After a freak accident at the alpaca farm my toddler stopped walking

Doctors thought it was just a normal injury (Picture: Rachel Pulfree-Blythe)

At seven-years-old, Sophia Pulfree-Blythe is a ball of energy.

When she’s not practicing cartwheels, she’s scaling the climbing frame at the park. But for her parents, Rachel and Ashley, their lively little girl is nothing short of a miracle.

Sophia was just two when she was diagnosed with arthritis. While typically associated with older people, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells and tissues.

Similar to the condition experienced in old age, symptoms include joint pain, fatigue and stiffness, which can often be misdiagnosed as growing pains.

‘I didn’t know anything about juvenile arthritis. I didn’t realise children could get it,’ Ra...