Triumph for courgaeous , who's had JA since the age of 8

February 3, 2008

Triumph for courgaeous

Courageous Oliver has had to have two hip replacements operations

by the age of 23 due to a crippling illness which has left her in daily

agony.

She was just 17 when she had her first new hip, after suffering from

juvenile idiopathic arthritis from the age of eight.

became the first person in the UK to be treated with drug Enbrel,

to fight her condition, which causes stiff, swollen joints and pain every

day.

Sometimes , from Kingston Mews, Houghton, is in such agony that she

can't even get out of bed.

Throughout her life she has been put on endless forms of medication to try

to ease her symptoms and has even been a guinea pig for new treatments.

She said: " I was the first person in the UK to put on an anti-TNF drug

called Enbrel which has helped me a lot. "

Anti-TNF (anti-tumour necrosis factor) therapy helps to slow the progress of

arthritis and reduces symptoms such as joint pain, swelling, mobility and

fatigue.

has battled constant pain, but has never let it get in the way of

her career goals.

At 17, while she was studying for A-levels at Shiney Row College, she had to

have a hip replacement op, but this didn't stop her from achieving the

grades she needed to study at Sunderland University.

She started in 2002 on a media and marketing degree, but after the first

year changed to public relations. It

was at this point that her health deteriorated.

She said: " There were more and more days when I couldn't get out of bed due

to the excruciating pain, and I had periods in hospital. "

She had the second hip replacement in 2006, and had to do an extra year at

university because she was too ill to complete her final year.

She spent five years at university, graduating in July with a 2:1 degree.

said: " It was hard because most of my friends had graduated and all

got jobs, and I just wanted it to be over. "

Now 's courage has earned her a Higher Education Learner of the Year

award at the first ever Sunderland's Adult and Family Learning Awards.

, who is looking for a job in PRy, added: " My journey was a struggle

at times, but without the support of my peers, university lecturers and,

most importantly, my family, it would have been harder.

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