Your Stories

Stories of young people and adults with JIA and all the different ways to get connected with the JIA community.

Featured Stories

A History of JIA

Although Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) had been described in England by Frederick Still, a paediatrician at Great Ormond St Hospital, in 1896 it wasn’t until 1946 that a specialised centre for the study of Juvenile Rheumatism was established at the Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital in Taplow, Berkshire.

A Parent’s Story

As a family, we had already suffered a devastating blow when our daughter Katie was diagnosed as having diabetes. However, she coped with the changes it meant extremely well, her treatment had started to work and we were all proud of the way she insisted that the illness had to fit into her lifestyle, and not the other way round.

Bella’s story

At 18 months old, Isabella-May woke up feeling poorly with a high temperature and sickness – nothing overly concerning. By the next day she was limping and still poorly so we took her to the GP who decided she had an ear infection. A week passed and she still wasn’t right. She was barely moving and limping when she did.

Charlotte’s Journey

Charlotte’s journey began in late 2016 when we noticed she had developed a limp. Initially we thought it was her shoes so went to the shoe shop and got her properly fitted. This didn’t help.

Jazmin’s Story

I cannot recall a time when I did not have juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). That was because I was diagnosed at 2.

Imogen’s Story

Imogen was born in May 2015 as the start of our little family. She was and still is such a character with a truly infectious smile and personality. Everyone who meets her is captivated by her individual, happy disposition, she really is one of those unforgettable souls.

Hallie's story 2

Hallie’s Story

My name is Hallie Jane Jenkins and I am 8 years old. I was diagnosed with JIA in 2016 just after my 6th birthday. My legs would ache an awful lot when I walked and one morning I woke up and my left knee was very very swollen and painful.

Lucien’s Story

When I look at a photograph of my boy just before his 3rd birthday, he’s like a live wire, bursting with energy. That’s the way we see young kids. Yet my kid has what’s called Systemic Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis which is the rarest form of JIA and can have the greatest impact.

Phoebe’s Story

Phoebe is 14 years old. When she was 9, she was diagnosed with JIA.

Mark’s story

Exhausted. Perhaps not the most eloquent way to introduce the story of my life with JIA, but given that I was diagnosed around 21 years ago when I was just eight years old, I thought it would be best to start from the beginning and the earliest thing I can remember. And the earliest thing I can remember is waking up one morning and feeling unusually exhausted.

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NRAS in 2023

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