On this day of Canada’s gold medal win in women’s hockey, here’s another reason to be a proud Canadian…

This article was put out in the National Post today, in conjunction with the Arthritis Research Foundation, to raise awareness about Juvenile Arthritis and recognize Canada for its world leading research in the field.

The feature, which tells the tale of two women (both living with Ankylosing Spondylitis) illustrates the crucial need for increased public recognition for a disease that affects 3 in 1000 children in Canada. The article also points out the urgency for early diagnosis and treatment of the disease in children as a way to lessen potentially devastating long-term physical and mental outcomes.

One of the women, Clare Li, recounts how in grade 7, she was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, while more troubling but less visible symptoms went ignored:

“The original diagnosis came out of the blue,” said Li. “No one in my family has arthritis.”

The article goes on to describe how Li, an active, playful child, could suddenly no longer do cartwheels or play with no clue as to why. She’d already been battling the affects of psoriasis for two years when her fingers began to swell and turn purple.

“My childhood was very stressful. I had thick patches of dry skin on my scalp, elbows, knees and across my neck. My skin would crack and bleed in the middle of class; nobody wanted to sit near me. I spent a lot of time trying to control the psoriasis, ignoring the pain I was feeling in my hands, feet, hips and shoulders,” she says. “It was constant battle, I was exhausted.”

It is so important for stories like Li’s to be told in order to gain more recognition, more resources and more funding for Juvenile Arthritis. The heartbreaking struggles faced by children with varying forms of the disease can be lessened by making sure parents, coaches, teachers and doctors recognize the early warning signs and work to stop the disease’s progression quickly.

The article also mentions the work of a Canadian study lead in part by researchers from the Pediatric Rheumatology Department at BC Children’s Hospital. The study is called LEAP – or, Linking Exercise, Activity and Pathophysiology (LEAP) in childhood arthritis. It is the first study to look at the impact of physical activity in the outcomes of children with Juvenile Arthritis.

Our biggest congrats to LEAP and to the Arthritis Research Foundation for this incredible exposure!