An eight year old schoolgirl was taken to hospital by her mum after she started struggling to chew her food.
Jessica Gallop has junior arthritis - but she hasn't let her condition stop her from leading a full teenage life.
The 16-year-old has just celebrated securing eight passes in her GCSEs - including a C in dance - despite being diagnosed with the condition when she was just eight.
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This has often led to periods when she couldn't move or suffered excruciating pain as her joints swelled up, which required extensive treatment and physiotherapy at Alder Hey Childrens' Hospital.
Jess has also had to wear specialised equipment after her ankle collapsed - for which mum Jane was given a spanner to adjust the screws.
The proud mum, from Warrington, said: "The condition makes all her joints swell up and she can be in a lot of pain, but Jess is a non-complainer and she hides it very very well.
"It's a vicious disease when it gets going. On a bad day, it's cruel. She can't run and has got very limited movement in her ankle."
Jess first came to Alder Hey at the age of eight with juvenile arthritis in both her knees, ankle and jaw - the latter meant she found it hard to chew her food and couldn't open her mouth fully.
Over the years, she has had many procedures including a Ilizarov frame for 12 weeks to distract her ankle in 2018, and an operation to lengthen the tendons in her ankle in late 2019.
Jane, 41, said: "When she had the frame fitted, I was given a spanner by the hospital so I could move it every morning.
"She's also needed a wheelchair, has worn a removable cast or black boot, and used crutches.
"Juvenile arthritis isn't uncommon and affects one child in every 100, but you just never hear of it or see it.
"It attacks healthy joints and in Jess's case it destroyed the cartilage and her ankle collapsed."
Despite her condition, the teenager has kept up her passion for dance which started when she was just three years old.
Before the disease took hold, she was a talented street dancer and won several competitions, and even afterwards she was determined to carry on as best she could.
Although she gained 3 A*s, 2 As, and 2 Bs in her GCSEs last week, it was the C in Dance she and her mum are most proud of.
Jane said: "Luckily she's quite a mobile person, but if she does too much she needs to rest.
"She has trialled so many drugs and medicines to find the ones that work for her, and some have made her really sick.
"The arthritis could flare up again at any time, but she never complains, she just gets on with it. I've never had a minute of trouble from her.
"As a single parent, it's absolutely exhausting. Sometimes she can be at the hospital three times a week. You're meeting yourself coming back."
Jess is currently under the care of rheumatology and orthopaedics at Alder Hey.
Jane added: “If it wasn't for the team at Alder Hey and Jessica's pure determination this would not have been possible."
For information, support and to connect with others living with arthritis visit www.versusarthritis.org or call the charity’s helpline 0800 5200 520.
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