The Beginning

As a toddler learning to walk, Audrey caught on pretty fast. By her 1st birthday she was already zooming around with impressive coordination and balance. When we noticed that she was limping on-and-off at 18 months of age, we knew something was up. Her right ankle was swollen so we decided to call her pediatrician. Being under COVID-19 restrictions we ended up with a phone appointment and decided to rule out any broken bones with an X-ray, which came back normal.

It wasn’t until 2 weeks later, when Audrey all of a sudden refused to walk in the morning while saying “hurt”, we noticed not only was her right ankle still swollen but so was her left knee. We took her to the clinic that day and were sent for blood work. Two weeks later we saw her pediatrician in person who confirmed what we suspected, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Over the following month Audrey was officially diagnosed by her Pediatric Rheumatologist at the Stollery Children’s Hospital and was booked for corticosteroid joint injections in the OR and started on Naproxen. Due to her age, she had to undergo general anesthesia for these injections.

Following the injections, we noticed improvement in both of her knees but not much in her ankle. She started Methotrexate injections in April 2021, a low dose form of chemotherapy, and has just started on biologic injections this August. Since her diagnosis, Audrey has gracefully grown into this new normal of morning and evening medications along with weekly injections. We were beyond lucky to have had her diagnosis after only 6 weeks of symptoms starting and able to start Audrey on a treatment plan. We have learned that it can take over a year or more for some children to receive a diagnosis. We can only hope to get her into remission soon.

At the time of diagnosis, we were introduced to the Cassie + Friends organization by Audrey’s Rheumatology team at the Stollery. As a young family with a new and scary diagnosis, we were welcomed by leaders of the Cassie + Friends team. We have taken part in educational webinars where we have learned a lot about the disease process, the different types of medications, importance of physical therapy and how it affects children of all ages. Some of the most impressionable moments have been hearing the stories of other children with JIA; how it affects them in school, sports, and socially. Their determination, perseverance and accomplishments are inspiring. We are fortunate that Audrey has a community behind her, and we know she will conquer anything that lies ahead of her.

Running for  a pain-free future for kids

This year is our first year running in support of Cassie + Friends for not only our little girl, but all of those affected by JIA. We cannot thank everyone enough who has supported us on this journey through donations, joining our team, and cheering Audrey on. We are so grateful for our community!

Lastly, I’m going to end this off with 5 things we wish we knew about JIA in hopes to provide insight to others as well

1. JIA can be lifelong with periods of remission

2. It can start at a really young age (like Audrey at 18 months!)

3. Methotrexate is not as scary as it sounds

4. Arthritis is a silent disease, so check-in on your friends who are affected by it

5. There will be times when you might have to take it easy; and that’s okay!

Audrey’s family and friends from Edmonton, AB, created a fundraising run/walk team in the VIRTUAL Calgary Marathon called “Team AJ” that has already raised over $3200 in support of Cassie + Friends research and support programs. If you’d like make a donation to Team AJ, click here!