties involved. Once a photo & bio are submitted to Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis ( Cookie Hopper) , heretofore known as "Faces," the individual submitting to Faces gives permission for Faces or its representatives or organizations coordinating with or whose services are retained by Faces or the invisible illness or Ankylosing Spondylitis community to use the image/likeness, name, & your bio or portions of bio as written, from the moment of submission, for as long as Faces exists as a website and/or organization. All submissions become the property of Faces, and upon submitting, participants grant full rights to the submitted images & bios to Faces, and the right to use & name in connection to activities of Faces, from now into eternity, in all forms of media, including new media, and agree that they are the property of Faces from submission until dissolution of the organization." Once included the removal will not be possible due to being number, but every possible action will be made to change any information if you feel the need for it to be. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and writer of the individual story is strictly prohibited and legal recourse may be taken in the event of this happening. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [Cookie Hopper] [individual author of the story] [The Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. COPYRIGHT and TRADEMARK NOTICE ©2012. There are underlying copyright interests in the various works of authorship associated with this the faces of ankylosing spondylitis. These copyright and trademark interests may not be reproduced and redistributed, with or without alteration in whole or in part, unless prior written permission provided by Cookie Hopper of Alvin, Texas US 77511, along with the individual author of the story. Trademark name “The Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis” and " I Am The Face Of Ankylosing Spondylitis" name has been approved and acquired by Cookie Hopper February 10, 2012. Others wishing to use this name or logo are hereby requested to contact the owner Cookie Hopper to discuss their interest before doing so. The Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis Trademark number is 40671 The stories submitted may not be used without the original author’s permission, along with Cookie Hopper, which you may acquire by submitting a request to Cookiehasas@aol.com. The phrase I am the face of ankylosing spondylitis and the phrase the faces of ankylosing spondylitis are protected under the copy right and trademark laws. By submitting your photo & bio to Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis (Cookie Hopper) you enter into a legal and binding agreement on both parties side. Cookie Hopper agrees there will be no selling of the stories or monetary value gained. Cookie Hopper agrees to uphold the integrity and honor of each individual’s story when doing projects to raise awareness, and will be a mutual agreement of both parties involved. This site is protected under the Trademark and Copy right laws. 40671 as of January 2012.

%d bloggers like this:

The Faces Of Ankylosing Spondylitis