But despite her deep desire to stay fit, Michelle, 42, has always been faced with puzzling health issues from the time she young. During her childhood, gastro-intestinal infections landed her in the hospital on several occasions. And, sometimes when she woke up in the morning during her high school years, one of her knees would be dramatically swollen for no apparent reason. Her pediatricians were stumped.

Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, Michelle went onto to the University of Akron where she earned a degree in film and television, and began a television career shortly thereafter in the Cleveland area. However, before too long, Michelle decided to attend film school in England where she had the opportunity to do some extensive traveling throughout Europe. It was the experience of a lifetime, but during her travels she contracted an intestinal parasite that was diagnosed and successfully treated by her doctor when she returned to Canton. Unfortunately for Michelle, this was just the beginning of her health issues.

Several years later when Michelle was 31, her gastro-intestinal problems resurfaced, only this time accompanied by back pain and shortness of breath. And, one morning she woke up to find that one of her toes had swollen to three times its normal size. “It was just like my knee when I was younger,” she says. It was a symptom she hadn’t experienced since she was a teenager.

Her general physician referred her to a rheumatologist. “A rheumatologist? Would you like to check my driver’s license, because I’m 31 years old,” she joked with her doctor.

But, the rheumatologist misdiagnosed Michelle with a form of oligoarthropathy, and her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse. “My hips were hurting, my shoulders were hurting, my neck, and especially the middle of my back.”

Eventually, one day a friend of Michelle’s casually commented how she didn’t look like she was feeling well, and asked how she was doing. After describing her symptoms, her friend told her, “You have ankylosing spondylitis, my brother has it.” Michelle’s friend explained her brother’s symptoms, which matched Michelle’s to a T.

Her friend recommended another rheumatologist who tested Michelle for the spondylitis gene. She tested positive, so Michelle immediately began to do some research. She discovered that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a form of spondyloarthritis, a chronic, inflammatory arthritis with a strong genetic predisposition. It affects joints in the spine and the sacroilium in the pelvis, causing the eventual fusion of the spine. Complete fusion results in total rigidity of the spine.

“I realized, oh my goodness, my mom and sister have this, and many of my close relatives suffer from conditions directly related to this disease.”

Almost immediately, she became very involved with the Spondylitis Association of America. She ran support groups, participated in disease studies, connected with other AS patients, and met Dr. Mohammed Khan, one of the leading AS physicians who suffers from the condition himself.

Despite having to seek treatment and manage her condition, Michelle continued to lead a busy lifestyle and pursue a successful career. She got married, and worked for a major television network in the Chicago area for several years. But, as the media industry began to tighten its belt, Michelle’s hours were significantly reduced. So, she took a leap of faith and devoted all her time to running her side business, Mimi Productions, a television, video and production company.

But, managing her own business also meant sacrificing the medical coverage she had received through the union she had belonged to while working for the network. To treat her condition, Michelle relied on several medications, including Enbrel®, a crucial medication to anyone suffering from an immune system-related disease such as AS.

She was able to cover the expenses of her insurance premium plus her medication for about year, until the financial burden just became too much.

“The costs just kept adding up. It’s dramatic,” she says. “If I don’t take my medication, I’m in so much pain it’s unbelievable. And, if I don’t have my Embrel®, I can’t work.”

Luckily, several contacts that she met through the Spondylitis Association of America told Michelle about the Patient Access Network. And, in a relatively short period of time, Michelle was able to qualify for assistance to help pay for her medication.

“The Patient Access Network covers my entire monthly co-pay, which is almost $400 a month. It was a godsend,” according to Michelle. “Not only is my pain under control, but I don’t have to worry about where the money is going to come from.”

Michelle also points out that she is grateful for the Patient Access Network because of the help it provides her and others in need of financial assistance to manage their illness.

“I’m truly thankful that the Patient Access Network exists, and that they have donors who support them.”

Today, Michelle continues to successfully run Mimi Productions, and is back to working out, and staying fit. “The worst thing you can do for AS is to be inactive. You need move it or fuse it!”

Without proper and consistent treatment, Michelle’s disease would surely progress at a much faster rate to the point where her spine would become completely fused, rendering her disabled.

“All I ever really wanted is to be normal, and lead a normal life,” says Michelle. “And, thanks to the help I receive from the Patient Access Network, I can.”