Arthritis Ireland Arthritis Ireland

My name is Anna, I’m 27 and I have had juvenile arthritis since I was 2. I have never let my arthritis stop me from doing what I wanted in life. I have always made the most of my life wherever I go and whoever I meet. I love my life, the arthritis is just part of it. However, I didn’t always have this level of confidence or strength.

As a teenager, I found living with arthritis a real struggle. Because my JIA was so severe I walked differently: always staying one step behind everyone else, keeping my head down and avoiding any eye contact in case people realised that I was different. I was pretty shy and never felt the equal of my peers.

My self confidence took a beating when I realised that the strong steroids I took for my arthritis were causing me to gain weight, I thought that I looked 'puffy' and 'fat'. I very stupidly decided to skip my medication, I pretended to my family and health professionals that I was taking them regularly but instead I was throwing them away. Doing this reduced my puffiness and helped me to lose weight. My friends and family noticed and complemented me on looking well. But of course my arthritis got much worse, I experienced terrible pain and further disability because of what I did. I struggled with my self confidence and body image throughout my teenage years. It was only at the age of 22 that I really started to gain confidence. The funny thing is though that all my friends said the same thing to me that it was also only in their 20’s that they became happy in their own skins and none of them had arthritis. I guess we were all mean to ourselves in our teenage years but there really is no need to be!

As a little kid, I knew I wanted to live in America at some stage of my life. I moved over to California when I was 20 years old, for a few months and worked over there and loved it. I applied to college there, and got accepted, but at the time I had a big flare up that ended in both my hips being replaced, so college was put off for a while. Being determined and not letting the hip replacements stop me, I decided to still go to college in America once I had recuperated after the surgery, and I did.

I went to a four year university and played an active role as a full time student learning to be a social worker. I had my good and bad days, on some days I had to hobble to class, but other days I was fine and able to participate in on-campus activities. My teachers knew about my arthritis and gave me extra time on exams if I needed it. I was able to take classes at a later time of the day to avoid morning stiffness. I went to the campus health-centre to get regular check-ups, and even kept my Humira in their refrigerator. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I met wonderful people along the way, friends I will have forever.