I’m a normal teen ... but I have arthritis

When I was 14, I developed pain and swelling in my joints. After months of tests and hospital stays, I was diagnosed. I’m 17 now and I recently abseiled down a cliff, says Siobhan O’Shaughnessy

MY name is Siobhan O’Shaughnessy and I am 17 years old. I am a normal teenage girl: make-up, music, concerts and a boyfriend .... except I have juvenile arthritis.

Three years ago, I was attending school with my two brothers. We were all three now attending secondary school, much to my mum’s delight. My transition into secondary school was going smoothly. I loved the different subjects and that I didn’t have the same teacher all day. Every morning I would be first up out of bed while my parents shouted at my brothers to get up.