After my 10 miles every day/Manchester Marathon Challenge last year I was planning on doing London Marathon somewhat under the radar, however many people have asked me about fundraising and it seems a shame to miss the opportunity to continue the conversation about Juvenile Arthritis.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a condition where a child’s immune system mistakenly attacks the joints, causing inflammation, swelling, pain, and stiffness. There is currently no cure. Its severity and symptoms vary but typically include pain, swollen joints, restricted mobility, limping, fatigue, and sometimes fever or rash. Symptoms may appear gradually or suddenly and can fluctuate in severity, with periods of flares and remission.

Gertie is now 9 and was 6 when she was diagnosed. She has recently transitioned from weekly biologic injections at home to infusions at Great Ormond Street. Our first one was mid April and we were in hospital for 9 hours. Whilst on the ward we came across several other children with JIA and it was so clear that the uncertainty of the condition, the fact it has no cure and the trial and error approach required to treatment makes it so difficult to deal with.

The change in medication will be Gertie's 3rd over the past 3 years. We are praying that this will offer her some respite as we believe she has experienced some level of pain every day for 2.5 years since she came off a high steroid dose. This means she often can't get to sleep and/or wakes with pain, struggles to participate in activities/clubs, needs help getting dressed or moving around the house and has to be dragged to school on her scooter. These experiences are just some of what children with JIA have to deal with alongside countless appointments, high levels of school absence and lack of understanding of the condition, particularly when symptoms are less visible.

We are super grateful to the charities that support children with JIA and their families. I am fundraising for Juvenile Arthritis Research (JAR), a parent-led charity with direct experience of JIA, run entirely by volunteers which aims to support research to find a cure for JIA and raising awareness that children and young people get arthritis.

Whilst fundraising is important, given that JIA is a relatively unknown condition, just reading our story, speaking about JIA and remembering that you never know what people have got going on is what we would appreciate. If you want to know more about Gertie's story or to see stories shared by numerous children with JIA last year you can follow us on insta @gertie_jiajourney