Get a Grip! : A Take-Charge Approach to Living With Arthritis [Hardcover]

Amye Leong (Author), Joe Layden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2002

Part memoir, part self-help manual, this is one woman's story of living with-and thriving in spite of-arthritis, and an empowerment guide for the millions (43 million in the United States alone) who suffer from this disease.

Amye Leong was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she was eighteen years old. Chronic, debilitating, and incurable, the disease has inflicted pain and humiliation on her, and she has undergone sixteen arthritis-related surgeries, including twelve joint replacements. But Amye has not only coped successfully with the disease, she has found dignity and empowerment in a life perpetually affected by illness.

While Get a Grip is Amye's personal story, what she has experienced is common to all arthritis sufferers to some degree. Readers will gain hope and inspiration from her example and learn how to overcome this disease at home and in the workplace. Written by someone who has suffered with the disease for more than thirty years, and enthusiastically supported by national arthritis organizations, Get a Grip is an emotional and inspirational story, as well as a handbook for coping with arthritis on a day-to-day basis.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mye Leong is highly visible in the arthritis community and well respected by high-ranking medical, scientific, pharmaceutical, and government personnel. She is a past chairman of the American Juvenile Arthritis Organization; a member of the Board of Directors of the Arthritis Foundation; the founder of Young Et Heart, America's first and largest network of young adults with arthritis; and official spokesperson for the United Nations/World Health Organization's Bone and Joint Decade. The Arthritis Foundation named her one of America's 50 Heroes and gave her their highest honor, the Harding Award.
Joe Layden is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Rock Says....

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (April 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585421480
• ISBN-13: 978-1585421480
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,726,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book - NOW!, August 1, 2002

By 

Joan Wong (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Get a Grip! : A Take-Charge Approach to Living With Arthritis (Hardcover)

A strong, clear voice that will resonate with young adults impacted by rheumatic diseases, AND people of all ages who struggle with arthritis, chronic conditions, or discouraging limitations of any kind.

READ IT! --This is no tale of woe, nor one of triumphant (but short-lived) denial. Amye is a leader who speaks unflinchingly of the troubles chronic illness can bring, all the while proving that a life with long term health challenges can still be one of joy and accomplishment.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get A Grip, July 29, 2002

By 

Victoria Lynn (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get a Grip! : A Take-Charge Approach to Living With Arthritis (Hardcover)

I met Amye Leong a number of years ago when she came to me to receive massage therapy which supports her continued mobility. I came to respect her, thoroughly enjoy her and admire her for her life's accomplishments.So when "Get A Grip" was published I was excited to read it, to know Amye's story in greater detail. And yes, the book is very readable, inspiring and filled with the joy that Amye can hold not despite her disease, but WITH her disease.What I was not prepared for was how topical the book is for me as I deal with having a very different chronic autoimmune disease. I had recently sunk into a depression which is a side effect of my physical illness, a response to the ways my life has changed and how I had allowed myself to become a victim of this disease and not, as Amye so strongly addresses in Get A Grip, becoming a participating partner in my health care. Amye Leong has spent many years touching people's lives through her advocacy for, and commitment to the Rheumatoid Arthritis community. Now through her writing she is touching and inspiring so many more!While it is understandable that Get A Grip is directed to people with Rheumatoid Arthritis, I believe it would be intensely appropriate, helpful and perhaps even necessary for anyone dealing with a chronic illness, and even those struggling with a life challenge.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiration to all!, June 7, 2002

By 

Desert Gal "Jan" (Lakewood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get a Grip! : A Take-Charge Approach to Living With Arthritis (Hardcover)

Amye Leong is a survivor and an inspiration. Her book, "Get a Grip", is the best kind of self-help book...personal story with practical help mixed in. As a fellow sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis, I've read plenty of self-help books over the years. I wish Amye's book had been out years ago...I wouldn't had wasted so much time reading useless books. This book is essential if you suffer from any chronic disease.