My love of baking helps me deal with arthritis at age of 13

For 13-year-old Lyla, baking is much more than a hobby.

After being diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in 2024, she found it became therapeutic way of coping with a condition that many people she knew had never even heard of.

Lyla had already spent more than a year dealing with pain that was initially thought to be a sprain or small fracture.

As she started secondary school, she also had to adjust to new medications and daily challenges of living with a chronic condition, but she said it was her love of baking that really offered her a sense of comfort.

It led her to Channel 4's Junior Bake Off, a spin-off of The Great British Bake Off.

The 13-year-old from Coleraine in County Londonderry impressed viewers in this year's series of Junior Bake Off with her creative bakes and spoke openly about how she manages living with JIA.

"It's where I can leave all my stress in the dough and just relax," she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

Baking has become an important outlet for Lyla and she said her experience on Junior Bake Off was a great way to spread awareness of JIA.

"I think it's important that people know you're not alone," Lyla said.

"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."

JIA affects children under the age of 16.

There are several types of JIA with some types milder than others, according to the NHS.

About 12,000 children and young people in the UK have JIA which represents 1 child in every 1,000 under the age of 16, according to National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS).

The NRAS said JIA was one of the most common causes of physical disability in childhood, yet many people were unaware that children could develop inflammatory arthritis, and many still associated arthritis primarily with adults.

Lyla said she first became aware of symptoms in winter 2023 but her doctors initially suggested she may have just hurt her wrist after getting rollerblades for Christmas.

"They thought it was just a little fracture and it would be alright," Lyla said.

As she settled into secondary school, her symptoms worsened.

"My wrist became really sore and eventually it wouldn't bend at all and you can imagine it made writing very difficult in school," Lyla said.

She said support from her teachers helped her continue her schoolwork.

"They were so kind and gave me a laptop when my wrist was too sore to write," she said.

Lyla said when she was told she had arthritis at Christmas in 2024, she faced the challenge of adjusting to a condition she knew very little about.

"When I was first diagnosed, I had no idea what JIA was," Lyla said.

"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."

Lyla said she felt more confident managing her condition now, although she is aware of future challenges, including the transition to adult services.

She said it could be daunting for young people to experience that change.

There have been calls for a managed pathway for young people living with arthritis and transitioning from paediatric to adult services.

An event was held at the Northern Ireland Assembly on Wednesday to mark World Rheumatic Diseases Day and raise awareness of young people living with JIA.

Some young people shared their experiences of being diagnosed with arthritis with elected representatives and spoke about how they found transitioning into adult services.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without a managed pathway between paediatric and adult rheumatology.

"In about three years' time I'll be moving into adult arthritis care, which is a little nerve-wracking," Lyla said.

"I know all the doctors and nurses in the children's ward, and they have been giving me lots of help and support, so I just hope the doctors and nurses are just as kind on the adult ward."

"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."