Pointe-Claire teen wins international youth leadership award

Guan was selected from more than 3,400 applications from 40 countries. Each winner receives $1,000 to put toward their work.

Guan founded Rheumheroes in May 2024, the same month she was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. She said the diagnosis left her feeling uncertain, and motivated her to help other young people facing the disease.

“At 14, I was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and I felt truly lost and scared, not wanting to lose everything that I enjoyed,” Guan said. “I had never heard of arthritis affecting youth before dealing with the disease myself, so I reached out to my community, wanting to help other youth with the same condition as me.”

Rheumheroes is built around three areas Guan said she needed but could not find: peer mentorship connecting older teenagers and young adults with children who have recently been diagnosed, comfort kits for children undergoing treatment, and low-impact community meetups where families can meet others facing similar experiences.

The initiative has recently been relaunched, with Guan working to expand its programs. The award money will be used for the first comfort kits and peer-mentorship materials for children at the point of diagnosis.

Before her diagnosis, Guan trained in swimming and volleyball for nearly a decade. She continues to pursue writing, illustration, photography, and cinematography.

Her curiosity about her condition also led her to question physicians, research her illness, and write an essay about breakthroughs in rheumatoid arthritis treatment. The essay received a merit award.

Her leadership has been recognized outside Rheumheroes. Guan was elected by her peers as the top representative of Shad's values during the Shad program, and holds a $3,000 Marianopolis College scholarship for leadership.

The Leaders of Today Award was created to support young people who may not have extensive resources or polished résumés. “Most awards go to young people who already have everything. We built this one for the 99 per cent who do not usually win awards, and Chloe is exactly why,” said Ziyaan Virji, co-founder of Leaders of Today.

Winners were chosen based on how far the $1,000 could take their projects. For Guan, that funding will help turn a personal experience into practical support for other young people and their families.