Day in the life Its important to understand youre not the only one Catherine Wright, family and youth work manager (Northern Ireland) for Arthritis Care, lives in Belfast, and is married with two children Words: claire laVelle its hard to be diagnosed with an old persons disease when youre a child. For a young person, anything that marks you out as different is difficult, letalone a condition people associate with their grandparents. Arthritis means living with a chronic, long-term condition that can make you feel fluey, sore and tired all the time but people dont see it as serious. It can make you go blind, but somehow it doesnt elicit much sympathy. my mother was forward-thinking. I was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis when I was two. Our neighbour was a doctor and he noticed I had stopped walking, had a rash and swollen knees and ankles. No-one knows what causes it. Mum made sure I stayed active. As soon as I was old enough, I was out on the hockey pitch. I didnt appreciate it then, but I now know she was right. Building up strength in the muscles to support the joints is crucial, but at the time the advice was to rest during a flare-up. I dont remember my arthritis ever being made a big deal; as a family, we just got on with it. the children we dont reach are the ones who keep me up at night. Expand HIdE helP with jia Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (Jia) can have a devastating effect on the aspirations and achievements of children and young people as they grow up. arthritis cares family and youth work service has developed a programme of activities for and provides information and support to young people and their families across the uK. these programmes help children and young people with Jia to enhance their knowledge, understanding, confidence and quality of life. The events we run are crucial to connecting young people with each other. Arthritis can be isolating; its important to understand youre not theonly one. I have been doing this job for 18 years, and a lot of the volunteers who help at the events I run are teenagers whom I first met as young children. They lead normal lives they do their A levels and have jobs; they have boyfriends and girlfriends. They are the role models I put in front of the next generation. the events can be a lifeline for parents. You see them reeling from their childs diagnosis we make sure they connect with the parents whove been living with arthritis for years. They leave looking as though a weight has been lifted. theres nothing like abseiling down a cliff to boost your confidence. I tell the children there is no reason not to see a positive future. Its a very competitive world out there, and some are wary of being discriminated against because of their diagnosis. We focus on the positive taking control and managing the condition, rather than it being the other way around. find out more Call our free helpline dedicated to young people, The Source, on 0808 808 2000 if you want to chat, or email. For more info, visit the Young People section here. "
