A diet helped HEAL MY HEALTH CONDITIONS

Life-limiting autoimmune diseases didnt stop Leslie Kenny from beating the odds and following her dreams of becoming a mother

- VERONIQUE HAWKSWORTH.

When I was told that I had rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, doctors encouraged me to accept the hand I’d been dealt. But at just 39 years old, I wasn’t going down without a fight, and was determined not to leave any stone unturned.

It was 2004 when I first started experiencing the sorts of health issues more readily associated with someone in their 80, not their 30s. Typing on my work computer, my hands were sore and stiff. At first, I thought it was carpal tunnel syndrome from too much time spent at my desk. When I began to struggle to use scissors or even turn doorknobs, I realised that something more serious must be going on.

Blood tests and a physical examination led to a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. I had my suspicions that arthritis was to blame, and while I knew it wasn’t unheard of in younger people, it came as a shock. As rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition, I was prescribed strong daily immunosuppressants. Already distraught at the idea of having to inject myself with drugs for the rest of my life, the real bombshell hit. My doctor explained that I also had an autoimmune condition called lupus – it had no cure, and would get progressively worse.