Travel Buff Refuses to Let Rheumatoid Arthritis Stop His Adventures

For Larry Bradt and his wife, Lanora, rheumatoid arthritis got in the way of their nomadic lifestyle. The couple shares a lifelong passion for travel.

Rheumatoid arthritis can keep someone from doing the things they love most. For people with a chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, it can become really hard to move or walk around. The discomfort and joint pains can make even simple tasks of daily life miserable; from walking to the store or going up the stairs, to even getting out of bed in the morning. 

Those who suffer from chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, suddenly find that everything they used to do is no longer as simple as it once was. At times, it can be very difficult for the individual to even walk or move around properly. There is always pain or discomfort in the joints, making even the simplest activity seem like a miserable task to be carried out. Larry Bradt and his wife, Lanora, had to face just such a situation. Both husband and wife love to travel around; they usually hit the road with all their life’s possessions and go for miles and miles to see different locations. Since they are both avid travelers, they hardly stick to any routine, but during summers, they settle back into their home in Colorado. Last summer, however, life for Larry took a sudden and unexpected turn. They had just left for their annual trip when Larry started suffering from unbearable pain in his left foot. One day, he woke up with the pain accompanied by swelling in the foot, which ballooned to twice its normal size. Larry was not sure what was happening, but he consulted doctors and became puzzled by the varied symptoms. Multiple tests were performed, but the doctors, too, were stumped. Eventually, he met Dr. Gorantla, who diagnosed Larry as suffering from RA. Larry was started on oral medications for his disease, but they did not do much to alleviate his symptoms. Tired and fatigued from all the various to-dos, he finally went in for infusion medicines, and so far, they have been helping him. Larry and his wife were not prepared for this situation and it nearly exhausted them; it became quite difficult to cope with the disease. But it did not deter them. They started gaining knowledge about rheumatoid arthritis and were thankful that the symptoms were caught much earlier than in a more advanced stage.

They found immense support from the RA community, too; Larry met other people who were going through or had been through the same situation. The community also understood the couple’s plight and provided a great deal of understanding and mutual support to them. Gradually, as time passed, Larry also started to show signs of recovery, wherein he began to regain his strength. He realized his disease should not hold him back, and so he started pursuing the things he loved most and, in spite of the limitations presented due to the disease, it has in no way deterred his love for travelling. He and Lanora have picked up their trailer again and have a long list of places to visit. Although one can say that RA has slowed him down a bit, it has not stopped him from travelling. He now travels with the mindset that one should be prepared mentally for any kind of setback in life and not let it hinder their dreams.