Now, if you've ever hung out in a karaoke bar
or a dance club, or just remember the disco era of the '70s,
then you definitely know Disco Diva Gloria Gaynor.
Gloria won her Grammy in 1980,
and she has a new album coming out this year.
In fact, she has struggled with osteoarthritis
that nearly crippled her for years.
Take a look.
(singing vocal warmups)
I suffer with osteoarthritis.
It affects me mentally, because I know
that I can't do the things that I used to do.
The pain is excruciating, debilitating.
It makes you feel older than you are.
In the beginning, I started feeling pain in my knees,
like pins and needles.
I would avoid stairs like the plague.
Eventually, I had to go and seek medical help for it.
The doctor said, it's osteoarthritis.
You will have to have your knees replaced.
This one was done twice.
So now I have two titanium knees.
To finally have the surgery on my knees
was the best thing I could've done.
Going up and down stairs is still painful to an extent.
Nothing like it was before.
I'm living with osteoarthritis.
Emphasis on living.
The words, "Oh no, not I, I will survive."
I feel that I survived osteoarthritis,
and I would not let it stop me.
Well, joining me to talk about osteoarthritis
is my really good, long-time friend,
Pfizer's Chief Patient Officer, Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall.
So, welcome.
(audience applauds)
And additionally, please welcome
Grammy Award winning, Miss Gloria Gaynor.
(audience applauds)
Well Gloria, it's so good to see you.
Thank you so much for being here
to talk about how you continue to survive
living with this osteoarthritis.
Now, you were actually recovering from a horrible fall
when you received the song, I Will Survive, right?
Right.
Now, you had that fall in 1978,
but you were diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both knees
in 1985, right?
Mm-hmm, yeah.
And then, also in your spine 12 years later.
Mm-hmm, that's an "I Will Survive" for certain.
With 12 rods in my back, I'm feeling great,
and I'm good to go.
So Dr. Freda, tell everybody so they know,
what exactly is osteoarthritis?
How common is it?
Osteoarthritis is a form of degenerative joint disease,
and it is the most common form of arthritis that we see.
And we often refer to it as OA.
Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage,
that flexible tissue that covers and protects bones,
to prevent them from rubbing against each other,
becomes damaged or deteriorated.
And again, we don't know exactly the cause.
And it can develop gradually over time, as people age.
Well, other than getting older,
are there other risk factors associated with
developing osteoarthritis?
Other risk factors include joint damage or joint injury,
or overuse.
And this can be related to sports
or to repetitive physical labor.
The other is obesity and weight gain.
That increased weight puts greater pressure on joints,
particularly those knees.
And another risk factor is genetics.
And last but not least, is gender.
Over the age of 55, it's more common in women.
For someone like Gloria, who's already living
with the disease, what can they do to ease the pain,
to ease the discomfort?
First, healthy diet and healthy body weight,
as well as routine moderate exercise.
These can help perhaps slow down the development
of the disease.
As for treatments, there are a range of treatment options,
and your health care team seems to have really worked hard
with you.
'Cause they can help sort through the options.
But the options to help manage symptoms can include
things like physical therapy,
pain and anti-inflammatory medications, assistive devices.
And then of course, in very severe cases like yours,
surgery can become necessary.
Does your osteoarthritis give you problems?
Is it worse some times more than others?
Well, on cold days or rainy days, it affects your joints.
But you know, music is my life.
I'm not about to let osteoarthritis stop me,
or even slow me down.
(laughs) Yeah.
(audience applauds)
I do the things that you suggest.
I exercise, I do my physical therapy.
And I think you've proven a further point,
which is with the right care and the right attitude,
you can not only survive, but you can thrive.
Absolutely.
Yeah, for sure.
(audience applauds)
Absolutely.
If you or someone you know has osteoarthritis,
you can go to gethealthystayhealthy.com,
and there's so much information there about OA.
So gethealthystayhealthy.com's where you wanna go.
And of course, while you're there
you can sign up for a monthly newsletter.
I wanna thank all of my guests today,
and especially Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall and Gloria Gaynor.