A Biologic Drug Helped Me Conquer RA

Kathy Lubbers, 45, the daughter of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and the president and CEO of his public relations firm, Gingrich Communications, has had rheumatoid arthritis for more than 20 years. For 15 of those years, she experienced crippling pain, even setting up an office in her bedroom because moving was unbearable. She finally received a new treatment, which changed her life, and she's now strong enough to work out, travel, and even walk marathons.

A biologic changed my life
God bless my rheumatologist. He tried for more than a year and a half to get me started on a biological DMARD. I resisted until one of my ankles was freezing up and it was likely I would lose my mobility. I went back to my doctor and said, “I give up; I’m done; I’m willing to try it.” So, five years ago, he put me on a biologic, and within a very short period, my pain level decreased substantially and my mobility and energy improved.

If you were to look at the revenue stream at Gingrich Communications, you would see a tremendous spike at that time due to the variety of work I was able to take on and the amount of energy I could exert.

Now my office is in the next room, but we also have an office in Miami that I visit two to three times a month and a D.C. office I visit frequently. I don’t have to take an hour-and-a-half nap each day. Instead, I use that time to work out with a personal trainer.

Last year, my sister and I fund-raised and participated in the Arthritis Foundation’s (AF) marathon in Athens, Greece. Just a few weeks ago, I completed the Dublin Marathon. Having the opportunity to train and accomplish that was a joy and, as a board member for the AF, I am a huge advocate for the prevention, control, and care of arthritis.

Now I'm blessed with almost no pain. The pain I do have is from muscular overuse, not my joints. X-rays have confirmed that the disease is not progressing or deteriorating my joints.

When you are living with chronic pain, it saps your energy—psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Without that disease on my shoulders, I've been transformed. I can do a lot more and I'm physically able to carry out the dreams I have for my future

A Biologic Drug Helped Me Conquer RA | Arthritis Information