Hey Patient Worthy Community!
Well, now you do!
Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know. This year is the first year it’s being celebrated! RDAM is a partnership between the Spondylitis Association of American and the American College of Rheumatology.
The purpose of RDAM is to raise awareness and help people understand what it’s like to live with rheumatic diseases like ankylosing spondylitis.
What classifies a condition like AS as rheumatic?
Basically, rheumatic diseases are characterized by inflammation of joints and connective tissue and are often marked by stiffness, limited motion, and pain. Some diseases may have rheumatic elements. For example, Lyme disease and Behcet’s disease both can cause forms of arthritis.
Specifically, the goal of RDAM is to raise awareness about:
- risk factors
- symptoms
- treatment options
- personal impact
- economic impact
- lifestyle challenges
- healthcare challenges
for people living with rheumatic conditions.
So, if you or someone you know wants to participate and raise awareness for diseases like ankylosing spondylitis, it’s really easy! You can do it from your phone or your computer!
You can check out:
- www.SimpleTasks.org
- This campaign by the American College of Rheumatology has plenty of ideas for local events, social media posts, and ways to connect to your community.
- #RDAM
- But don’t forget to use the official hastag for RDAM when you tag anything on social media! The more people who use it, the more people will learn about all we go through.
- #Spondylitis or the hashtag that corresponds to the rheumatic disease you want to bring awareness to
- RDAM’s theme this year is Hundreds of Diseases, One Voice. Why? Because so many diseases have rheumatic components to them. And while a person living with ankylosing spondylitis and a person with Behcet’s might not have the same exact diseases, there are a number of similarities that they can relate to.
- Spondylitis Association of America
- Check out their social media activity this month to learn more about it. And if the foundation or non-profit for your disease isn’t aware of RDAM, tell them!
After all, if we all raise our voices together, we’ll force people to listen.
What are you going to do to support #RDAM? Let us know below!
