If you’ve ever watched the Sopranos, you know exactly who this fun actress is. She’s played several smaller parts in movies and turns up in interesting places – almost like an Easter egg.
Turturro was diagnosed with JRA at the age of twelve. When she was diagnosed, there was literally nothing in the way of treatment – heck there was still very little when I was diagnosed in 1995-ish. She just put up with the pain until she began to learn a lot about her disease and the treatment options open to her.
She has also taken a leading role in the education of others. She hosted a series of free seminars (part of the Joint Effort Against Rheumatoid Arthritis program) for those afflicted with arthritis to come and learn more about the disease and how to deal with life – exercise, diet, and treatments. This has also created a support network for those who were able to attend.
Turturro knows that life can always get worse for her and others with Rheumatoid Arthritis though:
“I’m lucky because my disease hasn’t progressed too far. Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I am in a lot of pain – but I never really let my RA stop me from doing the things I want to do. I know that there are a lot of people out there for whom the disease has progressed to a debilitating stage”.
In 2001, she was also diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. For more on her battle with RA, visit this story.