Diagnosed with arthritis at 24, she set out to hike... and change an unequal society

Subscribers to Joshuanette Francis's YouTube channel – set up to document her journey after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis at just 24 – did not see the tears.

Neither were they privy to the days when she tackled the most acute personal struggles, alone behind closed doors.

After being told she could lose the ability to walk by age 40, Joshuanette was determined to embrace life, hiking every nature trail in her native Antigua and visiting each one of the Caribbean island's touted 365 beaches while she still could.

Consistently upbeat and smiling in her videos and in public, her private tears were amplified when she lost her job as a restaurant supervisor - because of her condition, she says - followed by her mortgage and her dream of building her own home.

Six years on, the young mother's sunny persona is the one she uses to fight her public battle: championing the rights of others living with a disability in a country where inequity is rife and crucial resources are in short supply.

She channels her energy into a pioneering non-profit she founded in 2023, Good Humans 268, which strives for a brighter future for people with physical challenges.

"Arthritis has changed my life so much, I can only imagine what it must be like for someone with a major disability," Joshuanette tells the BBC.

Osteoarthritis, a degenerative t disease that causes pain and stiffness, typically affects older people, but can strike at any age.

"I couldn't believe it when I was diagnosed. My biggest fear was, what happens to life now":[]}