Walking the Cornish coastal paths was something that Christine Hosey from Porthleven always took for granted. She had used them as a training ground for a number of serious charity treks in the past, including 100 miles across rough terrain in Tanzania, and never realised how lucky she was.

That was until one day in May this year when, over the course of just ten days, she became unable to move without excruciating pain in every joint.

Thanks to the speed of her GP surgery she was quickly seen by a consultant and diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Christine, a professional photographer whose work includes freelancing for the Packet, said: “I had no idea what this meant – I thought arthritis was old worn out joints; it was really frightening as it was all happening so quickly.

“But I soon learnt that RA is an autoimmune disease, my immune system was confused and attacking the fluid that protects my joints, slowly destroying them.

“I was scared that I would become totally incapacitated, that I would have to stop working, that I would have to close my business down; the future looked very bleak indeed.”

Although incurable, RA can be managed to varying degrees by taking drugs that suppress the immune system, although the side effects of these drugs can be unpleasant.

With the help of such drugs and pain control, Christine was able to resume her work as a professional photographer after just six weeks.

“I love my job, it would have been devastating to have to stop, but hopefully now I can keep going for a good number of years to come,” she said.

To try to raise awareness of this devastating disease Christine decided to attempt one last walk on the coast path. She explained: “I just want people to take a few minutes to learn about this illness. It is not ‘arthritis’ in the way people think, it affects every single joint in my body and can hit anyone, any age.”

Last Friday Christine, supported by five friends, walked the coast path from the eastern end of Praa Sands to Porthleven.

“A few years ago that would have been a quick stroll after work, but this time it was a huge challenge! It took three hours, at least twice as long as it would have taken before the illness hit, but it was the happiest three hours I have had for a long time; I felt like I had been given my life back,” she said.

The walk was also to show support for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society who help the hundreds of thousands of adults and children living with this disease.

Christine's walk has a Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/Christine-Hosey.