KEESEVILLE -- For 18-year-old Elizabeth Rafferty, living with a form of arthritis is just a way of life.

She has Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, an auto-immune disease.

Elizabeth was diagnosed at age 8.

"They actually thought that I had frostbite because I turned different colors that weren't natural or normal. Then they started doing tests and came up with this.

"I guess it's kind of painful, but I've had it so long that I really don't notice it much," the AuSable Valley Central senior said. "It's just me."

Like any other parent, it's difficult for Jan Rafferty to see her child in pain.

"She's had it for so long that her pain tolerance is high. I can tell when she's having a bad day. She stays in her room, on her bed and reads.

"The winters are difficult; the cold weather is pretty hard on her."

Over the years, thanks to medications and weekly shots, the pain has subsided.

Elizabeth said that when she was younger, she didn't fully understand the disease and was embarrassed by it.

"When I first got it, it bothered me because I didn't want to be different than anybody else," she said, looking down at her partially bent fingers.

"It was really hard for me, and the pain was different. I didn't understand it. But since then, it has gotten better."

Elizabeth, who enjoys acting and swimming, hopes to be in professional theater one day. But before that, she has another goal; she wants to educate the public that young people can have arthritis, a disease primarily associated with the elderly.

On Saturday, she will be participating in the Arthritis Walk in Burlington, and she is seeking sponsorship.

"I'm kind of proud," she said, smiling ear to ear. "It's good to get out there and let people know that kids my age get arthritis and make people aware."