Lyla, who is from Coleraine in County Londonderry, is 13 years old. Baking has provided a therapeutic outlet for Gunther as she continues to adjust to life with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which she’s had since age 4. Lyla, diagnosed this past Christmas in 2024, had suffered more than a year of pain before she was finally diagnosed. At first, physicians thought it was a sprain or minuscule fracture after she got rollerblades for Christmas in 2023.
Lyla’s fight to get help started when her wrist started hurting more and more, preventing her from writing comfortably in class. “They thought it was just a little fracture and it would be alright,” Lyla recalled. As the pain intensified, her left wrist became permanently frozen. “My wrist became really sore and eventually it wouldn’t bend at all and you can imagine it made writing very difficult in school,” she explained. Fortunately, her teachers were understanding and supportive, providing her with a laptop to assist with her studies during this challenging time.
Even with the challenges that JIA has presented, baking has been an outlet of peace for Lyla. Her gifts in the kitchen have led to her being recently crowned on Channel 4’s Junior Bake Off. This show is a sister series to the hugely successful Great British Bake Off. This platform really allowed her to shine and show everyone how great she was. It further assisted her in raising awareness around what young people go through daily living with JIA.
“Initially, I didn’t know anything about JIA,” Lyla said. Nobody talked about it… we didn’t even have school assemblies on it, we didn’t have posters up, so I felt sort of alone in the fact that none of my friends had it, no celebrities that I’d heard of had it, so I thought it was just me. Through her participation in the show, she hopes to change this narrative and inspire others who might be facing similar challenges.
Lyla’s family supports her journey. She has two brothers, Simeon and Amos, and is guided by her parents, Jennifer and Jonny. Along with her family, Lyla has her eyes on the future, including the transition to adult services that’s coming for her. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without a clear-managed transition from pediatric to adult rheumatology. This gap presents specific difficulties for young patients, such as her.
“In about three years’ time I’ll be moving into adult arthritis care, which is a little nerve-wracking,” she shared. “I know all the doctors and nurses in the children’s ward, and they have been giving me lots of help and support, so I just hope the doctors and nurses are just as kind on the adult ward.”
Lyla hopes other young people living with JIA will follow their passions, like she is doing, regardless of the health obstacles they may be facing. “I want other young people with JIA to know they shouldn’t let it stop them doing what they love – for me, that’s baking, writing, and playing the clarinet,” she stated firmly. Above all else, she thinks it’s important for people to know that they’re not the only ones going through what they’re going through.
It was very intentional, I wanted people to understand you’re not alone. Lyla concluded.
