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. Show More