Christina Lowe,  —

In 2014 I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis. The five-year struggle I went through to find out what was going on with my body when it felt like no one was listening, and the shock of hearing my diagnosis, because it was something I had never heard of before, made me eager to learn more and to educate others. To understand why it took so long to get a diagnosis, why doctors had never mentioned it before, what this disease is, and to help others to cope with getting this diagnosis. It has become my goal to raise awareness for AS (Ankylosing Spondylitis) so that hopefully diagnosis times can be cut down as well as disease progression. Also, being a mother and once very active I know first hand how hard it is to lose the activities we once loved due to this disease. It is extremely important for me to help others learn to adjust their lifestyles after their diagnosis if needed. It is my mission to help as many people as possible to deal with the hard times and frustrations that come with being diagnosed with AS. We are not alone in this, there is help out there.