Krista Rowan

Transcript

Who remembers partying like it was 1999 on New Year's Eve 1999? I remember. I even danced because I had high expectations. I was engaged and was getting married in June. We had just bought our first house and were moving in April. That same month, I was turning 30 and was about to start a new job that I had waited a year to get. The year 2000 was going to be amazing. One night, two weeks into January, I went to bed as usual, tired from the day's activities but excited about what was to come.

What I didn't expect is what actually happened. I woke up and couldn't move. It was like a cruel game of headaches, burning shoulders, stiff knees, and swollen toes. Knees and toes. My hands were swollen, my elbows were locked, and my body felt like it was on fire. Two weeks later, I would receive a diagnosis that would affect every facet of my life. An advanced autoimmune disease called rheumatoid arthritis. I have arthritis, but I'm 29 years old and athletic. No. Rheumatoid arthritis, in which my immune system mistakes my joints for the culprits, corroding their lining.

Severe inflammation also affecting my skin, tissues, eyes, and organs. Over time, the excitement I felt for the future transformed into fear, anger, and vulnerability. If I couldn't control my inflammation, my prognosis was disfigurement, and I would be in a wheelchair within five years. I started my first cocktail of medications. And when the medication took effect, I was able to do normal everyday things again. I was able to get dressed and go downstairs. I was able to participate with my family and socialize freely, and I was able to dance.

But then the medications would fail, and the cycle that I would endure for years would begin. Medications, side effects, depression, chronic pain. Oh my God, the pain, the isolation, the immobility, the fatigue, the invisibility. This cannot be my life. And it wasn't because on that January night in 2000, when my life changed, I was given a gift. And I know what you're thinking. Some gifts. But the trajectory had changed. This new path wasn't meant to hurt me. He was being redirected to teach me.

I shouldn't aim high and fall. I shouldn't stoop low and fall. I was being positioned in the right way to go all the way. It would only take me 15 years to discover that what I was doing was n't working. I was putting all my energy into trying to go back to being the person I was, instead of seeing the person I could become. In 2015, I came across the concept of root causes and triggers of inflammation. And it really occurred to me that I was just hitting the brakes.

We all simply slammed on the brakes. And I never even considered that uncontrolled stress, poor diet, toxins, lifestyle, and many other factors were accelerating my illness. At the same time, I began to remove and control these factors. It was hard work, but I started to improve. I was really able to go all the way. And if I could improve, then I could help others improve. And together, we could go all the way. If you're wondering, I 'm not 100% in remission yet.

I'm about 90% closer than ever before. I'm on a mission to get there. And I am grateful because these feet are no longer what they used to be. But, guys, I got up on this stage. And these hands aren't as strong or as beautiful as they used to be. But now I can stretch my fingers and bend them. This month marks 19 years since my diagnosis. The catalyst that would affect every facet of my life. A journey of perseverance and learning, strengthening and improvement.

It's 2019. I'm going all the way. And I have a new dance. Thanks.

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.