As you probably know, I was inspired to take part in this run by my daughter Cassie, who was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis before she turned two. When she was first diagnosed, my wife, Debbie, and I felt truly alone and would have given almost anything to find other parents who understood what we were going through.  We knew that we couldn’t be the only people having trouble finding answers and support.

As we quickly learned, Cassie is one of 24,000 children in Canada living in pain from Juvenile Arthritis. Arthritis attacks her joints for no known reason and steals too many of her days.  That’s why we started Cassie & Friends Society – the only charity in Canada focused on kids with Juvenile Arthritis.

Some of our highlights and successes from the past year are:

• Support: We provided $75,000 in direct financial assistance, medical equipment and one-on-one support for parents
• Community: We hosted over 350 kids, families and experts at our annual Family Day – Canada’s largest Juvenile Arthritis patient gathering. Take a look at our short video.
• Research: We committed almost $500,000 in new research funding to find safer and more effective treatments for kids. Our research partners now include UBC, BC Children’s Hospital, SickKids in Toronto and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
• Education: Our school program reached over 50 elementary schools in BC to raise awareness about Juvenile Arthritis to kids, teachers and parents.

Unfortunately, in the last year, Cassie also experienced a painful flare in her ankles. She’s now back on weekly injections and other treatments, and Juvenile Arthritis is once again part of our daily lives.  We are confident that one day we will hear the words ‘no active arthritis’ again. Until then, the medications are keeping Cassie running, dancing and being the kid she should and can be.

I am super motivated to make this the best year ever for Cassie & Friends at the Scotiabank Half Marathon Charity Challenge. My personal goal is to raise $18,000 and our team goal is to raise $150,000. This will allow us meet the growing demand for our programs and services across BC and to keep funding critical research into better treatments. We also have plans to launch a nation-wide campaign called “Making arthritis less painful for kids” to give parents new ways to assess and manage their child’s pain.

I hope you will consider joining our team and/or make the most meaningful gift you are able to give. Your support is truly transforming the lives of kids and families.

Thank you,
David Porte
Board Chair & Co-Founder

Make your gift to David today:
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=3727748&langPref=en-CA 

Join us! Register to run with Team Cassie & Friends, click here:
http://canadarunningseries.com/svhm_charities/cassie-friends-society/

Find out more about Cassie & Friends
www.cassieandfriends.ca