Jade

Jade’s story

“What keeps me going is the thought that I might not be able to do it today, but I can do it tomorrow.”

Jade felt very alone when she was first diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and ulcerative colitis when she was just 29 years old as she tried to navigate the symptoms of her conditions. But everyday Jade’s motivation to get up and get moving is her adorable son, Dexter. It’s tough work keeping up with a 19-month-old toddler, but Jade is determined to do all the things that the other mums do. She loves nothing more than playing with Dexter and taking him and their two dogs out for a walk in their local park.

How Jade gets moving

Prior to being diagnosed, Jade wasn’t a particularly active person and following her diagnosis she didn’t know where to start or what her body would be able to manage. Through research and guidance from a physio, Jade began doing aqua aerobics and chair yoga and saw her mobility improve week-by-week. Looking back Jade couldn’t lift a kettle with both hands, but now she is lifting small weights. She couldn’t walk unaided, but now she can run around after her son like the other mums and looks forward to things like school sports day.

Juggling being a single mum and work means that Jade is often looking for quick ways she can build more low-cost activity into her day. A few stretches while she is waiting for the kettle to boil, or doing a low-impact workout in her living room keep her joints from seizing up - and of course cuddles from Dexter provide extra motivation to keep going!

Getting active is a form of self-care for Jade and she uses it as a tool in claiming back some control over her health, both physically and mentally. She finds the more she moves the better she feels, but also knows to listen to her body, pain, and fatigue levels and sometimes this means doing less or taking a rest that day. But most importantly to Jade, on the days she feels she can, she does.