Let me tell you about JIA
(Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis)

A poem by Kit Weston

Let me tell you about JIA
I take loads of drugs to keep it at bay
Pills, injections, physio too
Try to get me fit for school
You can’t know when I’m in pain
(you're probably frustrated I’m off school …AGAIN!)

It’s so much more than swollen joints
It's rashes, sore eyes and more to the point
It’s feeling I am missing out
though I don’t like to fuss and shout
So please believe me when I say
I’m having a bad flare-up day.

My condition isn’t obvious, the battle’s deep inside
I don’t like to admit to it, it really hurts my pride
But pride, they say, precedes a fall
And what I need to tell you all
Is just how painful it can be
Carrying JIA around with me.

I thought that this might help you to
See JIA from my point of view.

You can find more of Kit Weston's poetry on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kit_weston1/