Our son Ben's Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) diagnosis in 2012 was a shock to us all. How could our seemingly fit and healthy 10 year old boy have a degenerative disease associated with old age?

Cheltenham based charity CCAA, helped us through this difficult time, providing invaluable information and emotional support. 

For the next 4 years,  our courageous son endured multiple joint injections under general anaesthetic and self-administered powerful chemotherapy and biological drugs. Mercifully, he continues to enjoy good health, but not all children are as lucky.

This is why Ben and his Dad are running the Birmingham Half Marathon on October 13th 2019. Raising money for CCAA will promote their good work and allow it to continue. We hope Ben's story sends a message of hope to children living with JIA and their parents. One in every 1000 children suffer from JIA and we hope this helps raise awareness of this dreadful disease.