The day model and social worker Mariolys Morales turned 29, she received a diagnosis she thought was “an old people’s disease”.

After two years of unexplained pain in her joints and paralysis that could last for hours, her doctor told her she had rheumatoid arthritis.

“It was the last thing that crossed my mind,” she says, speaking almost two years later in an interview to raise awareness of the chronic inflammatory disorder.

More than half of people diagnosed with the illness are over 60, but rheumatoid arthritis can affect people as early as their late teens. 

Mariolys was in her late 20s when the symptoms started. Born in the Dominican Republic but raised in Spain, she first came to Malta to study English when she was 16 years old and fell in love with the country.

She regularly returned and eventually moved here 10 years ago, now working as a social worker while also juggling a career as a model and singer.

Mariolys on the catwalk – but in the past her arthritis left her paralysed. Photo: Mariolys Morales

But about two years ago, she began feeling tired. “I know my body and I knew that this was not tiredness brought about by exercise or work. There was something more. I started looking for answers.”

Doctors initially diagnosed stress, but she insisted on looking deeper, especially as symptoms worsened. She lost her appetite, lost a lot of weight and suffered from depression.

Occasionally, after a long time of rest, she would wake up in the morning, unable to move.

“I’d go to the bathroom in the morning and would not be able to get back off the toilet. I’d try to support myself on the sink and feel like ants running up and down my legs, but I could not stand up. I felt like my body wasn’t obeying the commands of my brain. This would last for hours,” she said.

Simple things like buttoning a shirt, opening a bottle of water – I couldn’t do it. It was painful

“The worst was how I was feeling inside. The first thing that crossed my mind was cancer. I imagined anything but my actual diagnosis,” she said.

She then experienced strong pain in her finger joints when she tried to make small movements that required precision.

“The simple things like buttoning a shirt, opening a bottle of water – I couldn’t do it. It was painful. I’d arrive home from work and couldn’t open the door with the key,” she said.

Several visits to doctors and a hospital admission did not give her answers.

Then one day a colleague recommended she speak to Prof. Carmel Mallia, a consultant physician and rheumatologist, who referred her to some tests.

In February 2023, the day she turned 29, she got her diagnosis. “I was devastated. I thought that was something for old people. But, at the same time, I was sort of relieved because I knew what it was and I knew I could be treated for this,” she says.

Doctors placed her on different treatments for her arthritis, some with serious side effects, and she is still in the process of finding the right treatment. While taking medication she must be constantly monitored, which means she has to undergo regular blood tests and hospital appointments.

An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissues. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of the joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.

Mariolys recently took part in the Miss Universe contest, representing Msida. Photo: Mariolys Morales

“There are days when I am very tired, but I still push, and it is not stopping me from doing my singing and acting. I recently took part in Miss Universe Malta. To anyone going through any situation that makes you feel paralysed I just want to say – there is always a way out if you want,” she says.

Mary Vella, president of the Arthritis and Rheumatism Association of Malta, said other young people suffered from some form of arthritis but were scared to speak up. Some fear repercussions at work.

The association, which gets support from healthcare company Vivian, was planning to carry out research to understand how many people in Malta suffer from arthritis.

She said doctors should refer patients to rheumatologists for a proper diagnosis and that there is a need to address the long waiting times between hospital appointments.