“I went to bed healthy, and the next morning I woke up with a very swollen toe,” said Michelle DeLong, a television news editor and producer/director of her own production company. A resident of the Gold Coast, DeLong was 31 years old when she first showed symptoms that something was wrong. Now, three years later, she has received confirmation that her illness is Ankylosing Spondylitis, a form of arthritis that attacks the joints of the spine and pelvis. She now is working to fight all arthritic diseases by training to walk the Chicago Marathon Oct. 7 and raising funds through the Arthritis Foundation’s Joints In Motion.
DeLong’s illness is chronic and in some patients will eventually fuse the spine completely. “The disease is very difficult to diagnose,” DeLong told Inside. “Up until a few years ago, Ankylosing Spondylitis was thought to be a man’s disease. I finally had to take my mother and sister, also undiagnosed, to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, to take part in a research project in order to find out that we had this illness.”
While DeLong was told her case was severe, she amazed the researchers with her mobility range of motion. “Basically, I shouldn’t be able to bend over as far as I can, walk as fast as I can or have the endurance that I do. They feel that the exercise I do is key to my well being. Staying fit by training to walk the Chicago Marathon makes me feel like I have a little control over the illness,” said DeLong. “I keep a training log and have been walking about 18 miles a week while increasing my distances to prepare for the 26.2 miles next Sunday. My time is pretty good. I’m averaging thirteen-minute miles.
Donations will be accepted through the end of the year. Anyone wishing to contribute may contact DeLong at (773) 267-4640.
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