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Thirteen-year-old Lyla from Coleraine, County Londonderry, finds more than just enjoyment in baking—it has become a crucial part of how she copes with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), a condition she was diagnosed with in 2024. Before receiving the diagnosis, Lyla endured over a year of pain initially mistaken for a sprain or small fracture. As she entered secondary school, alongside adapting to new medications and the daily realities of living with a chronic illness, baking provided her with a sense of comfort and a therapeutic outlet.
Lyla’s passion for baking not only helped her personally but also led to her appearance on Channel 4’s Junior Bake Off, a spin-off of The Great British Bake Off. Throughout this experience, she impressed viewers with her innovative baked creations and spoke openly about managing JIA. “I think it’s important that people know you’re not alone,” she shared. “JIA shouldn’t stop you from doing what you love and my motto on the show was ‘get back up again’. It was such an enjoyable and fun experience and I met friends for life and got to share my favourite hobby with others.”
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis affects children under 16, and according to the NRAS, it is a leading cause of physical disability in childhood. Despite this, awareness remains limited as many assume arthritis is an adult condition. Lyla first noticed symptoms during the winter of 2023, but doctors initially believed she had injured her wrist after rollerblading. As time went on, her wrist pain worsened to the point where bending it became impossible, making tasks like writing at school difficult. Teachers supported her by providing a laptop during times when writing was too painful. When she was finally diagnosed at Christmas 2024, Lyla faced the challenge of understanding an illness that was largely unfamiliar to her and those around her. “No one ever talked about it…we had no school assemblies about it, there were no posters, so I felt kind of alone in the sense that none of my friends had it, no celebrities I had heard of had it, so I thought it was just me,” she explained.
Looking ahead, Lyla is aware of future hurdles, including transitioning from paediatric to adult arthritis care, which she describes as “a little nerve-wracking.” Northern Ireland currently lacks a managed pathway to support young people moving between these stages of care, a concern highlighted during a recent event at the Northern Ireland Assembly on World Rheumatic Diseases Day. Lyla expressed hope that the adult care teams will be as supportive as the paediatric ones she has come to know. She encourages others with JIA to pursue their passions despite their diagnosis: “I want other young people with JIA to know they shouldn’t let it stop them doing what they love – for me, that’s baking, writing, and playing the clarinet.”
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