Richard Diamond.
"Rock bottom" is the foundation on which Aucklander Richard Diamond says he built his life up again after being crippled by a rare disease.
In 2004, the then 30-year-old was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis - a painful form of arthritis usually seen in people 70 years and older.
For the
next seven years he tried to control his condition with medication and went on the invalid's benefit, which contributed about $200 a week to the family's groceries and bills. His medication finally got him to a point where he felt able to get back intothe workforce - something that proved difficult.
"I worked ridiculously hard to try and get back into work. But nobody was interested, especially with such a long period of time off. I wasn't getting past sending out my CV - not so much as an interview.
"I retrained, I got truck licences ... but just couldn't find myself a job."
