Saint Louis
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Meetings offer education, encouragement, emotional support, and allow for open discussion about managing and living with spondyloarthritis.

Upcoming Meeting(s)

Saturday, July 12, 2025
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM Central Time

Topic: Peer Support Discussion

Meeting Schedule:
The Saint Louis support group meets on the second Saturday of every other month.

Meeting Location

In-Person 
If you would like to attend in-person, the meeting location will be at the following address:

Logan University
1851 Schoettler Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017
Room 142A

Social Media

Reach out to St. Louis group leaders:

Email: saastlouischapter@gmail.com

If you are in the St. Louis area please join our St. Louis Support Group Facebook page to connect with other Spondylitis folks in the area: Spondylitis Association of America: St. Louis

We meet on the third Saturday of the month.

Upcoming meetings:
TBD

Leadership

kristen_ray

Kristen Schlichting

About Saint Louis' Support Group Co-Leaders

Kristen Schlichting

My name is Kristen. I live and work in St Louis, MO with my fiancé and our 2 dogs, Bella and Gus. I have chosen not to have children, so I do a lot of volunteering with children’s groups to fill that void. Three to four years ago I left my career in the medical industry to find a position that was more comfortable for my health. From the twelve to fourteen-hour surgeries, then reporting to clinic for an eight-hour shift of scheduled patients got to be too much, as standing for long periods became more of an issue. After four more years of college, this time for business, I was able to land a position in the insurance industry where I am thriving. This position has also given me the ability to be in and out of the office for multiple doctors’ appointments, or work from home if I am unable to make it out of bed. I am extremely aware of how lucky I am to have found something that not only am I good at, but I thoroughly enjoy and works well with my newfound disabilities.

I have had quite a history with AS, starting with costochondritis and pleurisy at age 5-6. I have had several surgeries including disc replacements in the neck, and an ulnar nerve displacement surgery. I have several more surgeries in my near future, mostly attributed to the lack of control of my AS. I was doing great on Humira and NSAIDS for years, but after a break necessary for the ulnar nerve surgery in 2016, I have been unable to get the same sort of relief. I currently use (laughter! – the best medicine) physical therapy, chiropractic as emergency, pain management, Botox for migraines, rheumatology, neurosurgery, and most recently dermatology as I have now been diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma most likely from years of Methotrexate use.
I consider myself to be an old pro at this AS thing after so many difficult years just trying to get this under control. I am extremely excited to learn more about the other types of spondylitis, and even more excited to be doing it in a positive and supportive environment. Jed and I both carry a lot of passion for making this support group everything that it can be and look forward to having our members help us in that regard. I plan on learning just as much from the members, as I do from the materials that we cover at each meeting.

Want to Start a New Support Group?

We’d love to have you join our team of passionate volunteers leading our spondylitis educational support groups! Learn more about how to get started here, and reach out to programs@spondylitis.org

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