Faces of AS

Faces of Ankylosing Spondylitis is a website dedicated entirely to the stories of those living with AS. Men, women, and children from numerous countries and continents have shared their stories and photos, and we will be sharing some of them here with you, with our gratitude to all, including project founder Cookie Hopper. You can read all of the stories (there are over 2,000!) at thefacesofankylosingspondylitis.com.

ByTom Contrino

Face 101

I have AS, I deal with it. We all know the challenges, I promised I would never miss a day of work due to it, I have kept my promise to myself and still work actively as…

ByM.J. Rowan

Face 2067

My experience with Rheumatologists wasn’t great. I remember one saying “we don’t know what causes it, 30% of people will have chronic RA, 30% of people will only have one flare, 30% of people will have it…

ByCarrie Bonin

Face 125

The first time I complained to my doctor about pain in the morning was around 16. His response was “Most people wake up with some pain in the morning. It’s completely normal”.

ByJen Johnson-Crosby

Face 2087

Jen Johnson-Crosby Many of you may or may not know about the medical issues that have been going on within my body. They have changed my life in so many ways. I am an LCH WARRIOR and…

ByGillian & Albert

Face 190

My name is Gillian and I have been living with Ankylosing Spondylitis all my life, one way or another. As a child, I was aware my dad wasn’t the same as other dads, he was bent right over,…

ByKristen Ray

Face 2033

Kristen Ray My journey with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) has been very long, my first memories of symptoms starting at around age 6. Back then AS was only considered to be a man’s disease, it wasn’t until the…