Life with Arthritis in Dubai

My name is Nael Hammad. I have been a rheumatoid apatient for 4 years and my medications have been sponsored by the Foundation for 2 years. When I was 29 years old I started feeling an intermittent, severe pain in my hips and some other joints. I started facing a lot of challenges in my daily activities. I was newly married and my social responsibilities were increasing in parallel with my disease complications. I started struggling with walking and faced limitations in dressing, however the biggest disaster concerned my professional life. I was growing in my career as a Regional Technical Manager in an international company when my employer noticed I was not performing well and I was unable to complete my objectives. The company decided to give my responsibilities to someone else and terminated me.
A lot of questions came to my mind, like, “Why me?”, “What have I done in my life to face such challenges?”, “Why at this stage of my life?”
I didn’t give up, but I started looking for a proper diagnosis. I spent a lot of time, money and effort visiting many doctors and receiving a variety of reports from apologies stating that doctors are unable to deal with my case to replacing both my hips with artificial joints. I did not find a good level of humanitarian and empathetic experience with any of the doctors or clinics that I had visited locally or regionally until I came to know about Dubai Bone & Joint Centre through the Emirates Arthritis Foundation. I feel that they gave me a unique experience in medical care and rebuilt the medical care image in my mind.
The unique smile which never evaporates from any of the DBAJ and EAF staff at any moment gives the patient comfort on a first impression. They give me sufficient time to explain my disease history and symptoms. They have introduced me to seminars where I met patients with experience on modifying their lifestyle to facilitate their existing situation. Social relationships with the patient’s family have been initiated to give better understanding for the patient’s day-to-day requirements. They remind me when it is time for my next injections which are fully funded by the
Foundation. I am informed and invited to any activity or event related to my disease.
Two years have passed since my first visit to DBAJ. There has been a remarkable change in my situation where I am able to live a normal life, act as a normal person and am not only responsible for myself but also support my wife and child. I have a better view of life today and will continue to grow in my career as I start my MBA program.
Best regards,
Nael Hammad