Lily’s I’m Back Story – Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)

Lily was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) when she was four years old. When Lily’s mom was drying Lily off from a bath, she noticed that her knee was swollen. Lily’s mom decided to take Lily in to see some doctors, and they ended up being referred to a rheumatologist who diagnosed Lily with JIA.

When Lily first started her infusions, she had them done at a hospital, to which she expressed, were hard on her. Lily would have to miss full days of school and would be at the hospital for up to 12 hours.

After talking with one of her friends, Lily found out that her friend had been going to OSMS to get her infusions done, expressing to Lily that her infusions were quick and easy – only about two hours.

Upon hearing this, Lily and her parents decided to go over and check out OSMS. Once they met Dr. Tuttle, they realized the process at OSMS was better than the one they were experienced at the hospital.

“Going to my first appointment at OSMS, I was a little nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect and I was so young,” explained Lily. “I didn’t mind having infusions at OSMS because they were so quick and easy compared to the hospital.”

Growing up with JIA was a challenge for Lily. She mentioned that “It was hard growing up through school knowing that I was different than everyone else and that normal things would be hard for me. That’s the thing about arthritis is that it’s an invisible disease.”

Although it was hard for Lily to navigate her disease through school, she had support from her understanding friends, teachers, and classmates.

Since going to OSMS, Lily describes that she is back to having a normal life again. “I’m able to be a college student now who can worry about my grades and my friends rather than if I’ll be able to walk to class or if my hands will get sore doing my assignments. I even can have a regular job. So, it’s been good knowing that I can do things and keep up with everybody around me and not fall behind because of my disease.”

When it was time for Lily to move to college, it was a little scary for her knowing that she wouldn’t be in close proximity to her family or even Dr. Tuttle. However, Lily quickly realized that it wouldn’t be an issue because she knew she would still have her family’s support over the phone, and that Dr. Tuttle was always one phone call away if she needed his care.


When Lily applied for accommodations, she talked with Dr. Tuttle who quickly filled out the paperwork and signed the forms Lily needed. Lily mentioned, “He was very helpful with that and the whole team is super quick with it. He told me he’s always there if I need anything and I check in with him every summer.”

We asked Lily what advice she would give to someone going through an early arthritis diagnosis, and she explained, “Although it may feel overwhelming, trust your doctors and trust the medications that you’re being put on. OSMS came into my life at a time where anything about arthritis gave me a lot of anxiety. Having switched from the super hard infusions at the hospital to doing the quick, easy ones at the [OSMS] clinic changed my quality of life so much.”

Now, as a college student, Lily is living life normally, explaining that, “Having a doctor be such a good constant in my life for the past couple of years is something that I will always be really grateful for.”

Thanks to OSMS, Lily is in remission, and thriving with her arthritis!

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