PM Boris Johnston hails Hope’s pioneering app for young arthritis sufferers

Her pioneering app for young people with arthritis has already been downloaded 7,000 times and has also been hailed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson who honored her with a ‘Points of Light’ award,

The Moira girl has spoken of how debilitating arthritis is, particularly for young people and how it can be very isolating.

Hope helped design the Arthritis Tracker app which helps 13-25 year olds with juvenile arthritis manage their symptoms and connect with each other to ease isolation.

She came up with the idea as a result of her own experiences with juvenile arthritis, and particularly wanted to find a way to connect other young people with the condition and build a community of support, which has been even more vital during the pandemic.

In her spare time Hope helps her mum out with the Lurgan based charity Knitted Knockers which helps women with breast cancer.

In a personal letter to Hope, the PM said: “I want to congratulate you on the success of your ‘Arthritis Tracker’ app and the fantastic way you have helped young people, like yourself, with juvenile arthritis.

“I am a huge believer in the power of technology for good and I am lost in admiration for the app you have designed which helps young people manage their symptoms and connect with each other.”

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s announcement, Hope said: “Thank you so much for awarding me with this amazing award. It’s a great delight to be recognised for my work with ‘Versus Arthritis’. On a personal level it’s really gratifying to see our initial idea for the ‘Arthritis Tracker’ app develop into what it is now, helping people keep track of their symptoms and hopefully manage their condition and pain better. I feel so privileged to be a part of it and would like to thank everyone at Versus Arthritis that made the app possible.”

Sophie Mullen, Digital Engagement Officer at Versus Arthritis who worked on the app’s development alongside Hope, said: “Arthritis is too often dismissed as an old person’s disease, but it doesn’t discriminate by age - two thirds of people with arthritis are under 65.

“Our app provides much needed additional support for young people with arthritis. Most will never have met other young people their age with the condition, who understand what they’re going through. This app is helping us change that, and we’re so delighted to see Hope being awarded for her extraordinary contribution.”

Hope is the 1468th person to receive the Prime Minister’s UK daily Points of Light award, which was first launched in April 2014 to recognise outstanding individuals making a difference where they live. Each day, someone, somewhere in the country is selected to receive the award to celebrate their remarkable achievements, including hundreds of volunteers who have been recognised for how they have served their communities through the coronavirus pandemic.

The Arthritis Tracker provides 24/7 access to trusted information and advice for young people between 13 and 25 and helps them to rate and record their arthritis symptoms in seconds and track their pain, medication side effects, fatigue, physical activity, sleep and emotional well-being.

An estimated 2.98 million people under the age of 35 in the UK are living with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition like arthritis. This app will support those aged 13-25 living with the pain, fatigue and isolation of arthritis, whilst also dealing with the everyday challenges of growing up.

Along with tracking their arthritis symptoms and well-being the app also connects them with other teenagers and young people who know what it is like to live with arthritis.

Arthritis Tracker is available on the Versus Arthritis website and to download for iPhone on the Apple App Store and for Android on Google Play.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vsarthritis

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/arthritis-tracker/id1483066694

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