Zoe Plumley, a mother from Bridgend, South Wales, thought she was simply worn out during a family outing enjoying the Christmas light trail. Pushing her newborn daughter Larna’s pram, Zoe felt a creeping exhaustion and soreness. “I told my partner George that the cold was getting into my bones,” she recalls. But by the end of the walk, Zoe couldn’t even push the buggy up a simple kerb, a sign that something was seriously wrong.
That night, Christmas Day came with an agonizing surprise. Zoe awoke to excruciating pain and a body that felt immovable. “It was like I’d turned to stone,” she says. She couldn’t bend, open presents, or even take painkillers herself. Despite traveling to her family’s home in Somerset, Zoe’s condition worsened rapidly. Swelling made even her shoes impossible to wear, and her parents watched in alarm as she “literally ballooned” before their eyes.
Back home in Bridgend, Zoe’s pain spread through every joint, making simple tasks—like using the toilet—impossible without aid. An emergency visit to A&E resulted in a pneumonia diagnosis and morphine prescription, but the underlying problem remained a mystery. Over the following weeks, Zoe’s daily calls to her GP finally led to a rheumatology referral. The devastating news: Zoe had aggressive rheumatoid arthritis.
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By February, she began treatment with methotrexate and biologics, but the disease had already taken its toll, destroying thumb joints and forcing Zoe to rely on crutches, wrist splints, and home modifications. Immune-suppressing medications mean even mild infections leave her bedridden for weeks. She had to stop running her printing business, with George stepping in as her full-time carer—only to be struck down himself by disabling long Covid soon after.
The physical toll was compounded by emotional devastation. Having battled autoimmune diseases before, Zoe was no stranger to chronic illness, but rheumatoid arthritis brought a fresh grief. “When the diabetes team told me autoimmune diseases shorten life expectancy, I realized I might never see 80,” she says. Her children, especially 15-year-old Logan, have become her support system, with Logan taking on caregiving responsibilities.
Now working as a disability consultant through her company, L&L Specialist Services, Zoe raises awareness about invisible disabilities and fights stigma. “People assume disability means a wheelchair,” she says. “I’ve had strangers question my blue badge because I don’t ‘look’ disabled.”
Despite everything, Zoe faces each day with resilience and hope. “I take the good days as they come and try to help others understand this condition. That’s what keeps me going.”