By: Jennifer Wilson

Can you imagine being a child with juvenile arthritis (JA) in school?

None of your friends have heard of it and your gym teacher says you just need to work harder. You try to keep up, and spend the weekend in pain. You miss a lot of school.

Cassie & Friends Society, a registered non-profit in BC and active partner in the childhood arthritis community, is working hard to change the stigmas kids with JA often face in school. Part of their awareness campaign is to educate children, teachers and school counsellors in elementary schools across about JA with their Kids on the Block (KOTB) Educational Performance Program, a high-energy show featuring a troupe of near life-sized puppets that dress and act like real children (see picture of a recent live performance).