Sue Tobin is proof that living healthy with arthritis is possible, and she credits the University of Arizona Arthritis Center for making it more probable.
"I am walking fine and not experiencing any limitations. My hands are flexible, and I am able to do everything," said Tobin, 81, who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for most of her life and is now in remission.
"I have to give credit to the Arthritis Center. I feel they have been very instrumental in my recovery, and I hope that other people can make a connection with the center and avail themselves of the help I have had."
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis -one of more than 100 different diseases of the joints and immune system that fall under the arthritis umbrella.
The disease is characterized by recurrent flare-ups of joint pain and swelling that can affect mobility and other daily activities. Over time, deformity of joints can result without treatment; organs can also be affected.
People are also reading…
From early on, Tobin, a self-described "glass-is-always-half-full" person, was determined to keep the arthritis at bay. She said the love and consideration of her late husband, Saul, was key to that goal.
She and Saul made a commitment together to maximize her health and the health of others through the Susan and Saul Tobin Endowment for Research and Education in Rheumatology at the Arthritis Center.
"Saul and I felt very strongly about education - that people should know what arthritis is and how to live a normal life with it and not let it take over their lives. I feel this program is helping people to achieve that goal," said Tobin, a member of the advisory board for the center.
Sue and Saul became major benefactors of the center more than 25 years ago after its establishment as one of 11 Centers of Excellence nationwide by the National Institutes of Health.
"Among the many charitable things he did, Saul was one of the first people who came forward when we developed the Center of Excellence. … He helped us get together with his former business partner Mel Zuckerman, who started Canyon Ranch, and develop some of the principles for the Healthy Living program. Saul and Sue helped perpetuate the center," said Dr. Eric Gall, co-founder and interim director of the center.
Now the multidisciplinary facility offers research to better identify the causes of the many forms of arthritis and develop improved technologies for diagnosing, measuring and treating the disease.
The center also offers numerous clinical trials and collaborates closely with specialists in fields such as rheumatology, orthopedics and orthopedic surgery, immunology, radiology and pharmacology.
The Living Healthy With Arthritis program made possible through the Tobin Endowment has become a cornerstone of education and outreach that includes a monthly lecture series in Tucson and Green Valley, an annual educational conference and a monthly exercise series.
The upcoming Positive Strides to Living Healthy With Arthritis Conference on Jan. 21 is dedicated to improving quality of life for the one in three people who suffer from arthritis and the many family members, friends and caregivers affected by the disease, according Gall.
He said it provides an excellent opportunity to bring the public together with arthritis experts in the community to focus on all aspects of healthy living.
If You Go
• What:"Positive Strides to Living Healthy With Arthritis": The University of Arizona Arthritis Center Conference.
• When: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 21.
• Where: DuVal Auditorium at the University of Arizona Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave.
• Cost: $12 per person; free for members of the UA Arthritis Center Friends; advance registration is required.
• Etc.: The conference begins with an early-bird stretch and includes coffee and lunch, a raffle and two breakout sessions with presentations by speakers from the UA Arthritis Center and Canyon Ranch health resort.
Keynote speaker Dr. James Benjamin will discuss the latest advancements in joint replacement. Other presentations include information about ankle arthritis, cartilage regeneration, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, pain management, weight control and exercise.
Free parking is available in the UA Medical Center parking garage.
For more information or to register, e-mail LivingHealthy@arthritis.arizona.edu or call the UA Arthritis Center at 626-5040.
Contact freelance writer Loni Nannini at ninch2@comcast.net
Lake Mead's drops raise prospect of unaffordable Hoover Dam electricity
