Eleanor Vaughan

Why I'm walking to World Arthritis Day

I am raising money for Versus Arthritis by taking on Walk to World Arthritis Day.

This is my own personal challenge to support the lives of those living with arthritis in the UK.

A few years ago, I couldn’t walk due to arthritis, but now I’m excited for this challenge as it will ultimately help others. 

My Story: 

As someone who has lived with arthritis it is more than just a physical condition it affects people mentally too, and it’s important that research continues to help improve the lives of those living with the condition. 

It especially affected some of the most critical years of my life, at 16 I had another flare up, I went to the hospital after not being able to walk, they discharged me with ‘growing pains’ and to take paracetamol, but after having a history of arthritis as a child I knew it was not growing pains it felt like a flare up. After a while it got worse, the stiffness, pain, and swelling spread around different joints and I soon couldn’t walk at all, couldn’t cut my food, write, or be fully independent, my GP thankfully suggested for me to a different hospital and get treated for arthritis, they got one of the specialists to see and treat me, acknowledging I had a history of JIA, and had my knees (being the worst affected) drained and injected with steroids, I was taking steroids for a few months after, then methotrexate, which helped considerably, despite having occasional flare ups still, it is much easier to live with and keep on top of, but without the work the doctors and researchers have done, I probably would still be living like I was before being treated. - This condition affects millions of people and it would help so many for the research to be done to prevent/cure/make arthritis easier to live with. 

Your donations will fund world class research, high quality services and campaigns that matter most to people with arthritis.