Radial Drift

Why "Radial Drift"?  

I've always been someone who does things differently—intentionally or not.

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was in kindergarten. Although the disease is no longer active, I still carry the physical effects from those early years. Fortunately, the toll on my body has remained relatively mild compared to what many experience.

One interesting result of arthritis is a common deformity in the fingers—a gradual, outward bend toward the pinky, known as "ulnar deviation" or "ulnar drift."

But of course, I was different.

Years ago, when I was a patient at Shriners Children's Hospital in St. Louis, I was called into a large conference room where a panel of doctors evaluated my case. At one point, the lead physician turned to me and asked, for everyone to hear:

"Can you tell the doctors here what makes your hands unusual?"

"Yes," I replied confidently—having already learned all the clinical names for the bones in the body. "My hands show a radial drift."

To this day, my fingers curve not toward the pinky, like most with arthritis, but toward the thumbs. Unusual? Maybe. But I see it as something unique and even a little special.

Like swimming against the current—just like the image in my logo—I've always gone my own way: independently, creatively, and often unexpectedly.

And that’s the spirit behind Radial Drift.

 © Kevin Worley and Worldwide Tiger LLC