JIA

It started out as sharp pain in my hips which I believed to be a pulled muscle;however, it soon progressed into a severe pain and stiffness. Days passed as I usedcrutches to simply walk around, and I remember that any instance of lying downexacerbated the pain, leaving me immobilized. As…

Meet Chase, a brave and resilient 4-year-old from London, ON, who is inspiring his family, friends, and community to step up for kids affected by Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM)—a rare autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and skin rashes. This year, Chase’s family is joining Team Cassie + Friends to raise awareness and…

Meet Stephanie, who is running with Team Cassie + Friends to raise awareness for Juvenile Arthritis for her son, Tommy! Diagnosed with oligoarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) just after his second birthday, Tommy’s journey has been full of ups and downs.

La version française suit la version anglaise. We’re so excited that on May 25, 2025, Montréal will host its FIRST EVER Team Cassie + Friends walk/run! Read more about the amazing families that will be joining us below—and then join kids like Valerina, Beatrice, and Brooklyn by running or walking with…

Meet Marley: A Little Fighter Powering Big Change Meet Marley, a brave three-year-old at the heart of Team Cassie + Friends’ Virtual Run crew, #MarleysJointForces. This June, her family and friends are lacing up to raise awareness and funds for kids like Marley living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Inspired by…

Meet Blake: One of Our Youngest Runners and a Big Reason We Run! Meet Blake, a resilient little one and one of our youngest runners on Team Cassie + Friends Halifax! Diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) at just 16 months old, Blake’s journey has been filled with challenges, strength,…

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 no longer kept up…

Valerina was born a healthy baby, bringing joy and happiness to our family. However, around 15 months old, we noticed that her pinky was swollen. Concerned, we took her to many doctor appointments, hoping to find an answer. Despite their efforts, we were left without a diagnosis. Each morning, Valerina…

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…

Kylie’s Journey to Diagnosis Kylie took a bit of a tumble at a gymnastics birthday party and hurt her ankle when she was five. At the time it didn’t appear to be very serious and we continued on with the party. The next day her ankle became quite swollen so…

The Start of Our Journey Laila’s journey started when she was just six years old. She began complaining of leg pain, something that many parents might chalk up to growing pains. We thought, like most parents, that it was just a phase—something that would pass in time. But it didn’t.…

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 had started walking before her…