#KidsCantWait: Emily's Journey Emily was just 16 months old when she started showing symptoms. The first sign we noticed was her discomfort while getting dressed in the morning—she seemed to be in pain. Her amazing daycare workers also noticed changes, mentioning that she was less active than before. She [...]
#KidsCantWait: Christina's + Isabella's Journeys Hi, my name is Joscelyn Daskalopoulos, and this is our family’s story of living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) — a disease that affects two of our three children. Our journey began when our second child, Christina, was diagnosed at just one year old. She [...]
#KidsCantWait: Olivia's Journey Our daughter’s journey with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) has been a difficult process but one that has taught us many things, including resilience and patience. Olivia was diagnosed at 15 months of age but started showing symptoms around 10 months. She first presented with symptoms of neck [...]
#KidsCantWait: Harley's Journey Harley is our tiny warrior. Just after turning 2, in August 2022, Harley started having difficulty walking one day out of nowhere. It pained her to tears and she had to hold onto someone to walk or be carried. She was on Amoxicillin for an ear infection, [...]
Where Are They Now: Zahra's Story In this special Rare Disease Month edition of “Where Are They Now”, we caught up with Zahra Alidina. In 2023, Zahra shared what life was like living with an autoinflammatory disease that is so rare it doesn’t even have a name. We’re so honoured to share this [...]
From Patient to Pediatric Rheumatologist: Dr. Molly Dushnicky Dr. Molly Dushnicky’s story sounds like a lot of her patients’: When she was just 18 months old, she stopped walking, her knees wouldn’t bend easily, and she wasn’t her usual happy self. That’s when she was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis [...]
Raising Awareness, Sharing Hope: One Family’s Journey with SJIA We’re so excited to introduce Tamara Schnarr, one of our new parent ambassadors for the Kitchener-Waterloo region! Tamara, a Realtor with a background in marketing, graphic design, and event management, is passionate about giving back to her [...]
Hope for Harley, Hope for All How one parent turned despair into action Meet one of our new parent ambassadors, Bobby-Jo! Last year, Bobby-Jo shared with us her daughter Harley’s journey with JIA, and why she was running for Team Cassie + Friends Toronto. Today, we are so happy to announce [...]
We are so excited to introduce you to our newest parent ambassadors, Tamara and Bobby-Jo, from our McMaster and SickKids centres! Our parent ambassadors are often the first point of contact for newly diagnosed families and are there for anyone who might be struggling or need a hand finding resources. They [...]
Building Community and Mental Health Support for Students with Rheumatic Diseases: Ciara’s Story Living with a chronic condition like a rheumatic disease can be especially challenging for young people, not only physically but also mentally. It's no surprise that 40% of youth diagnosed with a rheumatic disease experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, or [...]
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