Arushi Lohiya
Marketing & Branding strategist | Fibromyalgia Warrior | Patient Advocate | Published Poet | Animal lover

Graduated top of my class from Iowa State University, USA in marketing… a national level sports player … managed to combine both my passions and got my dream job in sports marketing … was accelerating up the corporate ladder with brands like Coca Cola, ESPN, Kingfisher Beer … basically living my dream when in 2012 at the age of 22 I got diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that causes extreme pain in muscles joints and nerves and since then I have not spent a single day without pain. Due to excruciating pain I can’t sit, can’t stand for more than 15 minutes and am forced to spend my days lying down prone confined to my bed. To support my weak muscles, I tie about 10-15 crepe/ace bandages all over my body. I haven’t sat for over eight years now. Fibromyalgia left me disabled both physically and emotionally. 

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A slave of my own body,
Don’t have any say.
No longer the life of the party,
Fibromyalgia left me astray.

Had to change my personality,
A constant price I pay.
Pain reduced my sociability,
Ambition had to be locked away.

Saddled with this invisible disability,
Gotta keep a brave front on display.
With limited physical mobility,
Struggling to get through the day.
Hanging on to the probability,
Faith will not betray.

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While Fibromyalgia turned my life upside down, I have somehow made peace with my current situation through remotely working from home as a freelance marketing, branding and social media strategist for the past 8 years. I have embarked on a quest to spread awareness about fibromyalgia. Surprisingly Fibromyalgia has given me a huge gift – discovering the poetry in me.

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In spite of being the destroyer
Surprisingly, You are also my teacher
Opened my eyes to reality
Brought so much clarity

Separated the fair weather friends
Who come and go like trends
Sometimes strangers stand tall
Even when close relations fall

In spite of my clipped wings
Found happiness in the smallest things
So much still to appreciate
Daily victories to celebrate

You gave me anguish
But also the strength to vanquish
Monster F, you heartless creature
Never thought would call you my teacher

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I have been using poetry to spread awareness about fibromyalgia as well as my journey through this fight in order to inform people of what goes on behind the scenes while making sure to be very vocal about it in order to remove the social stigma and combat the isolation that comes with a chronic disease.

I am taking baby steps at maintaining my balance on the tectonic shift that this Fibro earthquake has caused. I share tit bits of my life’s chaos on instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/arushilohiya/ ) in hope to cause at the very least a slight positive ripple effect in some way and spread some love and smiles.