September is Arthritis Awareness Month.  

While there are over 100 types of arthritis, the two most common types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis causes cartilage to break down and rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the joints.

Corrie Billodeau, a volunteer with the Arthritis Society Canada and arthritis sufferer shares how the condition has affected her life.

“It absolutely changed everything in my whole life. From the minute I woke up, even my sleep was affected at that time. I had a lot of joint changes therefore there were also physical limitations to deal with. I had to change jobs as my job was too physical and I lost a lot of friends because they did not understand my fatigue and pain that I was dealing with. I was no longer able to play sports, even standing in a line for a concert or going for long walks at that time was very hard for me.”
       
Billodeau credits the Arthritis Society Canada for providing her with the resources needed to cope with her condition and for the research they fund to help improve treatments.

To hear her story, listen to Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10.