Shes at it again!

In April 2010, 1 month before I was due to trek the Great Wall of China in memory of my best friend and Cystic Fibrosis, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

In a matter of weeks I went from a healthy, happy and very active 19 year old, to taking 45 minutes to get out of bed each morning! Needless to say it was quite a big shock and change to my lifestyle.

Chronic Illness is very real and very hard. An invisible disease is difficult to deal with, especially when no one understands what it feels like to be constantly tired and in pain (and will be quick to mutter 'well you don't look sick').

After 10 gruelling, very painful days I made it through the sections of the Great Wall, and it was by far one of the most rewarding and proudest moments of my life. My journey from then until now has been a long mental & emotional journey as well as a physical one.

Thanks to the amazing support and research so far that has gone in o this incurable disease, I have led my early 20’s with a relatively normal life. I have been very privileged to find a treatment that has worked for me and has controlled my illness, but we still have a long way to go, and so many sufferers aren't as lucky. With the help of donations to Versus Arthritis there are opportunities to fund research & find so many more breakthroughs for chronic illness and I’m backing it 100%! Arthritis isn’t a ‘terminal’ illness, but it drastically effects the quality of lives of so many people and there ability to work or lead a normal life.

Around 10 million people in the UK are thought to have arthritis. That’s 1 in 6 people! It can affect people of all ages in different ways, even children and teenagers..not just ‘old people’ as I thought when I was first diagnosed 😊

A staggering 41% of people living with Arthritis feel lonely, and there are common links to depression and other mental health issues due to chronic illness too. Versus Arthritis is Arthritis Research UK & Arthritis Care combined, so they not only help with the research, but with the support of helping people living with this illness too!

After I completed the Great Wall in 2010, I promised myself that I would one day take on another challenge to raise money and awareness for this cause. Over the past 2.5 years i've shared my story and journey to better health, and now finally thanks to my healthier lifestyle, a significant reduction in my medication, and being allowed to have the live vaccine required (LOL go me), I am now well enough to head on a tough and challenging trek to the Lost City!

I will be reaching heights of 4,600m above sea level, adjusting to the altitude (hopefully without fainting), camping in remote areas with basic facilities and no wifi signal for some days (OMG can you believe it?!). I'll be trekking for approx. 8 hours a day over 10 days before a
final 3,000 step climb to the sacred site of Machu Picchu.

So please donate whatever you can to help develop new treatments, new tests and provide care and support for those living with Arthritis. I promise to document the triumphs & tribulation throughout the trip in video form, provided solely for your entertainment! And hope that you'll dig deep for a good cause.

Now I better polish off my stylish trekking boots and get training!