Arthritis Tracker
1468. Hope Graham
Hope Graham, aged 22, from County Armagh, pioneered the ‘Arthritis Tracker’ app which helps 13-25 year olds with juvenile arthritis manage their symptoms and connect with each other to ease isolation.
Hope came up with the idea as a result of her own experiences with juvenile arthritis, and particularly wanted to find a way, during the pandemic, to connect other young people with the condition and build a community of support. The app was launched by charity ‘Versus Arthritis’, which was formed in 2018 by a merger between ‘Arthritis Research UK’ and ‘Arthritis Care’ in 2018, and whose patron is HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. Hope is also a co-founder of a not-for-profit organisation called ‘Knitted Knockers of Northern Ireland’ which provides free breast prosthetics to breast cancer survivors.
In a personal letter to Hope, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“I want to congratulate you on the success of your ‘Arthritis Tracker’ app and the fantastic way you have helped young people, like yourself, with juvenile arthritis.
“I am a huge believer in the power of technology for good and I am lost in admiration for the app you have designed which helps young people manage their symptoms and connect with each other.”
Hope said:
“Thank you so much for awarding me with this amazing award. It’s a great delight to be recognised for my work with ‘Versus Arthritis’ and ‘Knitted Knockers of Northern Ireland’. On a personal level it’s really gratifying to see our initial idea for the ‘Arthritis Tracker’ app develop into what it is now, helping people keep track of their symptoms and hopefully manage their condition and pain better. I feel so privileged to be a part of it and would like to thank everyone at ‘Versus Arthritis’ that made the app possible.”