(May 7, 2012)
– Show Us Your Hands! is pleased to announce the release of its Our Hands Can!
photo book, 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 autoimmune diseases. This
photo book contains the inspiring photographs and moving stories of dozens of
people of all ages from around the world who live with different types of
inflammatory arthritis and is being released today in celebration of Arthritis
Awareness Month.
May is
National Arthritis Awareness Month in the United States. Its goal is to bring
attention to the issues and realities faced by people who live with one of the
more than 100 different types of arthritis. More than 46 million people live
with arthritis in the US, including 300,000 children. It is the most common
cause of disability.
The Our Hands
Can! photo book is available for purchase at Blurb in both hardcover format and softcover format. “Being part of this has made me feel proud of who I am with
rheumatoid arthritis and all for the first time in a long time,” says Samantha
Legere, who is profiled in the photo book. Founding director Lene Andersen
adds, “Our Hands Can! is a tangible affirmation that all of us who live with
inflammatory arthritis find a way to live meaningful,
productive and joyful lives. Our hands may hurt and bear the visible signs of
our disease, but it doesn't stop us!” All funds raised from the sale of these
photo books go to Show Us Your Hands!, an international awareness movement
which serves to unite and inspire the inflammatory arthritis community.
The Show Us
Your Hands! inflammatory arthritis community collage project debuted in
December 2011. People of all ages from around the world are represented in this
community project and new photos continue to be added to on a regular basis.
The community collage project serves not only as a symbol of the wonderfully
supportive inflammatory arthritis community that continues to grow and connect
online, but also acts as a reminder that people who live with these diseases
should be proud of, and not ashamed of, their inflammatory arthritis hands. By
April 2011, the Show Us Your Hands! inflammatory arthritis community collage
project had grown to include more than 1,000 hands.
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.org. Show Us Your Hands! can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
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