Katy Pieris

Katy was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 28 years old. A young woman in the prime of life wanting to start a family and at the start of a promising career. Despite such a devasting diagnosis she turned it into a positive by volunteering for NRAS. Throwing herself into raising awareness of the condition, supporting others and advocating for improvement in care and support for the 430.000 plus adults living with RA in the UK. She's truly inspirational in what she has achieved and not allowing RA to stop her in anyway.

RA like many auto-immune conditions is an invisible disability for thousands and very misunderstood by the general public, employers and even health professionals. Katy runs not only a local in person patient group but also hosts online JoinTogether virtual meetings widening the access to information and peer support. She also offers one to one support over the phone as one of NRAS' trained Here For You volunteers. Despite living with pain, fatigue and the unpredictability of RA Katy is always willing to help others and the charity she is passionate about and supports.