Day 41: Anything for chips

Today was a big day – I attempted to ride a bike for the first time in over nine years. I used to ride a lot when I was younger, but when the RA reared its ugly head I became too ill to even get onto a bicycle, let alone ride one. As the years passed I lost my confidence and therefore became reluctant to even attempt to do it. But today my family decided to go on a bike ride to a pub and, not wanting to miss out on the free chips, I decided now was the time to have a go.

I look a lot more confident than I feel at this moment.

And as you can see in this video, I did it! Mama Bull was proud; my dad was too busy building a wall to notice.

What you don’t see in this video is that, as it turns out, I can’t stop. The brakes are on the left side of the bike and my fingers are so crippled on this hand at the moment that I can’t actually use them. Didn’t really think that one through.

I didn’t let that stop me getting to the pub though and 1.5 miles later I arrived all in one piece (well, in as much of a piece as I was before). It’s not quite John O’Groats to Lands End, but at least it’s one step closer to the dream of completing that challenge.

Outside the pub. 

In other news on Wednesday I went to London for a BRIT meeting. BRIT (British Inspiration Trust) is an awesome charity founded by an awesome man and I feel very privileged and proud to be a part of it. So much so that I’m going to tell you all about it.

BRIT was founded by Phil Packer MBE, an ex-army Major who suffered spinal cord damage during an explosion in Iraq with the initial prognosis that it was highly unlikely he would ever walk again. Three years on he has rowed the Channel, climbed the 3 Peaks in 72 hours, walked the London Marathon in 14 days and climbed El Capitan. It was during his second London Marathon effort in 2010 that I met Phil, when he walked the 26 miles in 26 hours for 26 charities, walking each mile with a young person from each of the charities.

Phil is one of the most inspirational people I know. When I first met him I was going through a difficult time, but he showed me that having a disability does not have to stop you achieving your goals. BRIT was launched in January this year to build a Centre of Inspiration for charities and for young people facing adversity. With the combined support of inspirational figures from every sector of society (Richard Branson, Ben Fogle, Jamie Oliver to name but a few). BRIT aims to deliver inspiration to young people facing adversity to overcome life’s challenges during their darkest times in order to provide hope, aspiring choices and assist them in regaining their self belief, self confidence, and self worth.

As a member of BRIT’s Young Persons Visionary Steering Group (YPVSG) I help to raise awareness and decide who will become guiding mentors. Essentially I am representing every young person in the UK with a form of arthritis – a huge responsibility but equally something that I am extremely honoured to do. Through BRIT and the YPVSG I have met so many inspirational people that I am lucky enough to now call my friends. They really help to put my life into perspective – if they can overcome life’s challenges then so can I.

The other thing I should probably update you on is my health... Tuesday will be exactly six weeks since my first joint juice infusion and, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I definitely do not feel any better so far. In fact, I’m worse. For the last 10 days or so I’ve had to nap every single afternoon (no wonder people associate this disease with the elderly) and I’ve been getting next to no sleep because the pain in my hand has got so bad it is waking me up every night. For the last two nights I have given in and taken Tramadol (a mega strong pain killer that has a habit of giving me hallucinations and spacing me out) just to get me a couple of extra hours of shut eye. As you know this did not stop me riding a bike though, nor did it stop me going to Southampton yesterday to watch my beloved Saints beat Leeds 3-1 in the first match of the season. The only bad thing about the score was that it meant I punched the air three times, which my arm did not appreciate. Totally worth the pain though.