Arthritis camp an incredible opportunity for Rotorua teenager

India Heron, 13, has a blast on the flying fox. Photo/Supplied

For a Rotorua girl and her mother an arthritis camp designed for children was an invaluable experience.

India Heron, 13, has arthritis which makes her joints sore and stiff.

But at the end of February she attended a three-day camp at Totara Springs, Matamata, designed especially for children like her.

Her mother, Belinda Heron, went with her.

India says highlights included meeting a lot of other children around her age, and being able to do activities with them and knowing they can understand why she can't do some things.

She says it was also cool to see all the leaders who had arthritis.

She took part in many of the activities including rock climbing, kayaking, flying Kiwi and flying fox.

She also enjoyed relaxing in the hot pools and says it was cool that they got free time, when they could hang out together and make new friendships.

Belinda says highlights were meeting other parents who understood and that when talking about medication people there knew what she was talking about.

"And another one would be seeing India have the confidence around new people to try new things."

She says there was also a youth panel of 16 to 21-year-olds at the camp who spoke about their experience with arthritis and how that affects them now in university, as well as giving some tips.

"That was really beneficial. India came out of there quite excited that all these things are possible."

India Heron, 13, is all harnessed up. Photo/Supplied

Both Belinda and India would definitely go to the camp again and would recommend it to anyone who was offered the opportunity.

Belinda says even if you have heard the information before you can always learn something new and meet someone new.

She says the camp was very well run - "It was an incredible thing we were very fortunate to be a part of".

India's arthritis began with a swollen knee. At first, it didn't appear to be serious but before long her right knee was twice its normal size and she was limping in pain.

Medical tests ruled out a sprain or a tumour. After the fluid was drained, India had steroid injections to manage the inflammation.

A couple of months later, the diagnosis was confirmed as JIA, or juvenile idiopathic arthritis - the most common form of arthritis in children.

JIA causes the body's immune system to attack healthy cells, causing painful, stiff and swollen joints.

Both India's knees were soon affected, then her ankles, hips, wrists, elbows, fingers and toes.