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I was diagnosed with arthritis when I was two. My mum was told initially that I had Stills disease and would go blind or have a heart defect and would not live to be 12. I recall sitting in the Red Cross Memorial hospital in Berkshire with my Bay City Rollers trousers on, with my mum asking how much longer I had, to which the doctor replied that unless I got knocked down by a bus I could live to be 90. I had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
I have spent many years in and out of remission and have had an elbow replacement, my toes straightened and arthroscopies in my knees and shoulders. I often get asked if I am in a lot of pain, but when you have lived with pain all your life, it can be difficult to know what it is.
Different kinds of pain
My only brother died eight years ago, but the pain I felt then was the kind that you only feel when your heart is broken. I am doing well now. My life has changed, but I have to be strong and keep as fit as possible because my brother left three children behind, and I have to be there for them, as they are for me.
I do not have any children but my house is never empty as my three nephews and two nieces all keep me on my toes. I will ask any of them for help, and they are always there. A good close family helps when you have arthritis.
I hope that telling my story to Real Lives helps some people to realise that arthritis is not the end of their world.
Beverley Keenan is from Blackpool, Lancashire. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she was six. She is now in her 30s.
