by John Prince
A couple from South America have visited the UK to meet a father and son who are living with the same rare birth condition.
Seven-year-old Joshua Arnott and dad Mike from Hornsea both have arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) – or just arthrogryposis – a rare condition where babies are born with stiff or curved joints, making it difficult or impossible to bend them fully.
It happens when a baby moves less than usual in the womb, causing muscles and surrounding tissues to tighten.
While AMC restricts physical mobility, it does not worsen over time and most people lead full, active lives with regular physical therapy, braces or surgery.
Misha and Mike Walker from the Dream Walker Project in Peru travel the world raising awareness of the condition, and bring people together who are living with AMC.
They have been on a European tour meeting families, and spent the day in Hornsea with Joshua and Mike and mum Jenny.
Founder Misha is living with AMC. During her life she has undergone 13 surgeries and extensive physical therapy to gain full independence, becoming an inspirational speaker and blog author, before being named as an international ambassador for AMC Support Inc.
During their day out, all five of them visited Skirlington Coast holiday park where Joshua went swimming, and the adults were able to sit and talk about growing up, adulthood, parenting, their own bodies and experiences.
Jenny Arnott said: “Joshua wears a back brace and foot splints. He is aware that he has his limits but still keeps up with his friends.
“Mike is 47 and he also was born with arthrogryposis. He’s had several operations on his feet to correct the position, and has to use a wheelchair as his scoliosis has crushed his lung so his breathing gets him down.
“When he was younger there was a group called TAG which Mike and his mum and dad went to. This was a great experience for him as he got to see more people who had the same condition.
“We have made friends with a family in Lincolnshire with a girl the same age as Joshua that we meet up with once in a while.
“It was nice to have Misha and Mike round to hear their stories and tell them ours, and we plan to meet again in the next year or so.”
Misha said: “We spent the most lovely time with the Arnott family, and I think one of the things I’ll take away from this visit is just how special it was watching Joshua and his dad Mike together.
“Their connection was beautiful.
“Before Joshua came home from school, we had a chance to sit with his mum and dad, share a cuppa and talk. Really talk.
“All those conversations happen when you put people together who don’t need everything explained.
“I kept thinking how amazing it must be to grow up with someone who is like you right there beside you – to have a dad who doesn’t just love you and advocate for you, but who actually knows.
“Someone who has lived in an AMC body before you and understands some of the frustrations without you having to explain them, and who can show you simply by living his own life.
“AMC can be incredibly rare, but moments like today remind me how powerful it is when we get to see ourselves in someone else.
“Joshua gets to have that every single day, right there in his dad.”
To donate, go to gofundme.com/f/support-the-long-road-to-amc-awareness-2026.
Photos: Jenny Arnott
