Re: Article about my arthritis

[Guest guest]

You go girl!

Thank you for sharing.

> Hey,

> Below is an article about me from the local paper for National Arthritis

> Awareness Month.

>

> Steph in VA

>

>

> Minding the miles

>

> Tim Hogan - Sports Editor

> Culpeper Star Exponent

> Sunday, May 22, 2005

>

> You run a marathon with your legs. When your legs tire, your arms flex a

> little harder and find an energy boost. If the arms and legs begin to go,

> your abs tighten, taking you to another level.

>

> When all seems lost, you find muscles you didn't know you had to carry you

> through the next mile. After all muscles - those you've met and those you

> haven't - have faded, your mind takes over.

>

> A marathon is a mental challenge, about as difficult as they come. The mind

> fills in the gaps that tired muscles and cramps leave. It's a substitute,

> something on which you can always rely if you begin to doubt your calf, your

> hamstring.

>

> But what if you doubted your entire body, even before the race started? How

> strong would your mind have to be?

> It's impossible to quantify such an answer, but we do know this: at least as

> strong as DeNicola's.

>

> DeNicola, 27, was a competitive dancer in Queens, N.Y. before she packed

her

> clothes, left her big family behind and turned the corner onto an unpaved

> path called college.

>

> The first three years at Mansfield College in Pennsylvania were good ones.

> She was active on her small campus and a familiar face to most of those

she

> passed on her way to class.

>

> In September of 1999, she was cruising through her workload and

preparing

> for interviews that would determine where she would complete her student

> teaching during the spring semester.

>

> Majoring in English education, she planned to teach middle and high

school

> students. She was moving quickly through life, as motivated college

students

> do, then something slowed her pace.

>

> " I literally went to bed one day and I was fine, " said DeNicola. " Woke up

> the next day and lost the use of the left side of my body, which is my

> dominant side. "

>

> For the next two months, DeNicola treated countless doctors as if they were

> students, challenging them and testing their knowledge of the human body.

> Most failed.

>

> In November, after sitting in more waiting rooms than she cares to

remember,

> DeNicola was assured she was not crazy and that her symptoms were real.

>

> Contrary to what other doctors had originally suspected, she did not have a

> brain tumor or mononucleosis, and she had not had a stroke.

>

> DeNicola found out she was the victim of genetic mutations, which had

grown

> from health problems in the family, and faced the challenge of battling

> inflammatory arthritis.

>

> She regained use of all of her extremities, and after finding a new drug

> called Remicade in late spring of 2000, the pain subsided tremendously.

She

> calls it her " wonder drug. "

>

> Remicade may not be effective forever, and there's always the possibility of

> long-term side effects. But before she found the drug, the pain was, not

> metaphorically, almost unbearable.

>

> " I don't know if (Remicade's) going to kill me, " she said. " And I don't know

> if it's gonna make me worse. I don't care. Right now it helps me, and that's

> all I care about. My pain was so bad that I contemplated suicide. "

>

> But with the help of her

> " wonder drug, " her mind overcame the pain, and after six months of living at

> home - she had the credits to graduate from Mansfield in December of 1999

-

> DeNicola was ready for the next challenge.

>

> In June of 2000, on the suggestion of a college friend who taught at

> Culpeper County High School, she moved to Culpeper. The following

summer,

> with her life progressing as normally as could be expected, she had a

> full-body bone-density scan, and the results revealed that Remicade had

> built back much of her bone density.

>

> Based on the results, her rheumatologist Dr. Lawson made a joke he

> never thought would be taken seriously.

>

> " Dr. Lawson said, `This is awesome! You're so healthy you could run a

> marathon,' " recalls DeNicola. " (I said) `I couldn't even dress myself last

> year, I'm not doing that to my body! It's pissed off enough as it is!' "

>

> But after a little research and a hesitant go-ahead from Dr. Lawson,

> DeNicola began her six-month training regimen, preparing her to walk the

> 2001 Honolulu Marathon.

>

> DeNicola raised $4,500 for the Arthritis Foundation and had her trip to

> Hawaii paid for in full. But the walking she had to do herself.

> " The first couple of hours I was good, " she said of the marathon. " I had

> learned enough in my training to be alright. About five hours into it, I

> thought, `Oh God, I want to be at home' … Between eight and nine (hours), I

> really considered just stopping because they had taken away the water

tables

> and the mile markers, so I had no idea where I was. "

>

> Along with a friend from Charlottesville she had met through the Arthritis

> Foundation, DeNicola found another level, a fifth or sixth wind that kept

> her going. But quitting wasn't completely out of the question.

>

> " We finally got to a point where we couldn't go anymore, " she said. " The van

> guy came around (to pick us up) and was like, `you're 0.2 miles away.' And I

> was like, `Hell, we're finishing, even if we have to pull each other over

> the finish line.' "

>

> There was no tape to bust through, no screaming fans, no clock to confirm

> the time - between 10 and 11 hours - and no medals to commemorate the

> achievement. The guy driving the van was the pair's only witness.

>

> She had completed a task worth bragging about for the rest of her life, but

> that wasn't enough. Eleven months later, DeNicola did it again.

>

> This time she decided to rough it at the Bermuda Marathon, but,

> unfortunately, the training did not go as smoothly the second time around.

> DeNicola pinched a nerve in her neck six weeks before the marathon, and

when

> the pain came rushing back five miles in, she decided she'd call it quits …

> at the 13.1 mark.

>

> Her common sense and medical knowledge told her she couldn't do the full

> 26.2 miles, but her determination and stubborn ways told her she couldn't

> quit before the halfway point, where she was greeted by fans, a clock and a

> medal.

>

> DeNicola still lives in Culpeper, working as a communications specialist at

> Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation. She has not started training again,

> but intends to add another marathon to her list of accomplishments. In her

> mind, it's not a question of why do that to yourself, it's a question of why

> not?

>

> " There's no telling when the medication is going to stop working, " DeNicola

> said. " If I'm in a wheelchair in ten years, I want to know that I didn't

> squander my good health. I used it to the best of my ability and I have all

> these great memories.

>

> " In arthritis circles we joke that good health is wasted (exclusively) on

> the healthy. "

> But strong minds, as we now know, are not.

>

>

> Tim Hogan can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 115 or thogan@s...

[Guest guest]

That is so cool!

Dorey

----- Original Message -----

From: " DeNicola " <sdenicola@...>

<kanzivino@...>; <Rheumatoid Arthritis >;

<MysticBluEyez@...>

Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2005 3:51 PM

Subject: Article about my arthritis

> Hey,

> Below is an article about me from the local paper for National Arthritis

> Awareness Month.

>

> Steph in VA

>

>

> Minding the miles

>

> Tim Hogan - Sports Editor

> Culpeper Star Exponent

> Sunday, May 22, 2005

>

> You run a marathon with your legs. When your legs tire, your arms flex a

> little harder and find an energy boost. If the arms and legs begin to go,

> your abs tighten, taking you to another level.

>

> When all seems lost, you find muscles you didn't know you had to carry you

> through the next mile. After all muscles - those you've met and those you

> haven't - have faded, your mind takes over.

>

> A marathon is a mental challenge, about as difficult as they come. The

> mind

> fills in the gaps that tired muscles and cramps leave. It's a substitute,

> something on which you can always rely if you begin to doubt your calf,

> your

> hamstring.

>

> But what if you doubted your entire body, even before the race started?

> How

> strong would your mind have to be?

> It's impossible to quantify such an answer, but we do know this: at least

> as

> strong as DeNicola's.

>

> DeNicola, 27, was a competitive dancer in Queens, N.Y. before she packed

> her

> clothes, left her big family behind and turned the corner onto an unpaved

> path called college.

>

> The first three years at Mansfield College in Pennsylvania were good ones.

> She was active on her small campus and a familiar face to most of those

> she

> passed on her way to class.

>

> In September of 1999, she was cruising through her workload and preparing

> for interviews that would determine where she would complete her student

> teaching during the spring semester.

>

> Majoring in English education, she planned to teach middle and high school

> students. She was moving quickly through life, as motivated college

> students

> do, then something slowed her pace.

>

> " I literally went to bed one day and I was fine, " said DeNicola. " Woke up

> the next day and lost the use of the left side of my body, which is my

> dominant side. "

>

> For the next two months, DeNicola treated countless doctors as if they

> were

> students, challenging them and testing their knowledge of the human body.

> Most failed.

>

> In November, after sitting in more waiting rooms than she cares to

> remember,

> DeNicola was assured she was not crazy and that her symptoms were real.

>

> Contrary to what other doctors had originally suspected, she did not have

> a

> brain tumor or mononucleosis, and she had not had a stroke.

>

> DeNicola found out she was the victim of genetic mutations, which had

> grown

> from health problems in the family, and faced the challenge of battling

> inflammatory arthritis.

>

> She regained use of all of her extremities, and after finding a new drug

> called Remicade in late spring of 2000, the pain subsided tremendously.

> She

> calls it her " wonder drug. "

>

> Remicade may not be effective forever, and there's always the possibility

> of

> long-term side effects. But before she found the drug, the pain was, not

> metaphorically, almost unbearable.

>

> " I don't know if (Remicade's) going to kill me, " she said. " And I don't

> know

> if it's gonna make me worse. I don't care. Right now it helps me, and

> that's

> all I care about. My pain was so bad that I contemplated suicide. "

>

> But with the help of her

> " wonder drug, " her mind overcame the pain, and after six months of living

> at

> home - she had the credits to graduate from Mansfield in December of

> 1999 -

> DeNicola was ready for the next challenge.

>

> In June of 2000, on the suggestion of a college friend who taught at

> Culpeper County High School, she moved to Culpeper. The following summer,

> with her life progressing as normally as could be expected, she had a

> full-body bone-density scan, and the results revealed that Remicade had

> built back much of her bone density.

>

> Based on the results, her rheumatologist Dr. Lawson made a joke he

> never thought would be taken seriously.

>

> " Dr. Lawson said, 'This is awesome! You're so healthy you could run a

> marathon,' " recalls DeNicola. " (I said) 'I couldn't even dress myself last

> year, I'm not doing that to my body! It's pissed off enough as it is!' "

>

> But after a little research and a hesitant go-ahead from Dr. Lawson,

> DeNicola began her six-month training regimen, preparing her to walk the

> 2001 Honolulu Marathon.

>

> DeNicola raised $4,500 for the Arthritis Foundation and had her trip to

> Hawaii paid for in full. But the walking she had to do herself.

> " The first couple of hours I was good, " she said of the marathon. " I had

> learned enough in my training to be alright. About five hours into it, I

> thought, 'Oh God, I want to be at home' . Between eight and nine (hours),

> I

> really considered just stopping because they had taken away the water

> tables

> and the mile markers, so I had no idea where I was. "

>

> Along with a friend from Charlottesville she had met through the Arthritis

> Foundation, DeNicola found another level, a fifth or sixth wind that kept

> her going. But quitting wasn't completely out of the question.

>

> " We finally got to a point where we couldn't go anymore, " she said. " The

> van

> guy came around (to pick us up) and was like, 'you're 0.2 miles away.' And

> I

> was like, 'Hell, we're finishing, even if we have to pull each other over

> the finish line.' "

>

> There was no tape to bust through, no screaming fans, no clock to confirm

> the time - between 10 and 11 hours - and no medals to commemorate the

> achievement. The guy driving the van was the pair's only witness.

>

> She had completed a task worth bragging about for the rest of her life,

> but

> that wasn't enough. Eleven months later, DeNicola did it again.

>

> This time she decided to rough it at the Bermuda Marathon, but,

> unfortunately, the training did not go as smoothly the second time around.

> DeNicola pinched a nerve in her neck six weeks before the marathon, and

> when

> the pain came rushing back five miles in, she decided she'd call it quits

> .

> at the 13.1 mark.

>

> Her common sense and medical knowledge told her she couldn't do the full

> 26.2 miles, but her determination and stubborn ways told her she couldn't

> quit before the halfway point, where she was greeted by fans, a clock and

> a

> medal.

>

> DeNicola still lives in Culpeper, working as a communications specialist

> at

> Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation. She has not started training again,

> but intends to add another marathon to her list of accomplishments. In her

> mind, it's not a question of why do that to yourself, it's a question of

> why

> not?

>

> " There's no telling when the medication is going to stop working, "

> DeNicola

> said. " If I'm in a wheelchair in ten years, I want to know that I didn't

> squander my good health. I used it to the best of my ability and I have

> all

> these great memories.

>

> " In arthritis circles we joke that good health is wasted (exclusively) on

> the healthy. "

> But strong minds, as we now know, are not.

>

>

> Tim Hogan can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 115 or thogan@....

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Steph... You are truly amazing! I'm keeping your good health in my heart. Thanks for blazing the trail. Cyd DeNicola <sdenicola@...> wrote:

Hey,Below is an article about me from the local paper for National Arthritis Awareness Month.Steph in VAMinding the milesTim Hogan - Sports EditorCulpeper Star ExponentSunday, May 22, 2005You run a marathon with your legs. When your legs tire, your arms flex a little harder and find an energy boost. If the arms and legs begin to go, your abs tighten, taking you to another level.When all seems lost, you find muscles you didn’t know you had to carry you through the next mile. After all muscles - those you’ve met and those you haven’t - have faded, your mind takes over.A marathon is a mental challenge, about as difficult as they come. The mind fills in the gaps that tired muscles and cramps leave. It’s a substitute, something on which you can always rely if you begin to doubt your calf, your

hamstring.But what if you doubted your entire body, even before the race started? How strong would your mind have to be?It’s impossible to quantify such an answer, but we do know this: at least as strong as DeNicola’s.DeNicola, 27, was a competitive dancer in Queens, N.Y. before she packed her clothes, left her big family behind and turned the corner onto an unpaved path called college.The first three years at Mansfield College in Pennsylvania were good ones. She was active on her small campus and a familiar face to most of those she passed on her way to class.In September of 1999, she was cruising through her workload and preparing for interviews that would determine where she would complete her student teaching during the spring semester.Majoring in English education, she planned to teach middle and high school students. She was moving quickly through life, as motivated college students

do, then something slowed her pace.“I literally went to bed one day and I was fine,” said DeNicola. “Woke up the next day and lost the use of the left side of my body, which is my dominant side.”For the next two months, DeNicola treated countless doctors as if they were students, challenging them and testing their knowledge of the human body. Most failed.In November, after sitting in more waiting rooms than she cares to remember, DeNicola was assured she was not crazy and that her symptoms were real.Contrary to what other doctors had originally suspected, she did not have a brain tumor or mononucleosis, and she had not had a stroke.DeNicola found out she was the victim of genetic mutations, which had grown from health problems in the family, and faced the challenge of battling inflammatory arthritis.She regained use of all of her extremities, and after finding a new drug called Remicade in late

spring of 2000, the pain subsided tremendously. She calls it her “wonder drug.”Remicade may not be effective forever, and there’s always the possibility of long-term side effects. But before she found the drug, the pain was, not metaphorically, almost unbearable.“I don’t know if (Remicade’s) going to kill me,” she said. “And I don’t know if it’s gonna make me worse. I don’t care. Right now it helps me, and that’s all I care about. My pain was so bad that I contemplated suicide.”But with the help of her“wonder drug,” her mind overcame the pain, and after six months of living at home - she had the credits to graduate from Mansfield in December of 1999 - DeNicola was ready for the next challenge.In June of 2000, on the suggestion of a college friend who taught at Culpeper County High School, she moved to Culpeper. The following summer, with her life progressing as normally as could be expected, she had a

full-body bone-density scan, and the results revealed that Remicade had built back much of her bone density.Based on the results, her rheumatologist Dr. Lawson made a joke he never thought would be taken seriously.“Dr. Lawson said, ‘This is awesome! You’re so healthy you could run a marathon,’” recalls DeNicola. “(I said) ‘I couldn’t even dress myself last year, I’m not doing that to my body! It’s pissed off enough as it is!’”But after a little research and a hesitant go-ahead from Dr. Lawson, DeNicola began her six-month training regimen, preparing her to walk the 2001 Honolulu Marathon.DeNicola raised $4,500 for the Arthritis Foundation and had her trip to Hawaii paid for in full. But the walking she had to do herself.“The first couple of hours I was good,” she said of the marathon. “I had learned enough in my training to be alright. About five hours into it, I thought, ‘Oh God, I want to be at home’

… Between eight and nine (hours), I really considered just stopping because they had taken away the water tables and the mile markers, so I had no idea where I was.”Along with a friend from Charlottesville she had met through the Arthritis Foundation, DeNicola found another level, a fifth or sixth wind that kept her going. But quitting wasn’t completely out of the question.“We finally got to a point where we couldn’t go anymore,” she said. “The van guy came around (to pick us up) and was like, ‘you’re 0.2 miles away.’ And I was like, ‘Hell, we’re finishing, even if we have to pull each other over the finish line.’”There was no tape to bust through, no screaming fans, no clock to confirm the time - between 10 and 11 hours - and no medals to commemorate the achievement. The guy driving the van was the pair’s only witness.She had completed a task worth bragging about for the rest of her life, but that wasn’t

enough. Eleven months later, DeNicola did it again.This time she decided to rough it at the Bermuda Marathon, but, unfortunately, the training did not go as smoothly the second time around. DeNicola pinched a nerve in her neck six weeks before the marathon, and when the pain came rushing back five miles in, she decided she’d call it quits … at the 13.1 mark.Her common sense and medical knowledge told her she couldn’t do the full 26.2 miles, but her determination and stubborn ways told her she couldn’t quit before the halfway point, where she was greeted by fans, a clock and a medal.DeNicola still lives in Culpeper, working as a communications specialist at Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation. She has not started training again, but intends to add another marathon to her list of accomplishments. In her mind, it’s not a question of why do that to yourself, it’s a question of why not?“There’s no telling when

the medication is going to stop working,” DeNicola said. “If I’m in a wheelchair in ten years, I want to know that I didn’t squander my good health. I used it to the best of my ability and I have all these great memories.“In arthritis circles we joke that good health is wasted (exclusively) on the healthy.”But strong minds, as we now know, are not.Tim Hogan can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 115 or thogan@....

[Guest guest]

Very cool. Grats!

Good luck,

Don & Eileen

DeNicola wrote:

> Hey,

> Below is an article about me from the local paper for National Arthritis

> Awareness Month.

>

> Steph in VA

>

>

> Minding the miles

>

> Tim Hogan - Sports Editor

> Culpeper Star Exponent

> Sunday, May 22, 2005

>

> You run a marathon with your legs. When your legs tire, your arms flex a

> little harder and find an energy boost. If the arms and legs begin to go,

> your abs tighten, taking you to another level.

>

> When all seems lost, you find muscles you didn’t know you had to carry you

> through the next mile. After all muscles - those you’ve met and those you

> haven’t - have faded, your mind takes over.

>

> A marathon is a mental challenge, about as difficult as they come. The mind

> fills in the gaps that tired muscles and cramps leave. It’s a substitute,

> something on which you can always rely if you begin to doubt your calf, your

> hamstring.

>

> But what if you doubted your entire body, even before the race started? How

> strong would your mind have to be?

> It’s impossible to quantify such an answer, but we do know this: at least as

> strong as DeNicola’s.

>

> DeNicola, 27, was a competitive dancer in Queens, N.Y. before she packed her

> clothes, left her big family behind and turned the corner onto an unpaved

> path called college.

>

> The first three years at Mansfield College in Pennsylvania were good ones.

> She was active on her small campus and a familiar face to most of those she

> passed on her way to class.

>

> In September of 1999, she was cruising through her workload and preparing

> for interviews that would determine where she would complete her student

> teaching during the spring semester.

>

> Majoring in English education, she planned to teach middle and high school

> students. She was moving quickly through life, as motivated college students

> do, then something slowed her pace.

>

> “I literally went to bed one day and I was fine,” said DeNicola. “Woke up

> the next day and lost the use of the left side of my body, which is my

> dominant side.”

>

> For the next two months, DeNicola treated countless doctors as if they were

> students, challenging them and testing their knowledge of the human body.

> Most failed.

>

> In November, after sitting in more waiting rooms than she cares to remember,

> DeNicola was assured she was not crazy and that her symptoms were real.

>

> Contrary to what other doctors had originally suspected, she did not have a

> brain tumor or mononucleosis, and she had not had a stroke.

>

> DeNicola found out she was the victim of genetic mutations, which had grown

> from health problems in the family, and faced the challenge of battling

> inflammatory arthritis.

>

> She regained use of all of her extremities, and after finding a new drug

> called Remicade in late spring of 2000, the pain subsided tremendously. She

> calls it her “wonder drug.”

>

> Remicade may not be effective forever, and there’s always the possibility of

> long-term side effects. But before she found the drug, the pain was, not

> metaphorically, almost unbearable.

>

> “I don’t know if (Remicade’s) going to kill me,” she said. “And I don’t know

> if it’s gonna make me worse. I don’t care. Right now it helps me, and that’s

> all I care about. My pain was so bad that I contemplated suicide.”

>

> But with the help of her

> “wonder drug,” her mind overcame the pain, and after six months of living at

> home - she had the credits to graduate from Mansfield in December of 1999 -

> DeNicola was ready for the next challenge.

>

> In June of 2000, on the suggestion of a college friend who taught at

> Culpeper County High School, she moved to Culpeper. The following summer,

> with her life progressing as normally as could be expected, she had a

> full-body bone-density scan, and the results revealed that Remicade had

> built back much of her bone density.

>

> Based on the results, her rheumatologist Dr. Lawson made a joke he

> never thought would be taken seriously.

>

> “Dr. Lawson said, ‘This is awesome! You’re so healthy you could run a

> marathon,’” recalls DeNicola. “(I said) ‘I couldn’t even dress myself last

> year, I’m not doing that to my body! It’s pissed off enough as it is!’”

>

> But after a little research and a hesitant go-ahead from Dr. Lawson,

> DeNicola began her six-month training regimen, preparing her to walk the

> 2001 Honolulu Marathon.

>

> DeNicola raised $4,500 for the Arthritis Foundation and had her trip to

> Hawaii paid for in full. But the walking she had to do herself.

> “The first couple of hours I was good,” she said of the marathon. “I had

> learned enough in my training to be alright. About five hours into it, I

> thought, ‘Oh God, I want to be at home’ … Between eight and nine (hours), I

> really considered just stopping because they had taken away the water tables

> and the mile markers, so I had no idea where I was.”

>

> Along with a friend from Charlottesville she had met through the Arthritis

> Foundation, DeNicola found another level, a fifth or sixth wind that kept

> her going. But quitting wasn’t completely out of the question.

>

> “We finally got to a point where we couldn’t go anymore,” she said. “The van

> guy came around (to pick us up) and was like, ‘you’re 0.2 miles away.’ And I

> was like, ‘Hell, we’re finishing, even if we have to pull each other over

> the finish line.’”

>

> There was no tape to bust through, no screaming fans, no clock to confirm

> the time - between 10 and 11 hours - and no medals to commemorate the

> achievement. The guy driving the van was the pair’s only witness.

>

> She had completed a task worth bragging about for the rest of her life, but

> that wasn’t enough. Eleven months later, DeNicola did it again.

>

> This time she decided to rough it at the Bermuda Marathon, but,

> unfortunately, the training did not go as smoothly the second time around.

> DeNicola pinched a nerve in her neck six weeks before the marathon, and when

> the pain came rushing back five miles in, she decided she’d call it quits …

> at the 13.1 mark.

>

> Her common sense and medical knowledge told her she couldn’t do the full

> 26.2 miles, but her determination and stubborn ways told her she couldn’t

> quit before the halfway point, where she was greeted by fans, a clock and a

> medal.

>

> DeNicola still lives in Culpeper, working as a communications specialist at

> Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation. She has not started training again,

> but intends to add another marathon to her list of accomplishments. In her

> mind, it’s not a question of why do that to yourself, it’s a question of why

> not?

>

> “There’s no telling when the medication is going to stop working,” DeNicola

> said. “If I’m in a wheelchair in ten years, I want to know that I didn’t

> squander my good health. I used it to the best of my ability and I have all

> these great memories.

>

> “In arthritis circles we joke that good health is wasted (exclusively) on

> the healthy.”

> But strong minds, as we now know, are not.

>

>

> Tim Hogan can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 115 or thogan@....

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Bravo ! I'm so impressed with your accomplishments.

Beth

> Hey,

> Below is an article about me from the local paper for National

Arthritis

> Awareness Month.

>

> Steph in VA

>

>

> Minding the miles

>

> Tim Hogan - Sports Editor

> Culpeper Star Exponent

> Sunday, May 22, 2005

>

> You run a marathon with your legs. When your legs tire, your arms

flex a

> little harder and find an energy boost. If the arms and legs begin

to go,

> your abs tighten, taking you to another level.

>

> When all seems lost, you find muscles you didn't know you had to

carry you

> through the next mile. After all muscles - those you've met and

those you

> haven't - have faded, your mind takes over.

>

> A marathon is a mental challenge, about as difficult as they come.

The mind

> fills in the gaps that tired muscles and cramps leave. It's a

substitute,

> something on which you can always rely if you begin to doubt your

calf, your

> hamstring.

>

> But what if you doubted your entire body, even before the race

started? How

> strong would your mind have to be?

> It's impossible to quantify such an answer, but we do know this:

at least as

> strong as DeNicola's.

>

> DeNicola, 27, was a competitive dancer in Queens, N.Y. before she

packed her

> clothes, left her big family behind and turned the corner onto an

unpaved

> path called college.

>

> The first three years at Mansfield College in Pennsylvania were

good ones.

> She was active on her small campus and a familiar face to most of

those she

> passed on her way to class.

>

> In September of 1999, she was cruising through her workload and

preparing

> for interviews that would determine where she would complete her

student

> teaching during the spring semester.

>

> Majoring in English education, she planned to teach middle and

high school

> students. She was moving quickly through life, as motivated

college students

> do, then something slowed her pace.

>

> " I literally went to bed one day and I was fine, " said

DeNicola. " Woke up

> the next day and lost the use of the left side of my body, which

is my

> dominant side. "

>

> For the next two months, DeNicola treated countless doctors as if

they were

> students, challenging them and testing their knowledge of the

human body.

> Most failed.

>

> In November, after sitting in more waiting rooms than she cares to

remember,

> DeNicola was assured she was not crazy and that her symptoms were

real.

>

> Contrary to what other doctors had originally suspected, she did

not have a

> brain tumor or mononucleosis, and she had not had a stroke.

>

> DeNicola found out she was the victim of genetic mutations, which

had grown

> from health problems in the family, and faced the challenge of

battling

> inflammatory arthritis.

>

> She regained use of all of her extremities, and after finding a

new drug

> called Remicade in late spring of 2000, the pain subsided

tremendously. She

> calls it her " wonder drug. "

>

> Remicade may not be effective forever, and there's always the

possibility of

> long-term side effects. But before she found the drug, the pain

was, not

> metaphorically, almost unbearable.

>

> " I don't know if (Remicade's) going to kill me, " she said. " And I

don't know

> if it's gonna make me worse. I don't care. Right now it helps me,

and that's

> all I care about. My pain was so bad that I contemplated suicide. "

>

> But with the help of her

> " wonder drug, " her mind overcame the pain, and after six months of

living at

> home - she had the credits to graduate from Mansfield in December

of 1999 -

> DeNicola was ready for the next challenge.

>

> In June of 2000, on the suggestion of a college friend who taught

at

> Culpeper County High School, she moved to Culpeper. The following

summer,

> with her life progressing as normally as could be expected, she

had a

> full-body bone-density scan, and the results revealed that

Remicade had

> built back much of her bone density.

>

> Based on the results, her rheumatologist Dr. Lawson made a

joke he

> never thought would be taken seriously.

>

> " Dr. Lawson said, `This is awesome! You're so healthy you could

run a

> marathon,' " recalls DeNicola. " (I said) `I couldn't even dress

myself last

> year, I'm not doing that to my body! It's pissed off enough as it

is!' "

>

> But after a little research and a hesitant go-ahead from Dr.

Lawson,

> DeNicola began her six-month training regimen, preparing her to

walk the

> 2001 Honolulu Marathon.

>

> DeNicola raised $4,500 for the Arthritis Foundation and had her

trip to

> Hawaii paid for in full. But the walking she had to do herself.

> " The first couple of hours I was good, " she said of the

marathon. " I had

> learned enough in my training to be alright. About five hours into

it, I

> thought, `Oh God, I want to be at home' … Between eight and nine

(hours), I

> really considered just stopping because they had taken away the

water tables

> and the mile markers, so I had no idea where I was. "

>

> Along with a friend from Charlottesville she had met through the

Arthritis

> Foundation, DeNicola found another level, a fifth or sixth wind

that kept

> her going. But quitting wasn't completely out of the question.

>

> " We finally got to a point where we couldn't go anymore, " she

said. " The van

> guy came around (to pick us up) and was like, `you're 0.2 miles

away.' And I

> was like, `Hell, we're finishing, even if we have to pull each

other over

> the finish line.' "

>

> There was no tape to bust through, no screaming fans, no clock to

confirm

> the time - between 10 and 11 hours - and no medals to commemorate

the

> achievement. The guy driving the van was the pair's only witness.

>

> She had completed a task worth bragging about for the rest of her

life, but

> that wasn't enough. Eleven months later, DeNicola did it again.

>

> This time she decided to rough it at the Bermuda Marathon, but,

> unfortunately, the training did not go as smoothly the second time

around.

> DeNicola pinched a nerve in her neck six weeks before the

marathon, and when

> the pain came rushing back five miles in, she decided she'd call

it quits …

> at the 13.1 mark.

>

> Her common sense and medical knowledge told her she couldn't do

the full

> 26.2 miles, but her determination and stubborn ways told her she

couldn't

> quit before the halfway point, where she was greeted by fans, a

clock and a

> medal.

>

> DeNicola still lives in Culpeper, working as a communications

specialist at

> Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation. She has not started training

again,

> but intends to add another marathon to her list of

accomplishments. In her

> mind, it's not a question of why do that to yourself, it's a

question of why

> not?

>

> " There's no telling when the medication is going to stop working, "

DeNicola

> said. " If I'm in a wheelchair in ten years, I want to know that I

didn't

> squander my good health. I used it to the best of my ability and I

have all

> these great memories.

>

> " In arthritis circles we joke that good health is wasted

(exclusively) on

> the healthy. "

> But strong minds, as we now know, are not.

>

>

> Tim Hogan can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 115 or thogan@s...

[Guest guest]

Steph,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for

sending in that article on Monday. I read it before I went to work and it

may have saved me the mobility in my left wrist.

The right one is naturally fused because I

was mocha and didn’t want to complain or bother the doctors. I have

been sick with first a sinus infection, then a lung infection with a 100 degree

temperature. Monday @ about 4pm, my left wrist suddenly felt like it was

being crushed, bent in two, and the blood was on fire. I was at work and

had a very hard time not to scream. Because of your article and what

happened to you, I knew this was an emergency. I got an appt with my

rhemy and got the help I needed. I also lost my pride and went after the

special computer equipment and software I need at work to protect my mobility.

My company and boss are being very supportive about it.

Have a great day,

Lynette & Molly (the fruit stealing

Boston Terrier)

land Zone 7

http://community.webshots.com/user/lmthib

size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>

From: Rheumatoid Arthritis

[mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On

Behalf Of Cydney Batchelor

Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 2:07 AM

To:

Rheumatoid Arthritis ; kanzivino@...;

MysticBluEyez@...

Subject: Re:

Article about my arthritis

Steph... You are truly amazing! I'm keeping your good health in my

heart. Thanks for blazing the trail. Cyd

DeNicola

<sdenicola@...> wrote:

Hey,

Below is an article about me from the local paper for National Arthritis

Awareness Month.

Steph in VA