This article was written and reviewed by the Cassie + Friends Medical Advisory Committee made up of Dr. Roberta Berard (London Health Sciences Centre), Dr. Nadia Luca (Alberta Children's Hospital) and Dr. Lori Tucker (BC Children's Hospital). To learn more about the Cassie + Friends Medical Advisory Committee, click here. Some youth and families may [...]
6.5 million people are affected by arthritis in Canada and about 24,000 of them are children. Cassie + Friends is just for them. Kids like Audrey (pictured right) - diagnosed at just 18 months - need our help to make sure their health and futures are a priority, even beyond the dedicated care from [...]
Hi, my name is Savannah and I am a second-year university student studying kinesiology and living in Windsor, Ontario. I was diagnosed in grade school with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). A while ago, a member of my care team suggested I google Cassie + Friends to learn about the programs and resources offered for [...]
Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) is severe inflammation of the immune system which can be associated with rheumatologic conditions such as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). I was diagnosed with both conditions in October 2010. My name is Gauri Raj and I am currently 21 years old. When I was 10 years old, I had lost [...]
Cassie + Friends is joining other leading pain and pain-related organizations to support the recommendations of the #CanadianPainTaskForce and call for their implementation. Over the next week, we will be sharing some of the targeted recommendations laid out in “An Action Plan for Pain in Canada” and why they are important to kids, youth [...]
How can we best transform the lives of youth affected by rheumatic diseases through Cassie + Friends? This March, in recognition of juvenile arthritis awareness month and #WORDDay, we hosted the very first Cassie + Friends Hackathon to get creative and collaborative around community-driven solutions that answer the question “How can we best transform [...]
In recognition of World yOung Rheumatic Disease (WORD) Day, we’re bringing together 16 youth, parents, and healthcare professionals to “hack” their way to innovative solutions to the question: How can we best transform the lives of youth affected by rheumatic diseases through Cassie + Friends? What is a Hackathon? Rooted in the concept of [...]
Dear Friends + Partners, As part of our advocacy for Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, I am pleased to let you know about a special editorial by Cassie + Friends appearing today in the Toronto Star newspaper and digitally on healthinsight.ca. Click here for a link to the full article. Your voice is so important [...]
Every three in 1000 Canadian children will be diagnosed with a rheumatic disease like Juvenile Arthritis, Lupus, Fever Syndromes, Vasculitis, JDM and more. Some will develop a related eye condition that, left untreated, can cause blindness. Up to 60% will have active disease into adulthood. This March, we’re asking you to stand with us [...]
Show your colours for #RareDiseaseDay "We’ve had dark moments and failed medications. We recognize how much harder our son has to work when he is flaring just to do normal things, like walk up the stairs, go to school, be with his friends." -Parent, Sara Ethier on her son who lives with TRAPS- a [...]
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