It took Amanda both hands to unlock her seat belt, then struggle out of the car. She got about 50 metres along the track before a searing pain took over her body. Stumbling back to her car, Amanda says she sat and sobbed.

She had not realised how bad her arthritis would be.

Taking control of her life, Amanda still has her flare-ups and bad days but, a couple years on, the former Ballarat High School captain is determined to complete her first half-marathon for Run Melbourne in July.

Exercise is crucial to help preventing her joints from swelling up.

“Getting up early and going for a run is so empowering,” Amanda said. “Sometimes I feel like that scene in Forrest Gump when the braces come flying off his legs and he can move freely – it’s so liberating – rather than moving like ET and hobbling across the street.”

Amanda has become an ambassador for Arthritis and Osteoporosis Victoria and is keen to tell her story this week, for Arthritis Awareness Week, so other young people with chronic conditions know they are not alone.

Healthy and super fit, Amanda woke up one morning in 2009 with a hot, fiery sensation in her feet. A month later, aged 23, Amanda was living and working in London when her symptoms grew progressively worse – stiffness, swollen joints and dull aches. She had to ask strangers to help button up her shirt sleeves.

Back in Australia, Amanda was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis.

Commonly perceived as a older person’s condition, the initial help groups Amanda attended were generally filled with seniors. She linked up with Arthritis Victoria last year to really help form a platform and support network for young people, sharing experience in their condition.

“We’re going through the same sorts of things,” Amanda said. “For younger people with arthritis, it can be hard finding a stable job, managing study, often living independently and managing money for the first time, including buying medications.

“I’ve probably learnt a lot more about what’s really important.

“I moved to Melbourne because I wanted to keep moving forward. I love living in the city with all the people around you.”

Amanda dreams of a day when research advances enough to cure or more naturally help her condition. While each case is different, Amanda has fortnightly injections and a combination of tablets but is concerned of the long-term affect this could have on her well-being and fellow young people living with arthritis.

For peer support and more information: move.org.au