Arthritis diary Step by step Inspired by a footballer’s story, BBC TV presenter and journalist WJulian Worricker encourages us to do just a little bit more each day When I last wrote my arthritis diary column, I dipped into my own family’s experience of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and other forms of arthritis that various relatives have had to deal with. A curious and unfortunate coincidence has arisen since then, whereby another close relative has been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis – exactly the same condition that I have. What struck me when he told me was how different his symptoms are to mine. For him, it was sparked by an agonising pain in his foot, then swelling of both legs. When he first told me what he was going through, psoriatic arthritis didn’t even cross my mind. When he then told me what the diagnosis was, it was a reminder of how many different ways people can experience this condition, how complicated it is, and how challenging it is to treat. It took me back to the story in this very magazine that prompted me to become more active in raising awareness of arthritis. It focused on the freestyle footballer Rob Walters, who – in 2007 – came off the field of play at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and, within 20 minutes, could barely move. He spent the next three months of his life in a wheelchair. For the following two years, he couldn’t kick a football. I remember being deeply affected by his story, because we were both living with psoriatic arthritis. Mine had been diagnosed for several years by the time I read about him, but it had never been remotely as debilitating as his was, and I don’t think I even knew it could be. Phrases such as “it took me half an hour to get down the stairs” were truly chilling, as was his observation that – on a bad day – he couldn’t leave home. Despite the starkness of his condition, I remember taking heart from the medical improvement he eventually enjoyed, and from his unerringly positive outlook. Even at his worst point, he talked about the focus he learnt in football. “Each day, I just tried to do a little bit more,” he wrote. I read Rob’s story six years ago. Re-reading it these past few days has been quite inspiring, as I think about some of the conversations I’m bound to have with my newly diagnosed relative in the coming months. We’ll discuss diet, exercise, treatments, drugs... all of that, I’m sure. But I’ll ensure we make time to talk about mental attitude, too. Because “each day I just tried to do a little bit more” isn’t a bad message to call upon, even when things are at their bleakest. Julian Worricker has psoriatic arthritis. He is a TV and radio presenter and journalist, and currently presents the BBC News channel’s rolling news and the BBC World Service’s Weekend