Scleroderma Society of Ontario

10/07/2026

🍂❄️ The seasons are changing, temperatures are dropping, and for many people living with Raynaud's, that can mean extra challenges when it comes to staying warm and managing symptoms.

October is Raynaud's Awareness Month, and throughout the month we'll be sharing information about Raynaud's phenomenon, raising awareness of its connection to scleroderma, highlighting practical tips for managing symptoms, and talking about our community's favourite cold-weather essentials and must-haves.

Whether you're newly diagnosed, supporting a loved one, or have been managing Raynaud's for years, we hope you'll join us as we learn, share, and raise awareness together.

09/22/2026

🚨 Our 50/50 raffle is LIVE! 🚨

The jackpot keeps growing every day, and you could be the lucky winner.

🎟️ 3 for $10 🎟️ 10 for $20 🎟️ 50 for $50 🎟️ 100 for $100

📅 Deadline: October 30

Support the scleroderma community and get your tickets today at https://trellis.org/50-50forscleroderma

Good luck!

09/21/2026

09/16/2026

🏌️⛳ What a day!

The 2026 Hamilton Scleroderma Charity Golf Tournament was one to remember. Thanks to the incredible support of our community, we welcomed more than 100 golfers to Century Pines Golf Club and raised over $62,000 in support of scleroderma awareness, education, and advocacy.

To our sponsors, volunteers, players, donors, and supporters: thank you. Your generosity, enthusiasm, and commitment continue to help us bring awareness to scleroderma throughout the Hamilton community and beyond. We are so grateful to welcome both familiar faces and new members to this growing event each year.

Didn't have a chance to get your 50/50 tickets at the tournament? Good news! Our 50/50 draw is still open until October 30th, 2026. Get your tickets now at https://trellis.org/50-50forscleroderma

Already looking back on fond memories from this past weekend? Keep an eye on the Scleroderma Society of Ontario page for the full tournament photo album, coming this week!

Thank you for making this year's tournament such a success. We can't wait to do it all again next year. 💙

08/01/2026

⛳ Tee up for a good cause!

The 18th Annual Hamilton Scleroderma Charity Golf Tournament is coming up, and we want YOU on the green! 🏌️‍♀️🏌️‍♂️

📅 Sunday, September 13
📍 Century Pines Golf Club

Grab your favourite foursome, invite your colleagues, or join us as an individual golfer for a day of great golf, great company, and an even better cause. Your participation helps support patient support, research, awareness, and advocacy for the scleroderma community.

Want to get your business involved? Sponsorship opportunities are also available!

👉 Check out the link in our bio to register or learn more about sponsoring the tournament.

07/31/2026

We are pleased to welcome Take a Pain Check to our 22nd Bi-Annual National Scleroderma Conference Exhibit Hall!

Take a Pain Check was launched as a podcast in March 2021 by Natasha Trehan. Natasha was diagnosed at the age of 13 with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, and is currently furthering her education, after completing her undergraduate degree in Translational and Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa in 2025. As a teenager, she felt alone and was unable to find resources to connect with other people with similar lived experiences. After joining a support group 2 years into her journey, and meeting tons of other youth, Take a Pain Check Podcast was born to ensure that young patients feel supported in every step of the way.

Soon after the podcast launched, a community was built and we became Take a Pain Check Foundation in October 2021. Take a Pain Check Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to the mission and vision of supporting youth and young adults with rheumatic diseases through social media, initiatives, advocacy, and raising awareness. Take a Pain Check is currently changing the lives of individuals impacted with rheumatic diseases by creating a safe community. The goal is to empower youth to advocate for themselves, and to create a place where they feel understood.

07/23/2026

We are pleased to introduce RPT Karen Gordon as a speaker at the 2026 national scleroderma conference in Ottawa.

Karen is a registered physiotherapist with the Arthritis Rehabilitation and Education Program (AREP) at Arthritis Society Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. She enjoys helping clients learn to manage their arthritis by providing client-centered primary care and self-management education as well as teaching clinical skills to health care providers. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy from McGill University and is a board member of the Arthritis Health Professions Association (AHPA). In her spare time, Karen enjoys birding, biking, cross-country skiing and exploring new places.

07/15/2026

We are pleased to welcome the Scleroderma Canada Student Network (SCSN) to our 22nd Bi-Annual National Scleroderma Conference Exhibit Hall!

In 2024, after completing an internship with Scleroderma United, Co-Presidents Elyse Da Costa and Kaitlyn Flanagan were a part of founding a student group known as Scleroderma United for Students at UTSC or the University of Toronto Scarborough. After working to build the student group over the course of the 24/25 academic year, they both decided to contact Scleroderma Canada to engage in any partnership opportunities.

After Elyse and Kaitlyn announced the support of Scleroderma Canada at the Make a Move Walk in June of 2025, the student group has only grown from there. Over the course of the 25/26 academic year, they have grown connections with others on campus and helped raise awareness through their role as Co-Presidents. They also serve as Marketing and Content Creation Managers for ScleroCare, a web-based application dedicated to supporting those living with Scleroderma funded by Scleroderma Canada. In this role, Elyse and Kaitlyn regularly update the Instagram and pages of ScleroCare and founded a podcast known as "Be ScleroAware" where summaries of different aspects of the autoimmune disease are covered. They hope to continue expanding their reach within the field and further extend their student group to various institutions across Canada over the course of this summer.

07/08/2026

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Brett Thombs as a speaker at the 2026 national scleroderma conference in Ottawa.

Dr. Thombs is a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, McGill University. He founded and directs the Scleroderma Patient-Intervention Network (SPIN), a collaboration of investigators, health care providers, and patients who work together to better understand the patient experience of living with scleroderma and conduct trials of programs to address prioritized problems.

Dr. Thombs has been awarded lifetime awards from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals and Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine and membership in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada.

07/04/2026

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Nancy Maltez as a speaker at the 2026 national scleroderma conference in Ottawa.

Dr. Maltez is a Rheumatologist at The Ottawa Hospital, where she has been a member of the Division of Rheumatology since 2018. After completing her Internal Medicine and Rheumatology training in Ottawa, she joined the Clinician Investigator Program, focusing on connective tissue diseases and earned an MSc in Epidemiology. Dr. Maltez's research and clinical interests center on advanced cellular therapies, including autologous stem cell transplantation and CAR-based therapies for refractory autoimmune diseases.