Appreciate Today

Two years ago I suffered from arthritis. Joints all over my body became so stiff and painful that I was nearly incapacitated. All my life I have been extremely active, both in my work life and leisure time. Nothing had ever slowed me down before, but suddenly I needed assistance just to put on my socks. To make matters worse, the doctors I was seeing had no explanation for my symptoms and gave me little insight into if or when my symptoms would improve.

That is when I was blessed to become a patient of Dr. Fred Becker. Dr. Becker listened to my story like none of the doctors had before. He didn’t have an immediate answer, but in the days after I left his office, I received messages about research he was doing and information he was gathering from other physicians he had reached out to. Over the next several weeks, he got me established with a specialist in rheumatology and started on a medication regimen that began to ease my symptoms.

All of those efforts were invaluable, but I think the greatest service that Dr. Becker provided was the sage advice to live in the moment. When I told him how anxious I was that my symptoms would impact many plans I had for the future, including hoping to build a home entirely on my own, he reminded me to focus on the present and the rest would follow. When I asked him what the chances were that I would regain my health and be able to accomplish the many goals I had planned, he reminded me that I needed to set my sights on improving my health bit by bit, one day at a time.

I took that advice to heart and tried to concentrate each day on being thankful for the things I was able to do, instead of feeling frustrated about things I wasn’t able to do. Over the course of the next year and a half, I regained my health and have been weaned off all medications. Dr. Becker’s medical and scientific expertise was a huge part in that success, but I believe that his bed side manner and personal support were just as important in my recovery - if not more. I am truly grateful for his amazing care.