and Finding New Purpose
INTEGRIS Health invites Oklahomans to the 2025 Walk to Cure Arthritis
Angie Jimenez, a 48-year-old mother, wife, artist, baker and advocate, shares her inspiring story of strength and perseverance as an honoree for the 2025 Walk to Cure Arthritis.
Angie’s journey with chronic illness began long before her official diagnosis in 2008. In her twenties, she was a whirlwind of energy – coaching her daughter Nadine’s sports teams, competing in co-ed softball and volleyball leagues and working in health care. She poured herself into movement, community and motherhood. But slowly, her body began to change.
Mysterious Pain
After every game, Angie’s recovery time increased. Pain became her new normal. Despite being young, active and seemingly healthy, she woke up each morning aching and exhausted. Her search for answers in her home state of California turned into a years-long ordeal filled with urgent care visits, countless medical appointments and inconclusive results. Diagnoses came and went – osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, pernicious anemia – but none fully explained her symptoms. One physician even implied it was all in her head, but Angie knew different. She knew her body.
“I carried a massive binder of medical records and test results to every appointment,” says Angie. “My life had become a medical puzzle no one could solve, but I wasn’t ready to give up.”
She continued to advocate for herself while juggling a full-time job as a wound care specialist in vascular surgery at UCLA, completing her education to become a medical assistant, raising her daughter Nadine and playing sports. Despite being in constant pain, she refused to quit.
A Breakthrough and Reclaiming Joy
After years with no clear medical answers, Angie made the brave and life-altering decision to move from California to Edmond, Oklahoma. Her determination finally led her to Amy Dedeke, M.D., a board-certified rheumatologist at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Rheumatology, who listened and diagnosed her arthritis. It wasn’t a cure, but it gave Angie something she hadn’t felt in a long time – hope.
With proper treatment and an individualized care plan, she began managing her symptoms and found new ways to heal. She traded softball and soccer fields for a yoga mat, discovered joy in painting, began making sourdough bread every Sunday and developed a green thumb in her garden.
Christopher Hayes, M.D., Angie’s primary care physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Edmond East encouraged her to begin stationary biking – a form of exercise that doesn’t exacerbate her pain. She now rides up to 16 miles at a time, always listening to her body and honoring its limits.
“While I’m no longer on a softball field or spiking a volleyball, I’m still finding so many opportunities to be a coach in my own way,” says Angie. “I’ve learned how to care for myself, to rest when necessary and to fight when it matters.”
Behind Angie’s strength and resilience is her devoted family, daughter Nadine, rescue dog Jafar and supportive husband, Juan, who brought two sons into her life.
“None of this would be possible without Juan, who brings me so much joy. He cooks, cleans, supports me through every flare-up and encourages me to be the best version of myself, even if that means slowing down. His help allows me to live fully, not despite my condition, but alongside it.”
The Reality of Arthritis
“Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the nation,” says Dedeke. “It impacts both mental and physical health, including severe joint pain and reduced physical activity.”
• Arthritis includes more than 100 different types of joint diseases and related conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, gout and juvenile arthritis.
• Nearly 60 million U.S. adults aged 18 and older are diagnosed with arthritis.
• In Oklahoma alone, more than 940,000 adults have been diagnosed with arthritis.
• Over 300,000 children in the U.S. live with arthritis.
• Arthritis-related conditions result in over $140 billion in medical costs annually.
The 2025 Walk to Cure Arthritis
Despite its prevalence, arthritis remains misunderstood and underfunded, which is why events like the Arthritis Foundation’s annual Walk to Cure Arthritis are critical for funding research, support groups and advocacy efforts.
“Every community member who joins the Walk to Cure Arthritis or donates to a walker is not only supporting their friends and family who live with the disease, but also the broader community of individuals with arthritis, including kids as young as three months old,” says Dedeke.
Today, Angie shares her story to raise awareness, and she has chosen to walk for those who are still fighting for answers. “Arthritis changed my life, but it didn’t take it away,” Angie says. “I walk for those still being dismissed, misdiagnosed and unheard. I walk for the girl that I used to be – the girl who sprinted across the soccer field, not knowing what was coming – but who refused to quit.”
