#WhyIRun For Lillian - Our Rheumatic Disease Warrior Our journey with Rheumatic Disease began in June 2022. After 11 days of fever, Lillian, then just shy of her 3rd birthday, was seen, diagnosed, and treated for Incomplete Kawasaki disease at CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario). Luckily, she responded to the IVIG treatment and [...]
#WhyIRun - Hope for Harley 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, and [...]
Reine Hodroj - Learning to Live with Behcet's Disease Living with a chronic illness is an unimaginable challenge, and Behcet's Disease has been my constant companion in this journey. This rare autoimmune condition, characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers, skin lesions, and systemic inflammation, has disrupted my life in many ways. However, my [...]
"I soon began to experience extreme pain in my wrists, which would cause challenges for me whenever I would be at school or would work on school assignments." My name is Jessica Gill. I am from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at the age of eight years [...]
Thank you to everyone who helped make Giving Tuesday a huge success for children and families affected by Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases - including one very special gift we wanted to share with you from eight-year old Iyla. Iyla, from Meaford, Ontario, has been diligently raising money for Cassie + Friends all [...]
Three-year-old Katherine can keep up with other kids now, but that wasn't always the case... When Alana noticed her daughter was limping at the playground, she didn't know what to think - especially when the limp didn't go away. She decided to bring her to a doctor to be examined. After weeks of testing [...]
Hey! My name is Josie Fratarcangeli, and I am from Woodstock, Ontario. I was diagnosed with Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis when I was 4 years old. I am currently 17 years old – and have just “graduated” from London Health Science’s Pediatric Medical Day Unit (PMDU) where I got my monthly infusions of Remicade [...]
Make lemonade! At least that’s what Jacob Shiell did when he was diagnosed with Systemic Idiopathic Juvenile Arthritis (SJIA) on his eighth birthday in October 2021. Jacob’s journey began with unexplained foot pain and swelling. Over the next few weeks, the pain and swelling worsened and spread to his right knee, elbow and wrist. [...]
My name is Matthew Sholdice. I am 19 years old, and I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when I was 3 years old. I’ll start with a little bit about myself. I was born and raised in London, Ontario. I enjoy reading, working out, and watching TV and anime. Stranger Things season 4 was [...]
I was diagnosed with JIA 25 years ago. Twenty-five years ago I was 13 years old and newly diagnosed with JIA or as it was known in my day, JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis). When I was a teen I found a lot of peer support through a Juvenile Arthritis Physiotherapy program, which is why [...]
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