Help Cara raise money

As many of you know, I have worked with children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and other rheumatic diseases for most of my career.  I started to work with the Cassie and Friends organization about 5 or 6 years ago. They are an amazing organization that was started by one family with a 2-year-old with JIA (Cassie) and they have now grown to support many families across the country and around the world.  We held our first Family Day in Edmonton in May 2019 and it was a highlight of my career.  We had over 50 families and over 250 participants attend. Kids met other kids with JIA and other rheumatic conditions, families connected with each other and our team hosted some great educational sessions.  Meeting others with the same condition and sharing lived experience is so important! 

Covid-19 changed the course for many organizations in 2020 and Cassie and Friends pivoted quickly. They now host monthly educational webinars for families and their website has a tremendous amount of educational materials for kids and families. They connect kids and families virtually and hope to introduce Family Days once again in the near future.  They have also built a lending cupboard for our pediatric rheumatology clinic to lend families equipment and resources.

As most of you know, I have had Long COVID since March 2020 and have been quite limited in my capacity to walk and exercise due to chest pain, headaches, and post-exertional symptom exacerbation. I am a little bit better each year but I am still quite limited in my abilities.  I was also recently diagnosed with post-viral inflammatory arthritis in July.  So I too have been battling swollen and sore hips, knees, and feet this last year (just like my kids with JIA).  It is my goal to walk the 1km route next Saturday at Laurier Park.

Please join me in supporting this wonderful organization for children with rheumatic diseases and donate to their cause!