Life hasn't been easy for Tichina
and Zenay Arnold. Although they
have been successful in their careers,
tragedy struck when Zenay
became bedridden with illness.
But whereas other people have
become completely dispirited, the
sisters have determined not to let
Zenay's diagnoses bring them
down. Instead, they found ways to
not only cope but also to cultivate
hope and continue their life goals.
It all started when Zenay was recovering
from an unexpected divorce
and suddenly came down
with lupus over eight years ago.
Eventually, she would receive diagnoses
for several more autoimmune
diseases: rheumatoid arthritis,
Sjogren's syndrome, mixed
24—iPain Living Magazine
connective tissue, and Raynaud's.
Her faith in God was her strength,
as she would later explain. At the
time she is a paralegal at a law
firm in New York City. Currently
she a new mother and manager for
her sister, Tichina, who is both an
actress as well as her caregiver.
It's hard to imagine having
just one of these diseases, let
alone all of them. But Zenay's daily
struggle with pain and Tichina
being her caregiver does not stop
them from being happy and active.
It turns out that Zenay's will to
live didn't allow any desire to give
up. The sisters and their aunt
would go on to create the We Win
Foundation.
Today, the Arnold sisters want
you to know the story of how
they've won. A doctor once told
Zenay that she would be unable to
have children, but she would go
on to have a son who she calls her
"miracle." In fact, I, Barby Ingle,
and Amanda Greene recently had
the pleasure of interviewing the
sisters.
Here is an excerpt with highlighted
questions and answers with inspiration
for us all:
IPain. How have you changed as
a person because of your experience
as a family member and caregiver
of someone with chronic
pain illnesses?