250 kids, families and friends set to attend first Edmonton Family Day

By |May 1st, 2019|Family Day, News|

"I am hoping our daughter will be able to meet other girls her age with arthritis." "Willing to do anything to learn more about JIA." "We are hoping to connect with other families that have been through the hard time of arthritis and are trying to have a normal childhood for their child." "Oh [...]

UCAN Ride4Kids (Day 1 to 3) – Updates from the Road from Dr. Jaime Guzman

By |April 29th, 2019|Advocacy, Current Events, Research, UCAN Ride4Kids|

Day 1 Under clear skies and magnificent views of the Lake Louise Glacier an intrepid group of riders representing Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico and The Netherlands started the 2019 UCAN Ride4Kids. Attendants to the Childhood Arthritis and Beyond Conference enthusiastically bid farewell to the riders and after an inspiring speech by David Porte, Chairman [...]

Calgary Parents Call on Cassie and Friends to Help Kids at School

By |April 28th, 2019|Alberta, Calgary, Elementary|

Road trip Alert! Starting Monday, April 29th, Cassie + Friends at School Puppet program will tour ten Calgary-area elementary schools to educate over 2500 students, parents and educators about Juvenile Arthritis and help affected kids at school. The tour is part of a huge push we are making to expand our Cassie and Friends' [...]

Olympian Spencer O’Brien to Keynote Edmonton Family Day

By |March 18th, 2019|Alberta, Edmonton|

We are so excited to announce that Canadian Olympic Snowboarder, Spencer O'Brien will be the keynote speaker for our upcoming Edmonton Family Day conference on Saturday, May4th at the Lister Centre, University of Alberta. REGISTER NOW. As you will hear in the clip below, Spencer is a true inspiration to any kid, teen or [...]

Cassie and Friends launches new Youth Leader Committee for #WORDday2019

By |March 18th, 2019|YLN|

As part of World Rheumatic Disease Day (WoRD Day), Cassie + Friends is announcing the official launch of our Youth Leadership Committee - a group of six young adults living with rheumatic conditions who will champion new C+F initiatives to support teens and young adults through major transitional stages of life, such as: Beginning or [...]

Brick by Brick: Youth leaders build the patient experience they never had in hopes of helping others

By |February 14th, 2019|Stories, YLN|

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 [...]

Puppet show helps BC Interior parents fight loss of children’s arthritis care

By |February 11th, 2019|Advocacy, Elementary, News, School Toolkit, Stories|

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 [...]

Erika and Elena’s arthritis journey: Staying strong through the ups and downs

By |January 31st, 2019|Advice, Injection, Stories|

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 [...]

School Toolkit: Gym class with JIA

By |January 17th, 2019|Advice, Elementary, High School, School, School Toolkit|

For many children with JIA or other rheumatic diseases, physical challenges at school can be huge barriers, particularly when it comes to gym class. In a recent study, researchers found that 38% of kids with JIA were unable to participate in gym with their peers. Paired with misunderstanding and lack of knowledge on the [...]

Top 7 Reasons to Attend a Cassie and Friends’ Family Day Conference

By |December 12th, 2018|Family Day|

What makes Family Day a life-changing experience for kids and families affected by Juvenile Arthritis and other rheumatic diseases? Here are the top 7 reasons people attend Cassie and Friends’ Family Day year after year: Knowing you are not alone.  There is simply nothing like connecting and sharing with others who understand your unique experiences [...]

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