Klassic's International: Testimonials

I developed Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 18. Rheumatoid Arthritis ("RA") is an autoimmune system disorder that can attack at any age. In a healthy body, the immune system sends inflammation to parts or systems of the body that are unhealthy, i.e. one develops a fever when ill, or swelling when injured. This is the body's attempt to flush the illness or trauma and speed healing. In RA, the system becomes confused and sends inflammation to joints unnecessarily, causing chronic pain and swelling. Symptoms include inflamed joints and/or joints hot to the touch, chronic low-grade fever, chronic fatigue, muscle loss and weakness, and malaise similar to flu symptoms. The disease is usually progressive and ultimately destroys the joints, resulting in permanent disability to the affected joints.

In my case the disease progressed over the years despite all treatments available, both medical and holistic. The illness began with swelling and inflammation in limited joints and bouts of fatigue and malaise. For many years I denied the illness. Because of the sporadic nature of my symptoms at that time, it was easy for me to ignore the illness when my symptoms were quiet. I am by nature a very energetic person who has always had many goals for myself. At that time I really couldn't comprehend anything that could inhibit me from living out my goals and dreams.

By the time I was in my late 20's though, the illness became too severe to ignore. I began seeing a rheumatologist and sought medical treatment. By then I had remarried and had two young sons. The disease was so severe that I was having difficulty caring for my children and completing the daily tasks of life. I remember fighting back the tears as I tied my sons' baby shoes in the mornings because the pain in my hands was so severe. The usual tasks one does to live becomes insurmountable at times. I struggled while carrying anything, pushing a vacuum, climbing stairs, driving, turning a key or a door knob, brushing my teeth, buttoning my blouse. I found that it was necessary for me to rest when my sons napped in order to get through the day. But no amount of rest was enough; I always felt tired and groggy.

Each of my children learned to be more self-sufficient than the average kid due to the illness. As soon as my sons were able to toddle, I taught them how to climb up and down from their highchairs and car-seats on their own so that I could minimize my having to lift them. As my children have grown they have become responsible for doing all the chores Mom can't do, like carrying in the groceries, vacuuming and scrubbing.

I've always been amazed at how compassionate these children are. While I have always attempted to minimize expressing my pain for their sake, they always know when I am having a hard day and often do those tender, small things that mean so much, like bringing me an ice pack or rubbing my shoulders or saying something like "I'm sorry you're not feeling well, Mom. I love you," and giving me a good, long hug - the best medicine in the world.

I have always believed that the things we perceive as negatives are actually positives waiting to be revealed and that our challenge is to see through those perceptions so that we may see the hidden truth or lesson behind it. So for all the pain and struggle with this illness, RA has given me many valuable lessons.

RA has inspired my spiritual growth as I questioned God's will and asked myself over the years and through various stages of the illness what my lesson was, what I needed to learn from this pain and disability. As the disease progressed and robbed me of my health and the freedom to live life as I wanted, it also gave me many opportunities for growth, forgiveness and acceptance.

RA has taught me to be a more compassionate person. Through my own suffering I have learned to empathize with the suffering of others. It has taught me forgiveness; I have learned to forgive myself for being ill (if you are sick you know what I mean!). This lesson spreads far beyond the illness. Through my own forgiveness I have learned to forgive others and this has made me a much more accepting person. It has taught me to take one day at a time and to live in the moment. I am able to feel so much joy and gratitude for things others may take for granted, like the sun falling on my garden flowers, or the sound of a child's laughter, or warm, soothing bath water, or a good night's sleep.

My life is very rich because of this. I have learned that I cannot control most things in life and this has made me more flexible in my thinking and more able to take things as they come without freaking out. It has taught me how to discern between what really matters and all that fluff we are bombarded with and how to nurture those things that matter. It has taught me to be more loving, patient and gentle with others; it has taught me to be strong and capable. It has taught me to still have faith even when there appears to be nothing to be hoping for. It has taught me grace.

All of my life's goals and dreams had been impacted by the illness and the side effects of the many medications I have taken over a 20-plus year period. When I began taking a certain medication for the RA I was horrified to see my hair coming out in clumps, breaking off mid-strand as I brushed it and becoming thinner and more frayed each day. I awoke each morning to find many hairs on my pillow. When I ran my hands through it, I pulled handfuls of hair out.

I became hyper-vigilant about my hair. I stopped washing it every day, I stopped blow-drying it, I brushed and combed it ever so gently and began using herbal hair products and products that supposedly encouraged new hair growth. All of this was to no avail. My hair continued to fall out.

Before my hair started falling out I was never really very interested in my hair or cosmetics. I am for the most part, a natural sort and really never even wore much makeup. I usually got a haircut only when my hair really needed it, like every six months or so and I would usually just blow dry my hair when I washed it. I normally spent about 4-6 minutes styling my hair each day, very low-maintenance!

So it really perplexed me when I became nearly obsessed with my hair as it began to fall out. I wondered why this was so important to me as I stared with intrigue at other women's beautiful hair, how it was thick, shiny and healthy, how it moved and looked so lovely. I thought of my own dad, mostly bald by age 25 and my ex-husband, who had thick, beautiful hair; how he examined his hair each day as it became thinner with age and the many concerns he expressed about it. This gave me comfort, because if men, who are overall low-maintenance on the grooming front, can become so concerned about hair loss then it somehow put into context my own feelings and concerns.

I realized that for me this was just one more loss I didn't want but that this was something I could do something about.

I must say that I am still surprised that I was willing to invest so much in my hair and even sometimes have a twinge that I must be very vain to do so. But then I remember the feelings of loss around losing my hair, of the many things my illness had taken from me over the years, and how every time I looked in the mirror I had a visual reminder of that loss. I acknowledge the pain of those feelings so for me it is well worth it.

I am amazed at how pleased I am with it. It is so very natural and the technique Klassic's used is completely undetectable. The hair completely matches my own, both in color and texture, yet it is long, shiny, healthy and beautiful. It is the hair I have always dreamed of having, the hair I have always wanted.