This is Kaitlyn – a karate-and-hiking-loving 9 year old. When Kaitlyn was five and a half years old her hands became so swollen that it concerned her parents. She told her parents that she was having on-and-off ankle pain. After months of looking for answers and visiting multiple doctors, Kaitlyn’s parents were referred to London’s Pediatric Rheumatology clinic where a diagnosis was confirmed on the first visit.

At 7 years old, Kaitlyn was diagnosed with Polyarticular JIA in about 27 of her joints including all of the small joints in her hands, feet, ankles and wrists. When Kaitlyn was first diagnosed, she couldn’t make a fist or even make it around the block for Halloween.

Thanks to the dedication and hard work of her rheumatology team, Kaitlyn’s grip strength improves constantly and last summer she was even able to complete a 10-km hike through Algonquin Park.

Kids with juvenile idiopathic arthritis often go months before being diagnosed because of a lack of education in our community. Help us bring awareness to kids like Kaitlyn by donating to Cassie + Friends today!