May is Lupus Awareness Month and we reached out to Dr. Lori Tucker of BC Children's Hospital to learn more about this rare autoimmune disease. Thank you, Lori for providing us with this important information. By: Dr. Lori Tucker Systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as ‘lupus’ or SLE) is a rare autoimmune disease. It [...]
This is Kaitlyn - a karate-and-hiking-loving 9 year old. When Kaitlyn was five and a half years old her hands became so swollen that it concerned her parents. She told her parents that she was having on-and-off ankle pain. After months of looking for answers and visiting multiple doctors, Kaitlyn’s parents were referred to London’s [...]
This is Clark - a brave hockey lover from Sarnia, diagnosed with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Here are a few words from his parents about his journey today: Throughout his battle, Clark has been on a rollercoaster ride with highs and lows. He has experienced different stages of medications that have provided various results [...]
This is Charlotte - a sweet, strong, yoga-loving six year old from Woodstock, ON. Charlotte was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Enthesitis-related Arthritis, and Psoriatic Arthritis Flares, and is monitored for uveitis. She doesn’t respond to typical medications. She requires daily physiotherapy and the support of orthotics, ankle braces, and medications. Charlotte's Story: “Charlotte was [...]
Author: Zoya Jiwa, YLC Program Designer and founder of As We Are Style - a blog about facing health challenges with courage and style. Last weekend, Cassie + Friends’ Youth Leadership Committee got together for our first team retreat on a surprisingly sunny afternoon (thank you, Vancouver!) with a lot of excitement and a BIG [...]
Last month, Cassie and Friends' Juvenile Arthritis at School Puppet Show hit the road to bring juvenile arthritis education to the Okanagan! The special puppet show, which was offered free-of-charge to schools by Cassie and Friends with support from a $10,000 grant from the Telus Friendly Futures Foundation, tells the story of Cassie - a [...]
My daughter Elena was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis at age 2. Arthritis? That was an elderly person’s disease, I thought. I had no idea the depth of the disease or what would lie ahead for us. First, she started with redness and swelling in her knees. I took her into the doctor and they [...]
For those of us who live each day affected by juvenile arthritis or another rheumatic disease, it can often feel like there is no one who can understand what we are going through. Although this can feel isolating, when we share our juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic disease stories with one another they show [...]
As stressful and painful as experiencing a flare can already be at home, the idea of travelling with a flare may sometimes seem downright impossible. With some help however, you and your child can still enjoy taking a trip together. These are Cassie and Friends community member and mother Tanya Cassidy Irwin's three tips for [...]
Tanya Cassidy Irwin is a mother and Cassie and Friends community member from Langley, BC. This is her story of navigating pain, travel, medication and the unknown throughout her daughter Emily's journey with Oligoarticular JIA. In September 2015 there was the most subtle of hitches in our daughter Emily's step. Within three weeks she [...]
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