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 [...]
Paige’s Journey with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis 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 [...]
A Year of Advocacy and Impact: Our 2024 Highlights If it seems like we were everywhere this year - we were! We never turn down an opportunity to raise awareness about childhood rheumatic diseases or advocate for more resources for our community. That’s what makes Cassie + Friends the leading voice for [...]
Attacking Barriers: Fencing with JIA For a lot of kids, being diagnosed with a rheumatic disease, like Juvenile Arthritis (JIA), means adapting to a whole new way of life. Today, we’re honoured to share the story of Paula and her son Simon, who was diagnosed with Enthesitis-Related Arthritis (ERA) [...]
A Guide to Accommodations Acceptance, Peer Pressure, and Fear We’re honoured to share this piece by Kayla Caddy, a young adult living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) who works as a job coach for people on the autism spectrum. Drawing on her lived experience and professional expertise, Kayla shares with us [...]
The holiday season has always been one of my favourite times of the year—twinkling lights, family gatherings, and cozy nights by the fire. But since Charlie’s Juvenile Arthritis (JIA) diagnosis, we’ve learned that winter holidays come with their own set of challenges for our family. From chilly weather that can worsen joint pain [...]
Navigating Medical School: Alejandra's First Year Our Youth Mentor, Alejandra, reflects on her experience in medical school and shares what it’s been like as she navigates her first year. Many youth with chronic illnesses, like JIA, often aspire to be doctors or other healthcare providers, as they are inspired by their own [...]
Alison Legge: Navigating the workplace with a rheumatic disease, Part 2 Earlier this year, we heard from Alison, who shared her story about navigating the workplace with a rheumatic disease. Now in her new role, Alison shared an update with us about her journey, and how what she has been through over the [...]
Be a Champion this Giving Tuesday Giving Tuesday is a day when people around the world come together to make a positive impact. This year, we need your help to bring awareness to a drastically under-represented and under-funded cause: Juvenile Arthritis (JA) and childhood rheumatic diseases. The truth is, most Canadians don’t [...]
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 [...]
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