Our Community
Find an Arthritis Walk event near you
Share Your Story
Your Stories
Paul Butler, 66
Itasca, IL
I am looking at a picture of myself taken in the summer of 2005. At that time I weighed over 300 pounds. Arthritis didn't bother me that much because I was not physically active. Three hundred pounds is a lot of weight to put on a titanium hip. The hip replacement was the due to arthritis leaving those nasty calcium deposits in my hip joints.
In December of 2005, the Arthritis Foundation had sent a query out to see if I wanted to do a 5K in May of 2006. I signed up for it. There was a group at Alexian Brothers Hospital called KMR and they were running and ad in the paper at the same time as the 5K run. They provided a way to have me make some lifestyle changes, including knowing what I put in my mouth and thinking about it and encouraging exercise.
At the 5K a Joints In Motion volunteer handed me a brochure. I made a decision that raising funds to fight arthritis, continuing to lose weight and feeling better were top priorities.
During 2006 I walked two half marathons and a full marathon. During 2007 I walked 2 5Ks, 2 half marathons and was more then half way through the Chicago Marathon when the race was stopped.
Along the way I was named Athlete of the Month in the July, 2007 Chicago Athlete Magazine. In February 2008 I was named the Male Athlete of 2007 in the same magazine.
Physically taking the weight off has reduced the feeling of discomfort in my hip. Emotionally the activity has been staggering. It is important that people with arthritis know that these challenges need not stop them.
My good fortune is that now I can do this. As more joints calcify my mobility will be limited, that process is going to take a lot longer if I use a healthy diet and keep moving, all while maintaining my new weight, 175 pounds.
