Adorable Paris is a picture of health and happiness, but the bubbly three year old with the beautiful curls has a chronic health condition normally associated with the elderly. Paris has rheumatoid arthritis and the debilitating and painful condition saw her spend over 3 months in Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital when she was just 18 months old.

Paris's ordeal started after she rolled her ankle on some blocks while playing. Although it didn't seem to bother her at the time, several days later mother Sian, suspected something was very wrong. Paris had developed a painful, swollen foot and began dragging it when she walked.

Sian was baffled – however, when the foot began to stiffen and turn black, she panicked and took Paris straight to their local GP. Concerned by what he saw, the GP sent the little girl straight to Royal Children's Hospital for specialist assessment.

This was the beginning of a stressful 3 month ordeal for Paris and her family – Doctors initially had no idea what could be causing such dreadful swelling and suspected a bone infection – a serious condition which can even lead to amputation.

Doctors performed numerous tests to find out what was wrong with Paris's foot and inserted a central line through her heart to administer antibiotics, in case the bone was infected. They also plastered her leg to stop the swelling and after 3 weeks, Paris seemed slightly improved, and was able to go home.

Unfortunately, the painful swelling returned and Paris was again admitted to Royal Children's Hospital – this time undergoing an operation to biopsy her ankle. During her stay, Doctors also discovered Paris was suffering from bronchiolitis, a severe viral respiratory infection and Paris was sent to an isolation room in the Paterson ward to complete her recovery.

After a 3 month hospital stay, doctors were able to diagnose Paris with rheumatoid arthritis – a condition affecting about 1 in 1,000 children causing the immune system to attack the healthy lining of the joints causing painful swelling.

Doctors still don't know what causes rheumatoid arthritis, but it is thought that infection (most likely a viral infection) may trigger the onset of the disease. In this case, they believe the recurrent bronchiolitis infections suffered by Paris since birth contributed to her developing arthritis.

Research teams like the Bug detectives at the Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases laboratory work hard every day to find out more about viral infections affecting children like Paris. Through the annual Fresh Future Appeal, Woolworths' staff and customers help the Bug Detectives to develop vaccines, better diagnostic methods and improved treatments to give kids like Paris a chance at a fresh future.

While Paris rarely has to visit Royal Children's Hospital now, she is not yet in the clear. Her ankle still gives her occasional pain and Paris must have regular check-ups at her GP to ensure the arthritis stays under control and to give her the best chance of leading a normal, active life!