Rachel's Story
Rachel won’t let arthritis stand in the way of her dreams. She’s meeting each challenge as it comes, even attending college far from home. She’s even testing out her set design and carpentry skills.
Rachel Omar was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in 2013. She’s not afraid of going after what she wants despite any adversity, and she has experienced her share with this disease.
From painful flares, infusions, weekly injections, various medications and her disease spreading to other joints in her body, she keeps going. When it was time to go to college, she left the security of home and went 1800 miles away to her dream school, Louisiana State University (LSU).
Rachel is now a 22-year-old college senior majoring in theater design and technology. She is an active member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She takes a full course load and works part time. Rachel is a gifted artist and was involved in designing sets for several productions at LSU.
Rachel’s challenges are not done yet, but she will hit them head on and not let JRA define her life. “Arthritis isn’t fun, but it’s definitely helped me to grow as a person these last four years,” says Rachel. “I wouldn’t be the strong woman that I am without the difficult times that I’ve faced.”