Briana Hassibi, of Delray Beach, Fla., is proof life can be good – even when you’re handed a life-altering diagnosis at the tender age of 13. Initially scared and ashamed that she had juvenile arthritis, or JA, today she focuses on the positive, refusing to let arthritis have the upper hand. 

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how easy it is to think I don’t have the disease; that I should be able to do anything,” the 33-year-old says. “It’s one of my coping mechanisms.” And whether it’s because of her can-do attitude or good karma, each obstacle she has faced has been offset by an unexpected opportunity.

Confronting Her Disease

The first inkling of arthritis occurred during a horseback-riding lesson. “My wrists were sore and I thought it was from holding the reins,” recalls Briana, who has ridden horses since “before I could walk.” Then, one morning, her hands hurt so much that she struggled to open a juice bottle. She saw several doctors before a rheumatologist correctly diagnosed her.

Pain and fatigue meant she couldn’t do high school sports. Her medications made her sick to her stomach. One triggered a case of hives.

Yet she found an inner strength. Briana shared her diagnosis with friends, building a strong support group. Passionate about art, she capitalized on her creative talents, rethinking the way she held a paintbrush. To deal with arthritis, she says, “you have to re-evaluate and find other ways to do things.”

Rethinking Her Dream

Despite her physical challenges, Briana was determined to become a fashion designer in New York. She graduated from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., and then earned a master of fine arts degree in fashion design from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. “To have your hands hurt when you are trying to thread a needle or sew isn’t easy,” Briana acknowledges. She persevered, telling her professors about her arthritis, and they let her work around her pain and flares.

But graduation in 2003 brought a reality check. “When I thought about moving to New York City, I had to be realistic,” Briana says. “I knew I couldn’t handle the lifestyle or long hours.”

As it happened, Briana had been dating an “amazing man,” Cyrus Hassibi, who persuaded her to stay in Savannah. She agreed, and things fell into place. Briana landed a job doing graphic design and marketing for a real estate company, and she and Cyrus got engaged.
 

A Relentless Disease

Confirmation she had made the right career decision came in 2005, when she experienced intense pain in her left ankle. “It felt like someone was putting a hot poker in it,” she says. Her ankle joint had deteriorated so much that she needed ankle fusion surgery.

In early 2006, she and Cyrus moved to Florida, and in another stroke of good fortune, her employer agreed to let her telecommute. That May, the couple were married.

Then, despite the fusion surgery, her left ankle acted up again. Unwilling to have an ankle replacement, she visited specialists as far away as New York until she found one who recommended removing loose cartilage and bone spurs as a first step. Briana went for it in 2011. So far, “it’s working well,” she says.

Still, her arthritis continues its relentless march, affecting most of her joints. To date, Briana has endured 10 surgeries. “I can’t sit all day any more,” she says. In 2011, with her employer’s blessing, she scaled back her work hours and launched her own marketing and design business.

Fitness Pays Off

Briana receives an infusion of the biologic tocilizumab, or Actemra, monthly, self-injects the disease-modifying drug methotrexate weekly and takes prednisone, duloxetine, or Cymbalta, and celecoxib, or Celebrex, daily to help control pain and inflammation. But she still hurts. “If I stay active, I usually feel better,” she says.

She’s more active than most adults who don’t have a chronic disease. Briana does yoga and rides her Tennessee walking horse, Whiskey, three or four times a week and does non-impact gym workouts and swims twice a week.

Her commitment to yoga had an unexpected payoff when she emailed the owner of Stick-e, a company that manufacturers and sells yoga props, explaining how the props had helped her. The owner asked for photos of Briana, which turned into a modeling opportunity. This fall, pictures of the tall, svelte blonde will appear on the company’s website and some of its packaging.

Giving Back

Despite the demands of her career and disease, Briana volunteers for the Arthritis Foundation in West Palm Beach, serving on committees for the Arthritis Walk and annual Magic of Caring Children’s Fashion Show, in which children with JA model the clothes. The event raises money for Camp Funrise, a camp in Florida for children with arthritis and related conditions, which Briana has visited twice, sharing her experiences with JA.

It is typical of Briana to think about others, even as she comes to terms with her doctor’s recent advice not to have biological children. “When you’re told that, you have to focus on positive things,” says Briana. “I am very happy. I have amazing friends and family.” And, she says, with the positive attitude that has guided her life to this point, “We might have the opportunity to adopt a beautiful child who doesn’t have a home.”