I want to let you know why I am walking this Charity Challenge for Cassie and Friends. “Autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrant immune response is termed an 'autoimmune disease.'" My dad’s cousin Gladys Marie [...]
At Family Day 2016, Cassie and Friends volunteer Alison Legge gave a powerful speech about Juvenile Arthritis and the effect it has on mental health. This February, Alison underwent bilateral TMJ replacement surgery to ease the pain in her jaw, and is currently having a speedy recovery. She is now the chair of Cassie and Friends’ [...]
In September of 2014, summer ended and our three daughters headed to back school - Anika into grade 4, Jaylene to grade 3 and Claire starting preschool. With school routines starting up again, life seemed back to normal. Then, out of the blue, Jaylene began complaining about a rash she had noticed on her [...]
The best warm up exercises for kids are easy to do, easy to teach and FUN! Games like 'Simon Says' work great for young kids and older kids can try progressive exercises like high knees, butt kicks, walking lunges, side shuffles and jumping jacks. Warm ups are important to improve performance and prevent injury. We found this fun, free [...]
https://youtu.be/HivCN55N64k GET UP AND GET ACTIVE! Exercise can ease a child’s arthritis pain and help them keep a positive mindset. #RunForIt is our six week run training program designed especially for kids and families who sign up for Team Cassie & Friends in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. Every Monday starting in May 2017, we'll post a [...]
CASSIE Juvenile arthritis became a part of our family and our lives in September of 2006. One morning Cassie, then only 20 months old, wouldn’t walk when we took her out of her crib. After a ton of tests, we ultimately received the diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. We couldn’t imagine that our little [...]
REBECCA I was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis in the September of 2005. I have gone into remission twice in the past 7 years, and am currently in remission right now. Arthritis has caused me physical challenges but also mental ones. Having a chronic disease at such a young age caused me to become mature [...]
ZACHARY Zachary lived with the pain of arthritis for nine months and the symptoms of chronic disease for 19 months before finally being diagnosed with Systemic Onset Juvenile Arthritis at the age of 3 ½. At the time of diagnosis, we had no idea how extensive the impact of arthritis would be on our [...]
SAM It was 2006 and we were living a pretty idyllic life on Bowen Island with our three-year-old, Sam. At the end of the summer he developed a rash on his cheeks. Then wee craters on his knuckles and rash on his knees, elbows, and ankles started to appear. This got worse and worse [...]
ELISE Elise was born with a couple of congenital heart defects that kept her in ICU for four days. Over the last four years, one of the heart conditions healed itself and the remaining hole is still prevalent, but recent tests show that her ECG and EKG "do not match the little thriving girl." [...]
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