Antonio de Figueiredo (1929-2006)

Last month the Guardian ran an obituary of Antonio de Figueiredo, a journalist and activist who campaigned for the liberation of Portugal's African colonies in the 1960s and 1970s -- and who also suffered from ankylosing spondylitis:

Disabled as a young man by ankylosing spondylitis, a rare and incurable disease of the spine, de Figueiredo was an unmistakable figure, whose intensity of stare gained extra authority as it emanated from a stooping figure and upturned face. But he never took himself too seriously, lapsing into jokes and anecdotes, often at his own expense. His physical courage was as remarkable as his passionate determination to effect change.