More Than Climbing: Finding My JIA Community 

Cambridge Clip n’ climb event write up by Hannah:

Juvenile Arthritis Research (JAR) is an amazing charity, who have supported me and so many other children and young people to navigate life with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Since being diagnosed with JIA myself three years ago (a condition I didn’t even know existed until I was diagnosed), I have used many of the resources provided by JAR to help me to process and navigate my condition. However, despite this JIA can be a very isolating and lonely condition as many people do not understand that it is possible for a young person to have arthritis. This is why events such as the recent JAR event at Clip n’ Climb in Cambridge make such a difference.

"Being able to talk about our experiences and knowing we all had the same thing in common was wonderful."

I was very excited as soon as I heard that JAR were going to be running an event in Cambridge and signed up as soon as possible along with my younger sister, who has supported me throughout my journey with JIA. Upon arriving at the event, it was immediately clear where we needed to go due to the iconic bright purple JAR t-shirts and all of the volunteers were so friendly and welcoming. Being one of the older young people at the event, I was worried that I wouldn’t find anyone to talk to but this concern soon faded after I arrived. Before the climbing began, there was some time for the younger children to do some colouring and I had the opportunity to talk to some of the volunteers and other children living with JIA. This was really great as I was able to freely chat about life with JIA with others, without feeling like I constantly needed to explain myself over and over again. Being able to talk about our experiences and knowing we all had the same thing in common was wonderful.

"...we were connected and made a team by the one thing we shared in common: JIA"

Soon it was time for the main event… the climbing. We all got our harnesses on and headed down to the climbing walls, eager to take on the challenge. I really enjoyed the climbing, however, for me the best part was being able to cheer the other children on and watch everyone succeed. Everyone was supported to do as much or as little climbing as they wanted to. I found myself encouraging others whose names I did not know, yet we were connected and made a team by the one thing we shared in common: JIA. However, JIA did not define any of the people at this event, and no one let it stop them from taking part and having a go. It was a really encouraging and motivating hour, although I was exhausted by the end and relieved to hear that our time on the climbing walls was up. 

"I left the event feeling lighter and a little less alone on my JIA journey because it had showed me that I was not the only one with this condition and seeing the other children and young people thriving despite this diagnosis was truly heartwarming."

We headed upstairs where some well-earned, refreshing juice and pizza waited for us. The next half an hour was another great opportunity to talk and get to know each other a bit more. Before we left, all of the children and young people were given a little goody bag, which was a wonderful extra touch to an already uplifting experience and just showed the level of care and attention which had been put into ensuring that this event was so successful. I left the event feeling lighter and a little less alone on my JIA journey because it had showed me that I was not the only one with this condition and seeing the other children and young people thriving despite this diagnosis was truly heartwarming.

Thank you so much to all of the volunteers at JAR for making this event happen and all of the other work you do in moving closer towards a cure for JIA. Thank you also to everyone who supports Juvenile Arthritis Research to help make events like this possible as it makes a huge difference to the children and young people who are able to attend. I can’t wait for the next event!

With huge thanks to Hannah for this amazing write-up! Thank you to the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation Trust for enabling this event to happen with a grant. Find out more about upcoming events on our event page.