Timmins, Ont., woman learns to deal with extremely painful arthritis

Timmins woman perseveres through arthritis pain Psoriasis is a common auto-immune condition – and some patients also develop a form of arthritis that can be debilitating.

Psoriasis is a common auto-immune condition – and some patients also develop a form of arthritis that can be debilitating.

That’s the case for Maya Woronicz, a Timmins mother and a mindset coach for women who is now sharing her story of persevering through pain.

“All the doctors were like, ‘We don’t know what to do,’” Woronicz said.

She felt like her joints were going to explode and could not find out why.

Her symptoms arose while pregnant with her four-year-old daughter and the condition brought life to a halt.

“Excruciating pain,” Woronicz said.

“I couldn't walk, I couldn't do basic things like make myself food. I had to have someone care for me 24/7and nobody knew for five months what was wrong.”

Visits with multiple specialists yielded no answers. Finally, a rheumatologist diagnosed her with psoriatic arthritis, which affects around one-third of the one million Canadians with psoriasis.

Woronicz had been dealing with that condition for more than a decade.

'I was angry at my body'

“I was angry at my body and angry at what was going on,” she said.

“Going from just being able to do regular things like go to the grocery store, you're able to go for walks, you're able to go for work, and then all of a sudden it's gone.”

The condition put her on a journey of self-discovery.

“I learned how to listen to my body, and I've learned how to accept it,” Woronicz said.

“And that's really what I want my message to be, as well is that, you know, it's not always about the end goal or trying to get through something. It's just about learning how to go through it and really learning how to accept it. But still have that strength in order to keep going.”

It’s a mindset she said continues to guide her today.

Even though her symptoms improved, Woronicz said the challenges are ongoing and she wanted to share her story with others.

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“There's things that happen in life that are completely out of our control and sometimes out of our own bodies control, but we can still get through it,” she said.

Woronicz will be sharing her journey Tuesday at the Speaker Slam, a motivational speaking competition in Toronto, as she seeks to inspire people facing health issues.

That’s in addition to her day job -- coaching mothers through postpartum depression and rediscovering themselves.