Woman pushes through pain; inspires others
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Sarah Zambrano is the epitome of strength and determination. She's a crossfit competitor, a runner, and a mother of two. What you can't see on the surface is how much she's dealing with on the inside. She has been diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis, and lives with chronic, debilitating pain. Her mental strength is to be admired, as she pushes forward to live her best life - for herself, and her family.
"I feel like i look so active and ok, but inside I'm dealing with this and it's hard for me to like let people know I'm going through this. It messes with my mind, too. I have stiffness in my hips, knees, neck, wrists, shoulders...literally everywhere," Zambrano says.
Zambrano is 34 now, but was diagnosed at the age of 22. She says living with this kind of pain requires a lot of down time and rest, which is not always good for her mental state. She also has mom guilt.
"It gets really dark. As you're going through these symptoms, your mind is also playing games with you. You feel useless, like there's not a lot you can do to help your kids out. Your mind plays so many tricks on you as you're in a flair. You start thinking what's the point of going anywhere?" Zambrano says.
Thankfully, there are medications to ease the pain, and she listens to her body. As hard as it is for her, she has to make herself rest.
"As a mom you wanna be there for your kids and it's tough but I'm very grateful for them. My daughter has helped so much when it comes to helping me with flares. My husband works for the fire department and is gone for 24 hours and my daughter would take charge and make dinner, make sure what needs to gets done," Zambrano adds.
Even on the hardest days, she and husband Alonzo are regulars at the gym. He says it's her routine, and he just follows along.
Sarah Zambrano is at the point in her health struggles that she's finding her voice. She's raising awareness about Rheumatoid Arthritis, by speaking out about her experience. She recently participated in the Walk to Cure Arthritis, and shared her story onstage with participants. She also posts on social media, sharing workouts. Recently she featured her 10-year old son Daniel, who often helps with her shots. port helps me.
The entire family pitches in to help when mom is having a flare-up.
"Her illness can bring everybody down. But it's built our relationship. We've gotten to know each other , work together on her ups, downs...it's solidified us. So keep up the cheer, keep up the smiles," says husband Alonzo.
For more information on Rheumatoid Arthritis, click here: Rheumatoid arthritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
To find out how it affects mental health and daily living, click here: Arthritis Pain
