We would like to congratulate our 2024 winner – Kira Young

In Kira’s own words:

I found hope and drive amidst an unimaginable challenge.

For much of my life, I took my physical ability for granted; as a former competitive cross country skier on the NWT ski team, an avid runner, a guitar player, and keen student, the rapid onset in early 2021 of what was finally diagnosed as a rare systemic autoinflammatory condition called atypical polycyclic Adult Onset Still’s Disease (AOSD), characterized by painful inflammatory arthritis, hindered my ability to participate in the activities that defined my identity. Then, just
seven months ago, a near fatal complication of AOSD landed me in the ICU, over 1,500 kilometers from my Northern home community of Yellowknife, NWT.

After a second ICU admission in November 2023 and a 3 month hospital stay overall, I had lost all of my hair and enough muscle mass that I could no longer walk. However, with a new biological drug therapy beginning, I found hope and drive amidst an unimaginable challenge. At this point in my journey, I am committed to not letting this disease stop me from living the life I want to live, and making the impact I want to make. The path to recovery began with regaining
the strength to stand, then walking half laps of the pediatrics unit, and eventually walking my dog around the block, and slowly relearning to run and cross country ski. Simultaneously, I set a goal to catch up on the three months of school I had missed to obtain my International Baccalaureate diploma with my peers. As I write this essay, I am mid exam season and will receive my high school diploma in the coming weeks. Reflecting on the challenges that I have faced while living with AOSD over the last 2 years, I can appreciate the resilience, tenacity, and equanimity that living with a rare and complex disease has fostered in me.

Through my journey of learning to live with and manage AOSD, I have devoted myself to living my life authentically, with big aspirations, and with a focus on what I can do rather than what I can’t. While the way I go about my day to day life and the path I take to achieve my goals may include more challenges and barriers than I once imagined, I am committed to overcoming the limitations of my disease. Namely, I have begun training in distance running again, and I have
reinvolved myself in initiatives that I am passionate about, such as climate justice and patient advocacy. I have volunteered to serve as a counselor at a camp for kids with juvenile arthritis in the summer of 2024, with the goal of being a role model for others on a similar path. I have also learned a tremendous amount about the importance of community and mutual support, in my home of Yellowknife, and far beyond. As such, I am dedicated to using my experience to the
benefit of the inflammatory arthritis community. I hope to empower young people with arthritis to challenge the status quo, set big goals, and strive to achieve them. 

Ultimately, while the challenges and restrictions that have come from living with inflammatory arthritis have been tremendous, I am emphatically motivated to continue to challenge expectations, achieve my goals, and make a positive impact in the world despite my disease.

Click here to review the 2023 application requirements. The Dr. Bonnie Cameron Post-Secondary Scholarship – 2023