Show Us Your Hands! Launches Photo Book Project to Help Raise Awareness of Inflammatory Arthritis

(February 14, 2012) - Show Us Your Hands! is pleased to announce its Photo Book Project, the latest in a series of successful initiatives aimed at uniting the community of individuals who are living with inflammatory arthritis, and increasing the public’s awareness of this group of diseases. This photo book will showcase both the hands and the stories of people from around the world who are proud of the fact that no matter how much pain and damage their hands have incurred, their hands still work, and their hands still do.

Starting today, Show Us Your Hands! invites individuals who wish to be included in this photo book to submit a brief explanation of what their hands do, and why their hands are special. A Call For Submissions form is available online at www.showusyourhands.com/photo-book-project. The deadline for entries is March 2, 2012. Individuals who are selected for inclusion in this photo book will be notified in mid-March.

The Show Us Your Hands! Photo Book Project will be released as part of Arthritis Awareness Month this coming May. The photo books will be bookstore quality, with top-notch binding, gorgeous paper, and professional printing. They will be available for purchase in more than 70 countries, and all of the net proceeds from the sale of these items will go towards the costs and expenses associated with current and future community projects by Show Us Your Hands! “By showing the world what our hands can do, these books will become portable ambassadors for increased awareness. We look forward to meeting the people behind the photos,” says founding member Lene Andersen.

Autoimmune diseases occur when a body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In the case of inflammatory arthritis a person’s joints are frequently attacked, resulting in chronic pain and debilitating inflammation. The most common inflammatory arthritis diseases are Ankylosing Spondylitis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Psoriatic Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Sjogren's Syndrome, Still's Disease, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Show Us Your Hands! is an international awareness movement which serves to unite and inspire the inflammatory arthritis community. For more information, please visit www.showusyourhands.com. Show Us Your Hands! can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.