Hi, I’m Ria and I suffer from Psoriatic arthritis, a disease for which there is currently no cure. This is why along with my amazingly supportive husband Tim and friends Vicky and Dave we have decided to cycle from Manchester to Liverpool to raise money for Arthritis research UK; a charity very close to my heart.

Although it is true that in itself arthritis isn’t life threatening, the quality of life a sufferer lives is considerably diminished. The medications we take on a daily, weekly and monthly basis will never cure our condition, however can lead to serious and life threatening side effects. Arthritis can also affect more than just joints; all organs can be affected including your lungs, liver, kidneys and heart. The medications I take suppress my immune system to help prevent my joints deteriorating any further. Unfortunately this also means I am highly susceptible to any illness from those around me, and when I inevitably catch those pesky bugs my body has no way of fighting them. Meaning a slightly annoying cold for one person could mean weeks of serious illness for me.

The last time I woke up without any sense of pain would have been some time in my early twenties; at least 5 years ago. From then my arthritis has caused me continual and increasing pain and fatigue, which has severely impacted my life. I have always been a hugely confident person, however since living with daily pain I have lost my confidence and feel like an entirely different person. I am often too tired to make conversations with new people, too tired to think on my
feet as to what to say to people, and too tired to explain why I feel like
this. The fatigue which comes with the pain can almost be worse than the pain itself; there are days where I literally cannot leave my bed, taking a shower will mean I spend an hour lying down recovering, and leaving the house is just impossible. There are days where the fatigue will have relented, however I will spend all night dreaming of the pain I am feeling meaning I wake up with no proper sleep and having no time without being in pain. I now have to take tablets to help me sleep. Before I was given these I would regularly spend my nights crying from the unrelenting pain. I cannot express how hard it can be to stay positive when you know every day will be spent in excruciating pain, alongside the knowledge that the things you love to do are becoming less and
less achievable by the day. 

However, when you see me I will smile and say I’m fine. If I’m not using my walking stick or wheelchair you wouldn’t even consider the amount of pain I could be in, and the effort it could be taking for me to ask you how your day has been. Only those close to me will notice my tense smile on those days where my illness seems invisible. Those close to me know how much I stay positive and hope that one day I will wake up to find a cure and the pain will go away. I will be able to do all of things I love again without having to remind myself I can’t. I will be able to join in with all the activities others take for granted, and finally I will no longer need help from others to do things I used to be able to do for myself. I am surrounded by amazingly kind people who will always help me if I need it, but some people aren’t that lucky. Arthritis UK gives sufferers a wealth of information, increasingly more treatments options, hope of a cure and finally and most importantly a voice. Please support us in this cycle challenge by donating to this brilliant cause.