Living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) means your body and mind are always on a roller coaster, one that Goaba Kgasa (29) wishes every newly diagnosed RA patient could be more prepared for.

“You are constantly grieving for that healthy being you used to be. It’s a constant battle. It takes time. Some days you wake up ready to take on your sudden unexpected full-time job of managing symptoms. “Some days you don’t feel like doing it anymore, you are just tired of it all. It’s exhausting, always taking medication, doing physiotherapy, the endless doctor’s appointments, it can all get too much sometimes,” Kgasa said in an interview. In fact, depending on how one views it, the mental and emotional impact can be even more debilitating than the disease itself at times. “You get disheartened that formerly simple tasks are no longer as easy to do.“I battled depression and anxiety and lost so much weight during that time. I couldn’t wrap my head around how out of nowhere I suddenly didn’t have input in anything in my life. It pained me that I couldn’t take care of my son or provide for him and I had lost my independence,” she shared. Kgasa got her first symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune condition, where the immune system, rather than germs and viruses, aggressively targets the body’s healthy tissues and joints. When this happens, the joints can become stiff and inflamed and cause pain. RA affects the small joints of the hand, wrist, and feet before affecting larger joints and if left untreated can cause deformity and disability. “What works for me lately is doing my exercises at home, trying my best to keep my moving joints as healthy as I possibly can even though there is little movement on the joints that have already fused. “I read a lot of books and I’m loving it. I’m also doing a lot of research on my business to acquire more knowledge so I bring out the best quality products for my clients,” Kgasa said. Kgasa has an organic skincare line business and also makes hand knitted beanies and scarfs. Any opportunity Kgasa gets, whether on social media, television, radio or in public speaker engagements she is happy to talk about her journey with RA, disability, and living with a chronic illness. “I want people to not only understand my disease because there are many misconceptions and stigmas surrounding it. But it is also to give hope to others going through the same thing to keep going and never give up,” she said. People have misconceptions about RA, Kgasa says. Many are surprised that she experienced the disease at such a young age. “A lot of people don’t believe it can happen, they think it’s witchcraft. Everyone’s RA is totally different Another myth I get from people is that if you are feeling better, you should stop taking medication. “This is very wrong. You also get people who think RA only affects the joints. Not true. RA is systemic, so it involves organs like your heart, lungs, and kidneys.” On what she would want people to know about RA, Kgasa said it really comes down to one major thing, and that is, the disease is serious, and she wishes those who don’t experience it would be more