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Ambassadors

Emily

When I was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, or JIA for short, I was 12 years old. Getting a diagnosis was not easy, I went to many different doctors, and even the Women’s and Children’s Hospital before I was referred to a paediatrician who then gave me the diagnosis of JIA. Once I had my diagnosis, I waited in line for a long time for my appointment with (at the time) the only JIA specialist in South Australia. At the first appointment with the specialist, I was given a prescription of Piroxicam, which is one of the milder medications used to treat symptoms of JIA. Thankfully Piroxicam worked for me and I would take this in tablet form with my dinner every night. My favourite thing about Kids Arthritis is that my whole family is included in events. In my family there is my younger sister Lucy, mum and dad, sometimes grandma and grandpa come along too. It is always so much fun. One of my favourite events was the Christmas party in 2020. Even though COVID was around, we were able to get together and have some fun at Salisbury Bowling Centre. When I am 30 years old, I want to be working in the field of early childhood education as I enjoy spending time with young children.


Tahlia

My name is Tahlia, and I was diagnosed with PAPA Syndrome after a 3 year journey with Juvenile arthritis. My type of arthritis is a genetic disorder from my father. We get puss in our joints and boils on our skin. I had almost 20 operations on my flared joints before I was properly diagnosed. I now take Anakinra injections everyday which stops my flares and keeps me walking and I am in less pain. I live with my parents and brother Koby, they all support me on tough days. When I grow up I want to have my own family and children. My favourite thing about Kids Arthritis is having friends that have arthritis as well, and understand what I'm going through. My favourite Kids Arthritis activity is catching up with everyone at the Teddy Bear Picnics.