Being a mother of four sons and clearly the minority in my home, I’m quite cognizant of the male perspective. As a communications and PR professional,soon after my RA diagnosis I focused some advocacy on the male RA patient awareness during RA Month this past May by way of an article on my “Men & RA” page. I immediately noticed after diagnosis that women with RA were exclusively spotlighted almost everywhere, even logos defining advocacy and information on the disease. I felt that men must have a hard time identifying with a disease they have to live with whose “corporate identity” excludes; some could even be perceived as blatantly ostracizing men. I’m seeing some improvements already from the media for the male RA patient. I hope it escalates to where it needs to be for a more comprehensive outreach.

Thank you for paving the way for more men with RA to feel empowered, despite society’s prejudices.