I struggle to walk, stand and even sit for any length of time, yet I’ve been declared fit enough to work. Like many other people, I have an invisible condition – arthritis. To look at me you might not know it, but I’m in constant pain. I was diagnosed two years ago, and as the pain escalated I had to stop working. I used to stand on my feet all day as a bookseller – a job I’ve had since I first left school but it became difficult to manage. I was told by my doctor that I am too young for a knee operation, and so the alternative has been pain management. My husband isn’t particularly well either: he is currently having cancer treatment. I was recently turned down for employment and support allowance following my work capability assessment – my only guess is that the assessor thought that because I can speak and move my arms around, I’m still fit for work. But how would I get there? I was last on a bus two years ago, and it was difficult then. Who is going to employ someone who has sudden flare-ups? There are 10 million people living with this condition in the UK, the majority of us with a hard-to-spot impairment.
In April, David Cameron pledged to be an arthritis champion for people like me. As we mark the UN’s international day of persons with disabilities, 3 December, I ask politicians from all sides stop burying their heads in the sand, and realise that arthritis – the biggest cause of disability in the UK – isn’t going to go away without action.
Karen Tunley
Worcestershire