As I posed her, I remembered what we talked about before the session. She said the number one thing she wanted was relaxed hands, because of how difficult that is for her.

She lives with rheumatoid arthritis and has dealt with the autoimmune disease for over 20 years. It causes inflammation, joint pain, stiffness, weakness, and fatigue.

Although normally it’s not noticeable to others, she said she often moves her hands to compensate for the pain she experiences every day. So when she sees photographs of herself with her hands looking out of place, all she can think of is the pain.