“Seeing our online community support each other has been amazing”

26 March 2020
Yvonne and her grandchild.
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I’m Yvonne and I’ve been a member of the volunteer moderators for the online community for a long time.

I wanted to share what I love about working for Versus Arthritis and being an online community officer. I also want to thank our awesome community members for making the online community such a supportive safe space for people impacted by arthritis.

Getting positive feedback like this from people who use the community is amazing. Its success is down to you, the people who find it a homely place where they can share anything from triumphs, concerns and questions.

“I for one greatly appreciate your collective time, effort and dedication in keeping this platform up and running for people like myself to use when needed (and when others need information). I do not underestimate the effort it can take as I know each and everyone of the 'management' is also dealing with arthritis in its varying forms. More power to your creaky elbows, everyone, and my heartfelt thanks.”

DD, community member

“In the early days and months of diagnosis, this place was my saviour and kept me going. Even when I don’t post, I think of here as my “home”. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

community member

The support and the love from the members always motivates and helps to keep me going, especially when I have a difficult day.

“I’ve got Sjogren’s and Raynaud’s…”

Then there’s osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia too. It’s a bit to get your head around, but it didn’t all appear at once. I’ve always had Raynaud’s. One of its symptoms is my extremities go white, maybe blue with cold and they hurt a lot as they warm up. It’s usual to think of hands and fingers but extremities mean more than that, toes, nose, ears and others too delicate to mention 😊.

I am lucky, I have a great life, a family – husband, children, grandchildren who all love me and I them. I have a great role on the community – that’s how I always saw it, as a job, even when I was a volunteer. It’s given me a sense of self-worth, allowed me to help others, to make friends, to be me and I’d have it no different.

“Seeing our online community grow has been amazing”

We have a great manager who supports us and helps us look to the future to do more for people with arthritis.

Our community feels like a lynch pin, caring for people with arthritis who maybe don’t know anyone else with arthritis. They might be struggling, unable to do some of the things we take for granted, or who maybe are as frightened as I was.

“The online community is so important, and I love my job”

Wow! I am so grateful. It was hard when I had to retire from teaching due to ill health in 2002, and I couldn’t work full time, that was certain.

Going through the job-hunting process was hard and demanding, it made me realise I really wanted this job. I had to make it work for me and I asked for a job share, as the post was full time, and to work from home.

I am lucky as I share my role with my husband Bryn, our talents complement each other, as he’s a web wizard and I’m good with people. We work well together.

“I’m proud to be part of our community”

We are available to everyone whether you have just been diagnosed with arthritis or you have lived with arthritis for a long-time.

The success of the community is down to us all and we want ours to be the best and to lead the way. Thank you to all of our members for helping us achieve more for people with arthritis.

We’re here whenever you need us.

 

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