Melanie Knights is 40 years old and lives in Newcastle. She is married with three children and has a ‘wonderful’ spaniel dog called Oscar. She lost her job as a midwife in 2014 due to prolonged absence from work, primarily caused by arthritis.

“I got up one day and the pain was so unbearable I literally couldn’t move. I had scans, x-rays and various tests before they eventally diagnosed degenerative disc disease. I’ve had a hip replacement since and have also been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which is a disorder of the connective tissue affecting the mobement of my joints” said Melanie.

“I have a 2.8cm leg difference which makes it hard to walk and I get intense back pain. My joints move around which makes me unstable on my feet and sometimes I’m embarrassed to go out. I thought things like this only happened to older people”.