Thanks for sharing this fantastic story. I just love stories where we, not disease, come out the winner!!!
Hi Cathy,
Shortly after I was dx with MS, I kept meeting other people who "used to be" a cellist, or a pianist, or an artist, or some other career which requires great control over the body. It became sad to learn what someone "used to be."
Here is a legendary musician who is not a "used to be" but a person who continues forward with a passion and skill in music. He has battled many challenges and has come out the conquerer. That is inspirational indeed.
lisa
I am hoping I may be able to play the guitar again. It isn't deformity that keeps me from playing...except I do have two trigger fingers now. I can work around that by modifying the chords. What stops me from playing is the pain. Maybe one day, they won't hurt so much when I play. I am by no means a great guitar player. I just enjoy playing at church and with the friends I used to play with. Thanks again, Lisa.
V
wonderful interview, Lisa and so inspiring! It's all about the workaround, about adapting and if a pianist can continue to play with two fingers that don't work the "normal" way, that's serious inspiration for the rest of us to figure out our own workarounds.
we now have a special page about psoriatic arthritis with more information about this condition.
Thank you for the link, Lene! I will need to go back and add that to the post.
What perhaps I didn't detail is that majority (if not all) of his distal joints are fused. I often get the feeling of "my hands are NOT my hands" to an extent that I can hardly imagine what it is like to relearn how to perform at his level with hands that have changed so dramatically over the years. Many things are possible when the drive and determination are there.
interesting point and one that I thought about before. My hands and fingers (and most of the rest of the joints) had mostly fused in their present position by the time I was 16, so for me, this is the norm. I write, eat, type, brush my cat, insert earrings, apply makeup and knit with these hands. Well, I don't knit anymore, but that's more a shoulder issue, but moving on... maybe your feeling of "these are not my hands" is because you still have the memory of what it was like before RA, whereas for people like Byron and myself who have been in this situation for most of our lives, it has become the norm. You figure it out, the workarounds and when it's been long enough, the workarounds become the way you do it, normal and you no longer feel as if it is not your hands.
If that makes sense?
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Thank you, Rob!
You know firsthand how much time was spent in listening to almost 1.5 of audio tape multiple times and transcribing it over the weekend. It was truly a pleasure meeting these two individuals. I was inspired and much appreciative of their time and attention. I also can't imagine overcoming the challenges Byron faced so many times over his lifetime. He's got a strong life force within.
Lisa