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 [...]
Hi! My name is Hayley. I was diagnosed with JIA at the age of 13. Around age 12 I realized that I could not straighten my fingers. Young me was very medically inclined, so after some googling, I diagnosed myself with arthritis. It took a long time to convince the adults in my life [...]
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. [...]
Hello there! My name is Emily Bessey. I am 19 years old and live in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. My journey with JIA and TMJ started way back in 2009 when I was just 6 years old. I would go to school limping, hardly able to walk, but return home at the end of [...]
If you follow Cassie + Friends to some degree of closeness, you are probably familiar with our much-used phrase “Juvenile Arthrtis and other rheumatic diseases.” Why say this long-fangled phrase when the majority of people that Cassie + Friends supports have Juvenile Arthrtis? When 10,000 of the 24,000 children in youth with rheumatic disease are [...]
In honour of Autoinflammatory month this August, we are introducing the members of Cassie + Friends’ new Canadian Systemic Autoinflammatory Patient Advisory Group (Can-SAID). We are beginning with autoinflammatory patient and parent and Can-SAID board chair, Ian Stedman. Ian Stedman is an autoinflammatory patient and parent. Always sick as a child, Ian had a [...]
We have been asking youth with rheumatic disease to share their story! Sharing stories helps build community and connections. We hope that Jenna’s amazing story inspires you to share your own story. My name is Jenna Kedy. I am 18 years old and live in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a child, I was often [...]
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 [...]
Hi Everyone! My name is Ciara, and I am working as an Administrative Assistant at Cassie + Friends this summer I am 19 years old and have just finished my first year at the University of Toronto studying English Literature. One of my favourite forms of Literature is Epic poetry (ex: The Odyssey). I am [...]
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