Are You Willing To Join The Fight?

Have you ever experienced pain? I don’t mean the pain that you feel when someone has hurt your feelings. And, no, I don’t mean the pain you feel when you have your monthly visitor, or even the excruciating pain you feel when you stub your toe on the bedpost. I’m talking about a pain that is so debilitating it keeps you from getting out of bed! If you have never experienced a pain like this, you may consider yourself lucky, but for many women around the world who suffer from Fibromyalgia, the pain is just one of the many enemies their body is forced to experience. Aside from the pain, many who suffer from Fibromyalgia also experience fatigue, sleep abnormalities, restless legs, dizziness, and a host of other symptoms.

Fibromyalgia is an illness that causes chronic pain that can interrupt a woman’s, a man’s, and even a young child’s life, regardless of ethnicity. Mona Austin, Founder of Jireh Communications Group, is very familiar with Fibromyalgia and the challenges women face while dealing with the illness. She was diagnosed with it in 2006, after having extreme fatigue and other related symptoms. Despite her diagnosis, however, she has not and will not let the illness keep her down.

Austin is one of the millions of supporters and advocates of the illness who is raising awareness around the globe. Through her company, Jireh Communications Group, Austin began a quest to help women remember they have a right to fight. As a result of this quest, came the birthing of a yearly event: Extreme Makeover for the Woman’s Soul. The event’s purpose was to raise awareness and to empower women to know that even with Fibromyalgia, they were “born to soar!” “As women, we neglect our bodies,” she says emphatically. “I want to make them (women) aware by breathing hope into their lives. We love to be pampered!”

Extreme Makeover for the Woman’s Soul was a true eye opener for me. It was a two day event, that consisted of a “Girls Night Out” and a benefit luncheon geared towards impacting the lives of professional women through a panel of insightful speakers/presenters. While attending the event, in Atlanta, I was mesmerized by the strength of the women I met. I was also moved by the sincere confession of National Fibromyalgia Association spokesman and R& B singer, Tony Terry. When speaking of his wife, Ronnie, who also suffers with Fibromyalgia he says, “Because she has it, I have it too! It’s easy to leave, but I have to stay in the game.”

To learn more about how you can join the fight against Fibromyalgia, visit www.FMaware.org. To contact Jireh Communications Group for upcoming events in your area, visit www.jirehcreative.com.