2022 is feeling a lot like 2021.

I don’t know if you believed – like me – that our lives would have returned to a resemblance of normal by now; that simple activities like going into a grocery store wouldn’t cause debilitating anxiety and yet here we all are, still amid a global pandemic that doesn’t want to go away.

The past few years have been even more challenging for those of us living with autoimmune disease. We have been trying to evaluate our individual risk amidst an ever-changing environment with uncertain and often conflicting information coming at us everyday.

It is my hope that you have found ways to reach for the little things in life that give us some happiness. Holding those in your family bubble close, maybe learning a new hobby, improving your culinary skills instead of going to restaurants, reading a good book, watching a new Netflix series, getting outdoors to take in the beauty of nature or simply listening to your favourite music.

We also hope that the work of CAPA has helped you navigate this new world we have all found ourselves living in. We have been fortunate to have been able to collaborate with The Canadian Rheumatology Association to keep up to date and disseminate information on vaccines in immunocompromised populations. We have also urged government to act on the latest evidence and continuing to promote the importance of including patients in all decision making. The ability to continue with our mission using virtual platforms has enabled the work to continue – and in many ways – has improved our collaborations. We have seen that meeting in person isn’t always necessary and for people living with disabilities, meeting virtually has made our lives easier, even though we miss the personal connections that happen face to face!

It is clear that the next few months will be challenging with the rapidly rising cases of COVID-19 across the country. Unlike previous variants, Omicron has impacted almost every part of our country. Do what you need to do to get through this; stay safe and reach out if you need help.

Linda Wilhelm
CAPA President