Running for NZ Kids With Arthritis

When I was 10 years old I was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, this disease fully changed the course of my life. For the next four years I trialed oral, intravenous and injected forms of medication in an attempt to stop the inflammation in my joints before too much damage was done. As you can imagine, this was an extremely difficult and scary time for both me and my family as there were so many uncertainties involved, however, KWANZ provided a helping hand through the tough time and allowed us to make connections with other families going through the same difficulties and provide expert advice on how to deal with the disease. In 2018-2019 my Arthritis was cured through medicine given through a monthly infusion, with only my jaw needing surgery in the future in order to fix the damage that has been done. I want to run the Auckland Half Marathon as a milestone in my journey, an event I would have never thought I would have been able to do, and in doing so, fundraise for a charity that helped me so much through my Arthritis journey.