Diagnosed with chronic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of three, Karen Smit’s doctors gave her just 12 years to live.
|||Cape Town - Diagnosed with chronic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of three, Karen Smit’s condition was so severe that doctors gave her just 12 years to live.
But today, at age 49, Smit, has not only survived the disease but achieved everything that people told her was impossible.
Growing up in Mossel Bay, even her schoolmates and teachers didn’t give her much hope.
They said she could never move out of town and work in big cities, and would probably end up in a home with people to take care of her as she was disabled from the disease.
“They told me that completing matric would have no use for me, and that I would not be able to study further as I was disabled and university buildings would not really be accessible for me.
“They even said that no man would ever love me, and I couldn’t have children or drive a car,” she said.
But Smit has proved them all wrong.
Rheumatoid arthritis, often called RA, is a chronic inflammatory disease that damages and destroys the joints of the body. The inflammation in the joints causes pain, stiffness, and swelling, can also affect organs of the body.
Her life story has inspired her playwright brother, Hennie van Greunen, to write a play that portrays the difficulties and prejudices associated with disability.
The musical theatre show, Normality, starring Cape Town’s Pedro Kruger, was performed in SA in English for the first time last night at the Baxter Theatre.
Originally written in Afrikaans, Normality is a love story between Alex, whose body has been ravaged by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and Lisa, a journalist who refuses to fall for Alex’s scathing, self-deprecating humour and looks past the skewed body to see the man hiding there.
Kruger, who has been playing the character since the early 2000s, said the play was about creating awareness about the challenges and prejudices that they had to go through, but in a humorous way.
“The play shows that juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a serious matter, but within that there’s a life, a person and a soul, and that you need to look beyond the physical disability. It shows that there’s more to life than the disability itself or the disease,” he said
While Karen initially believed the negative predictions people made about her life, living with the disease has taught her to believe in herself.
She has not only lived beyond doctors’ expectations, but has achieved – beyond expectations.
This mother of one, who has been married for 18 years, manages the Specific Needs Department of a major cellphone company and initiates cellphone products for the disabled and the elderly. She has won several awards for the work she does, and is also a motivational speaker.
“From time to time I still get flare-ups of arthritis, and yes, I’ve got barriers to overcome such as accessing some buildings. But I’ve learnt not to pity myself. I look at disability as just a medical condition. We all have some kinds of disabilities, whether those are financial disabilities or medical, but my motto is to never let your disability stop you from dreaming and achieve what you want in life.”
sipokazi.fokazi@inl.co.za
Cape Argus