Juliette and Kirran explain what working on our campaign has meant to them

Arthritis Research UK’sThe Nation’s Joint Problem campaign has reached millions of people over the last three months, through national news stories and features and TV, cinema and billboard advertising. We asked two people who helped to shape the campaign content about their experience of being part of our ground-breaking push to change attitudes to arthritis.JulietteJournalist and author ofMostly Cloudy, Some Bright Spells Juliette Wills, 45, has lived with inflammatory spinal arthritis for 18 years. She wrote thesix powerful stories featured in The Guardian which exposed the hidden impact of arthritis, as well as talking frankly on camera about how arthritis has affected her own life. Juliette says: "I was commissioned because Arthritis Research UK knew it was important to work with a journalist with arthritis, someone who really got it. Having first-hand experience meant I could empathise and there was no risk I’d trivialise what people were going through."I was given a lot of control over the content. They trusted me to do the job and knew I had a good grasp of what was needed, both as a patient and a writer. I chose people with strong stories, of different ages and backgrounds, so we could show the diversity of those affected by arthritis."I did find working on the campaign emotional at times. I interviewed Neil who, like me, has ankylosing spondylitis and his story really echoed my own. Talking to him made me very upset for him, as I knew what he'...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news