#WhyIRun - Two Sisters' Story The Story of Two Sisters Hello, my name is Queena, and I was diagnosed with Lupus and Juvenile Arthritis in 2021. During this time, it was hard to ask for help. For the most part my "illness" - or whatever was causing my swollen joints and excruciating [...]
"Throughout all of these experiences that I have had with Cassie + Friends, there is one throughline: Understanding. Understanding is a concept not to be underestimated." Meet Ciara. It was after after my body couldn’t row anymore, my hands couldn’t hold the pencil, my joints ached in pain, and after my diagnosis of [...]
"Explaining this to fellow highschoolers was difficult, often times just resulting in being the butt of the joke. It was hard finding someone who understood and could relate." Meet Ryan. I first started noticing symptoms as early as age 12. At that time, many just advised me that I was going through some growing [...]
Cassie + Friends is proud to introduce our first-ever practicum student, Jillian Wickert. Welcome, Jillian! Jillian is a student at the University of Alberta (U of A) doing a Master’s Degree in Community Engagement within the School of Public Health. Jillian not only has an interest in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and chronic illness, [...]
Over the last six years, the Prime Family Bottle Drive has raised an astounding $80,000+ in support of Cassie + Friends research and support programs. Now they are ready to pass the bottle one last time through a legacy partnership with BC Return It and Regional Recycling Depots across the province! If you live in [...]
The quarterly clinic in Prince George for kids with juvenile arthritis is a saving grace for some families. For others, it's one of a handful of options for specialized treatment. This article was originally published by the Prince George Post on Mar 14th, 2022 written by Matt Scace. When Cheryl Abraham’s son accidentally fell [...]
Addie, Prince George, BC 14 years old, Psoriatic JIA I used to hike and play school sports like basketball and volleyball. Now, I’m not able to because my arthritis hurts too much in my elbow, ankles and knees. This last year I started on the volleyball team, but had to stop playing because of [...]
Scarlett’s journey started at about 16 months old. We noticed that in the mornings, she would just sit for up to two hours. Did not want to stand or walk - she almost seemed like she had to ‘warm up’ first. After about a week of no improvement, I took her to the doctor [...]
A year and a half ago our daughter was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. Her pain and psoriasis started about a year before that but between misdiagnosis and chalking things up to growing pains, we had no idea JIA was even a thing. It all came to a head after a hike when her knee [...]
I don’t know if there can be a ‘typical’ journey for a young child who receives a Juvenile Arthritis diagnosis. But this is Linden’s story so far. When Linden got sick at 18 months old, we thought it was just a cold. But then came an unusual rash and his walking deteriorated. We visited [...]
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