"I'm running in support of my sister": Arthur's TCS London Marathon story

This Sunday, 19-year-old Arthur is running the London Marathon for Versus Arthritis. While this alone is an incredible achievement, BBC Sport have also selected his story to be featured on BBC One during the London Marathon coverage on race day. 

In light of this amazing news, Arthur tells us why he’s running for Versus Arthritis, what it means to be selected by the BBC, and why raising awareness of arthritis is so important to him.   

“I’m running in support of my sister"

My sister Daisy was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) when she was four. At the time, it was only present in one knee, and she had an operation that left her with limited mobility. She had to have lots of steroid injections and physiotherapy three times a day. 

Daisy was put on a bi-monthly drug which my mum had to inject into her for years. The side effects were nausea and hair loss which had a big strain on such a young person. 

She spent the next nine years on this drug which meant she was symptom-free of arthritis, but eventually she said she couldn’t stand it anymore, so the hospital looked for other options. During that period, she had just started a new school and she didn’t have arthritis symptoms. We thought perhaps she’d grown out of it. 

“My earliest memories are carrying Daisy up the stairs because she couldn’t walk and seeing her in extreme amounts of pain.” 

Last November, Daisy contracted cellulitis which put her in hospital in a critical condition. She almost got sepsis. Within 6 months, her body reacted to the infection, and she became immune to the drug that had worked for five years. She then had multiple arthritis flare ups in five new joints which she’d never had before.  

At that point, life was pretty difficult. Daisy had to cope academically with A-Levels, sports and trying to get on with life during such extreme pain. She experienced severe joint pain in her jaw and found it very hard to speak and eat.  

The next option from there was a different jab, which she injected herself, and tablets. She had a five month wait for these.  

“Daisy battles every day with pain. Every morning and evening I see her taking large amounts of tablets and injecting herself. It’s quite tough, particularly for my mum."

Versus Arthritis has given us support and reassurance, not only in keeping us up to date with any drugs coming out, but also in helping Daisy see she’s not alone.  

All the people who share their stories make a huge difference, particularly for Daisy who felt she was the only one with arthritis. The charity has been great at supporting her and giving her the best drugs possible. They have fought for her. 

Daisy is in better health now but there’s always the worry that something might reoccur. Credit has to go to Sheffield Children’s Hospital and the rheumatology team who fought hard to get her on the right medication. That’s why I’m running on Sunday. 

“I was quite surprised to be selected by BBC Sport. When I told my mum, she spent the whole day crying."

It’s exciting to be selected. Hopefully, we can raise a bit more money. There’s a sheer sense of pride and happiness: my dad’s extremely proud, my brother didn’t really believe me, and my grandparents want to know every single detail.  

I think there’s a good awareness of arthritis, but a lot of people tend to look at it as something that people get when they’re older, and that it’s a part of aging. I don’t think people understand you can get it from such a young age, or the impact it has on such a young person and their family.  

I’ve put myself through several months of training and pain whilst running, but my sister has battled with 14 years’ worth of pain. The least I can do is have a few months of pain while training and running on the day itself.  

It will mean a lot to cross the finish line. I’ll have my sister and my mum there among lots of others coming to watch. I’ll not only be quite proud of myself for finishing it, but hopefully Daisy can see that it isn’t just her battling away. Hopefully I’ll have made a bit of money for Versus Arthritis and will get some good big brother points in. 

I’m looking forward to seeing Daisy at the end. She’s what I’m raising the money for."

Fundraising for Versus Arthritis    

Charity places for the 2024 TCS London Marathon are now open. If you are interested in running for Versus Arthritis, apply here.  

There are also plenty of other ways to fundraise with us. Get your guide to fundraising for more information.   

If you have any questions about how you can get involved, the team are here to help. For more information, get in touch on fundraising@versusarthritis.org.