A 37-year-old single mum who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis is launching her own fundraising challenge for the charity.

Tracy Beynon from East Williamston will be 40 on February 6, 2017, and it is her aim to raise £4,000 by that time for Arthritis Research UK to ensure they have some funding towards working on new methods of treatment for this condition and possibly one day a cure.

Tracy was diagnosed six years ago, although she has had symptoms at various times in her life since she was 11.

Explained Tracy: "When I was 31, I had a very bad flare-up. My son and I had to live with my parents as I was immobile and unable to look after myself, let alone care for him. At the worst of my flare-up, I was completely immobile. I needed help from family members to even use the bathroom and dress and I spent all my time in bed or at the GP or hospital.

"My RA was particularly hard to diagnose as I have what is known as seronegative arthritis which means that the normal things they look for in blood tests to indicate RA do not show up in my blood, so initially the doctors were not sure what was happening.

"This was the scariest part of it all for me as I didn't know what was wrong with me and if this was going to be permanent. Thankfully, when I was diagnosed, it gave a name to my condition and that helped me to understand what was happening and to give me something to fight. At the time, it felt like this was the worst thing in the world for me as I was 31 with a condition I thought only old people had and I felt useless, like a child, as I couldn't do anything for myself."

Tracy continued: "I had previously swum for my university, played rugby and cricket and keep fit three times a week, and now I was unable to do even the most simple of tasks, such as walk.

"I was put onto a cocktail of drugs to try and attack the disease, but as RA is different for each patient, it was a case of trial and error until we could find a mixture of drugs that would work for me. I'm glad to say that eventually thanks to my rheumatology team at the hospital, a mixture of drugs that suited me (one of which is also used as a chemotherapy drug to treat cancer) was found and I began to come out of the flare-up; my RA even went into remission.

"I stayed on this mixture of drugs for a long while, but as is the nature of the beast, they soon began to stop working and my doctors had to try and find another mixture of drugs that suited me.

"I am glad to say that I am now on a mixture of drugs that are partially working for me. I am still in pain every day and the fatigue that comes along with this condition can be debilitating at times and I struggle to do certain things every day. I also continue to have flare-ups from time to time, but most of the time I'm glad to say that I can put on a brave face and people look at me and don't realise that there is anything wrong with me."

Tracy has decided that, as she is doing fairly well now, she would like to give something back and to raise some money towards research into this debilitating disease.

She will start her fundraising on her 38th birthday this year, February 6, when at 9.30 pm, she will be having her head shaved in the Buccaneer pub in Tenby.