B.C.

We’re honoured to share a guest blog from one of our incredible youth in the community, Kai. Diagnosed with PFAPA at just seven years old, Kai faced more than most kids his age.

The First Signs Ziyaad was born on January 2, 2017, and he is now 8 years old. He has 2 older siblings, a sister, Nureen age 18, and a brother Fayaaz, age 16. He also has a cat, named Leo. Ziyaad enjoys being outdoors, swimming, biking and hiking. He is…

We felt lost in the process—how could we advocate for her when we didn’t even fully understand what was going on? It was frustrating, exhausting, and confusing.

Some days are easy for them and on others it’s very hard to be mobile.

To have a chronic illness is to be fighting every day for the next. My name is Paige Simpson. I am 17 years old, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, otherwise known as JIA. I have been treated for JIA for 15 years but have been battling this condition…

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 pain – was invisible. It wasn’t until later…

“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…

“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…

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!…

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…

Addie, Prince George, BC14 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…

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…