Sue suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, which was diagnosed in 2007.

"I felt despair, fear and a lack of hope for the future," recalls Sue, of Stainland, near Halifax.

"I was put on drugs to slow the progress of the disease, but they made me sick and I still had painful, swollen hands and feet and three days of sickness a week."

But one of the things that kept Sue going was her love of ice hockey, and despite the pain, she would regularly make the 50-mile journey to Sheffield to watch the Sheffield Steelers and Scimtars ice hockey team.

"I wasn't going to let the drugs and disease spoil the enjoyment of the sport I love," says Sue.

Realising how miserable her mother was becoming, her daughter talked her into a holiday in Canada and in February this year they flew to Toronto.

"I had the best time of my life and fulfilled a lifelong ambition to ice skate outside in the snow – it was a dream come true."

Sue had spent much of her childhood on rollerskates, and despite doctors' warnings not to take to the ice, she found she was thrilled by the experience and sense of freedom that ice skating gave her.

"I enjoyed skating in Toronto so much that I bought myself some ice skates.

"Skating had no adverse effects on my joints, unlike walking or other types of exercise."

Since then Sue has travelled to Sheffield to skate every week despite the hour-long journey and she is now in the process of moving to be closer the ice rink.

"When I'm on the ice I'm a different person. I'm not limping; not feeling like I'm not capable or able – I'm happy and relaxed, positive and confident.

"In everyday life I get frustrated that I can't do something or when I'm
in pain I just try to remember the feeling of freedom and total bliss I get when I'm skating."

She is also on new medication which she injects herself and seems to be having some effect on her hands and feet.

"I'm now thinking positive for the future. My house is up for sale so that I can move nearer the rink.

"I'd love to make another trip to Canada and I really want to take a skating course to learn some fancy moves and footwork."

At the moment Sue is trying to master skating backwards and hopes that her experience will be an inspiration to others.

"When I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis I thought I'd have to give up on my dreams and hopes, but thankfully not yet.

"I have had to learn to pace myself all week so that I can skate on Friday and watch ice hockey on Saturday and Sunday.

"I am very lucky to have great kids, ice hockey and ice skating."


RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition which causes pain, swelling and inflammation in the joints. Initially, the joints of the hands and feet are affected, but any joint may later become affected. Rheumatoid arthritis can make your joints feel stiff and can leave you feeling generally unwell and tired.

It affects about 350,000 people in the UK and is more common in women than men. It is most common after the age of 40, but can affect people of any age.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease. Your immune system, which usually fights infection, attacks the lining of your joints, causing them to become inflamed. Over time, your joints may become permanently damaged and stop working properly.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis usually come and go. Sometimes, symptoms only cause mild discomfort, but at other times they can be very painful making it difficult to move around and get everyday tasks done.

When symptoms become worse, this is usually known as a "flare-up". A flare-up is impossible to predict, making rheumatoid arthritis difficult to live with.

At present, there is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis. However, with early diagnosis and treatment, symptoms can be eased and the progression of the condition slowed down.