You Can Do It Too

Yes, you have arthritis but you too can do more than you ever imagined possible, says author Sandra-Kay Austin.

Diagnosed in 1982 with what a top rheumatologist and thirty year researcher called 'a case so severe I didn't recognize the illness', Sandra-Kay Austin had to face the prognosis of a bed-ridden life due to Fibromyalgia, misdiagnosis, and previous mistreatment. Now, diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome too, over twenty years later she has just released her first novel and is working on the sequel.

With her health much improved but still presenting challenges, her book, The Old Man's Secret, stands as proof that those with chronic illness can accomplish their goals by following this advice:

1) Face and accept that you do have challenges and look for aids and ways that will help you to function. When the author writes at her computer, she wears a collar, sits in an ergonomic chair, and takes breaks often to rest, walk, or do light housework.

2) Don't set unrealistic goals or try to live up to the expectations of others. It took the author three years to write her novel because she could only write when she felt well enough.

3) Remember you need to allow others to help you. The author says she would not have been able to face the daily pain and fatigue that writing brings without help and encouragement from God, family, and friends.

4) Never give up trying. Some days the author has reread her work of the day before and had to start again because she'd obviously been having a FM moment (her brain wasn't working correctly).

So? Are you ready to dive into your goal? Go for it. You can do it. Sandra-Kay Austin accomplished her goal to write one book and is working on her next, the sequel.

To find out more about the author and her book, go to sandrakayaustin.com