Arthritis Insight-Member Stories-Cliff

Cliff

I live in Clearwater, SC and am the father of 2 girls, Tiffany -13 and Cierra -9. My life story is pretty basic, joined Army Infantry on my 18th birthday. Spent 8 years as a soldier and 3 years as Army Drill Instructor. Then changed careers, when into Law Enforcement, worked mostly traffic and radar enforcement for approximately 14 years. Then good old Uncle Arthritis came to visit and stayed. Its been about 10 years and I have learned to take one day at a time. Some days I aint worth shootin others I feel pretty good. The most important thing to remember is to love your children and tell them how important they are, EVERY DAY TELL THEM!

You may have guessed this by now, But I am divorced, when my arthritis got me down my ex-wife was on my back to get over it. When my psoriasis got real bad and I flaked skin on her floor she really got violent, she even hit on occasion because I made a mess.

As odd as it may sound, my illness has made me a more compassionate man, even my girls have been changed by it. When they see someone who has difficulty walking they offer to help. Recently, at a water park, I was walking to get a Pepsi and this little boy made an ugly comment about my skin. Little did he know My daughter was standing next to him, lets just say she made an on the spot correction for that young man.

Support and understanding is key for me, I feel refreshed when I can talk to someone that understands what I am feeling. I have the best job in the world. I work for Orkin Pest Control in Augusta, Ga. I am the New Customer Specialist, in this position I help familles rid their homes of pests. I am blessed in that I am able to help people in other ways. Several times a week I speak to someone on the phone that is suffering with chronic pain or illness. I will take a couple of minutes just to help them feel better, I even ask them to call if they need someone to talk to. Folks it is a great feeling to know you've helped someone just because it was the right thing to do.

Well I better close, thanks for allowing me to share my story,

Sincerely,

Cliff