Other diseases always have famous people that have them, like Cher has dyslexia, or Michael J Fox with Parkinson's, Richard Pryor had MS, Jessica Simpson with acne (hehehe just kidding). I wonder if their is anyone in the news that has RA.Kathleen Turner has RADid you ever see the Sopranos?- Tony's sister ( I forgot her name) has RAI never saw the Soprano's and I didn't know that about Kathleen Turner either. Huh. Well, you answered my q. Thanks!
I mean Kathleen Turner... she is not so famous. Tony's sister off the Soprano's you would not even know about her if you did not have HBO, which I do not
We need a BIGGER name to probably get reconised.
Camryn Manheim from "The Practice" has RA.
Matt Iseman (host of Scream Play)
Bob Mortimer
Tina Wesson ("Survivor II" winner)
Anybody remember James Coburn? He had/has (?) very noticable RA. Hands are quite deformed.
There are several others but I can't remember just now.
According to the University Of California (Irvine) Disability Fact Sheet Handbook, Lucille Ball had JRA and could not walk for a couple of years when she was young.Here's a couple of links about Lucille Ball...
http://www.disability.uci.edu/disability_handbook/famous_peo ple.htm
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/famous-people-with-arthritis. html
See, that's what's great about this board. No matter what the question, someone ALWAYS knows the answer!!!! Lorraine Bracco is the woman from The Sopranos whose daughter has RA. She palyed Tony's psychiatrist. Aida Turturro played Janice....Tony's sister. Yes, I am a huge Sopranos fan lol.Don't we really want what everyone else wants with a chronic illness? Isn't getting the word out about the lifestyle changes that anyone has to make with any invisible chronic illness (such as MS) a start at least? Why do celebrities make good spokes people? Because some people tend to take what they have to say as gold. They really can only speak of their own experiences and help raise money and awareness. Anyone can do that. Besides...celebrities can be so hypocritical it makes me sick. Give me a real person to educate me and care about me and my illness anyday over any celebrity.
Amen, sister!
Pip
I agree that it's silly how people hang so much on what some people say just because they are famous. I guess bing famous wouldn't exclude a person from being knowlegable on a particular topic, but it doesn't automatically qualify them either. And you don't really need someone famous to inform people on a health issue. Everyone knew all about Alzheimer's before anyone famous had it. And HIV too. But I'll tell ya what, all I knew, or thought I knew, about RA before I got it was that it'd put you in a wheelchair.
Kathleen Turner has RA, and she's on AP, and also takes Enbrel and is aThat is just wrong! What is wrong with people, if they really did would rather be labled as an alkie or druggie than to say "Hey I have a debilitating disease." I guess only in America that alcoholism & drug addiction is seen as acceptible, but having a real disease is just not acceptiable.
Everyday... I see life on earth as a real living hell, not because of RA alone, but because of all the evil and bad people in this world get their way, and the good people in this world get sh*t on. Sorry watched too much THS this week.
Coburn did not want to pursue traditional therapies for his RA so he did "alternative" ones. They may have helped some of his symptoms, but did little for the factors that involve the heart.
My own mother had RA and succumbed to a heart attack. However, the only med she was given back in the 60s and 70s was enteric-coated aspirin for the pain. She died in 1988 after having a stroke (high blood pressure) and several heart attacks, coronary bypass, etc.
This is why I am vigilant about treating the RA. It helps my current quality of life and may just prolong it, too. I am hoping so anyway!
You guys forgot the whole hellaballoo surrounding Paula Abdule. She was nodding off during the last few American Idol shows and the media had a blast with that one. She was honest and spoke directly to the media about the disease and it's unpredictability.
I am with Gramma. I want a real person to speak out not one that has everything that money can afford them. Think if we had a personal massuse?sp, and a dietician, and the list goes on. No, none of us has this and we have to make due in everyday life. GRRRR!
Shelly...
what about Paula Abdul? What disease?
I think she has lupus if i remember what i read correctly (OHH NO im starting to be like Joonie) Kathleen Turner is jus like anyone else on this board that has had to struggle on whether to tell their employer about a chronic illness or not. Only difference is...she could LIE and say drug and alcohol problems. How many of us would have been thrown in rehab or out and out FIRED if we did that. Like I said...hypocritical. Hmmmm spokesperson for Enbrel eh? Wonder if she gets her enbrel for FREE because she is a spokesperson for them. Sorry I am not motivated to treat my RA because someone that has made a few movies or is on a TV show has it. I am motivated to treat it for me and my family.How many celebritites with a chronic illness have access to treatments that we don't? How often is that treatment donated because they are a celebrity? Sorry, but to me, they are just another person in this world with a chronic illness and should not be treated in any special way or form because they are on TV or make movies. Equal access to treatment and meds should be given to ALL.
I think I read somewhere last night about Paula Abdule being on Enbrel, but it did not say exactly what for. Or maybe I missed reading that partIn November, Abdul says, she was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (aka Complex Regional Pain syndrome), a chronic neurological disorder that causes severe, debilitating pain. It affects 500,000 to 1 million Americans and is more prevalent in women, according to the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association.
And Enbrel is used for that? Mmmmm. I hadn't known this.
Thanks!