The Arthritis Shop

My Personal Journey

When you’re 14 years old, the problems of the world haven’t yet rested on your shoulders. You’re still a kid. Naïve to life and the turbulence of joy and pain it brings.

At a time when I should have been fighting against best friends, boyfriends or parents, my body decided instead to fight against itself and at 14 years old, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

With pain that was originally thought to be a by-product of the hundreds of hours I had spent playing netball and attaining my taekwondo black belt, my tender-to-touch and swollen heel refused to go away. Countless after-school appointments frequenting physiotherapists, chiropractors, masseuses and doctors make me quiver when thinking about the astronomical amounts my parents invested while trying to desperately seek answers and help their daughter.