i don't remember it when i was really young. that might be because i was too busy talking everybody's ear off or perhaps just that she was younger then, but i never saw it that my nannie was in pain. as we both aged and her ability to manage her crochet or knitting needles dwindled and then fizzled out, it just became part of who she was. if she was in pain, she never complained about it. if it inhibited the fun things we did, she hid it well. looking back, my later memories are stained with her swollen joints and rickety body, but i don't remember it ever standing in our way. my grandmother suffered from arthritis for most of her adult life, but in all the times that mattered, she put that aside and made nannie & grandad's house the greatest place to be in all the world.

do a little reading about rheumatoid arthritis and you'll see that a tendency towards the disease may be inherited. (ra itself is not hereditary, but you may be partial to suffering it if someone before you in your family did.) luckily, my mom hasn't exhibited any signs of it, nor have i. (and with a genetically connected history, any ache prompts a blood test just to be on the safe side.)

there's an overabundance of charities out there and plenty of events to take part it. it's a symptom of our day and age that everyone is asking for money because every group seems to need it. for research, for prevention, for cures, there are a laundry list of reasons to raise funds and (almost) all of them are very worthy of your time and attention.

power of movement is being dubbed yoga challenge to beat arthritis & autoimmune conditions. what better way to work against something that defined the life of someone i loved so much? using something i love to battle it.

on march 4th, five hundred of us will be taking part in this yoga event in athlete's village, vancouver. (you may have seen the area featured as part of the 2010 winter olympics.) thousands of others in locations all across the country will have the same agenda. we are doing it in gratitude for the healthy bodies we have and the therapeutic benefits of the practice. we are paying it forward by putting all we can bring together in support towards the arthritis research foundation.

please help!

• register to attend the event - even better register to attend the event with me :) - raise money and awareness
• visit my page and offer up whatever donation you can afford to share

If you collect offline donations (i.e. cash and cheques) please ensure that the below forms are completed and either mailed into the Arthritis Research Foundation, or brought to the event that you are participating in on Sunday, March 4th.

Power of Movement Manual Donation Form

For fundraising, prize and other donation related information, please visit the "Prize" tab on the event home screen.