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Articles by D.F. McCourt
Issue 64: Winter 2024
We Are Human The phoenix burns and rises from the ashes, but no ashes are left to be reborn from. The Piano Teacher: On Grief and Queerness There’s a certain depth of alienation that no tender force can refute. “That Careful Distillation”: An Interview with T. Liem What are we made of, if not repetitions and alterations?
Without a reliable transportation system, the Canadian economy will suffer
Advertisement 1 Major disruptions to supply chain infrastructure — lockdowns, protests, strikes — have plagued Canadian business for years on end. It’s time to find a plan for lasting stability • • Article content Our global economy is built on a foundation of unprecedented interconnection. The supply chain is now truly global, and both goods and ideas cross borders more freely than ever before.
Canada’s AI Vision: Q&A with the Executive Director of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
Home » Business and Economy » Canada’s AI Vision: Q&A with the Executive Director of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy Elissa Strome Executive Director of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy at CIFAR What is Canada’s national AI strategy? Why does it matter? And where can Canadians find out more? Elissa Strome of CIFAR has the answers. Canada has a solid claim as the birthplace of modern artificial intelligence (AI).
Indigenous Mental Health Workers Are Speaking Truth, but Reconciliation Remains Unfunded
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation Carol Hopkins Chief Executive Officer, Thunderbird Partnership Foundation If Reconciliation is the medicine and treatment for Canada’s national hurt, then Truth is the essential diagnosis. When it comes to the malady of Indigenous mental health services, the workers on the ground have provided a definitive diagnosis, but the prognosis remains dire so long as a treatment plan is not adequately funded. Canada is a wounded country today.
Sponsored | Are your kids caught up on their routine vaccines?
A lot has happened in the last two years, but just as important are the things that didn’t happen. We’re just now beginning to grapple with the huge void left by things not done. So many weddings were postponed, so many vacations cancelled, and routine visits to the dentist and doctor were missed en masse. For Canadian infants and young children particularly, that last item has implications for vaccine coverage that cannot be ignored.
Sponsored | A new lease on life: Ian’s story
Diagnosed with Pompe disease at a young age, Ian MacPherson never expected to reach adulthood. But, since first starting treatment in 2006 — and following the recent birth of his daughter Payton — his vision of the future has changed. By D.F. McCourt Thu., Feb. 24, 2022timer5 min. read Seeing Ian MacPherson laughing and playing with his daughter Payton, he is so clearly full of life and brimming with love, optimism, and vitality.
Sponsored | How newborn screening changed the course of Gianna’s life
Gianna was born healthy and happy, and the heel prick for newborn genetic disease screening was, to her parents, Cristina and Joe, a routine inconvenience. Now, a little more than a year later, they are thankful that it gave Gianna a head start in her fight against MPS I. By D.F. McCourt Wed., Feb. 16, 2022timer5 min. read You can find love in the most unlikely places. For Joe Rodorigo and Cristina Chiappetta, it was in the aisles of Home Depot in Milton, Ontario.
Advertisement | Pregnant or breastfeeding? Vaccines are more important than ever
Canadians are talking about vaccines on a daily basis. That’s good. But that conversation must be nuanced enough to encompass pregnancy and breastfeeding. Vaccination during pregnancy protects against severe illness, both before and after birth. By D.F. McCourt Mon., Jan. 10, 2022timer5 min. read Pregnancy is a time of many questions, even when the world is calm and certain. The world has not been calm or certain for a while now.
Sponsored | We owe our children a fully vaccinated Canada. Routine vaccines are the foundation of a healthy future
Public health experts agree, it’s time to consider how the pandemic has disrupted indispensable childhood immunization By D.F. McCourt Thu., Oct. 28, 2021timer6 min. read Canadians are asking a lot of good questions about vaccines. Have you got your second vaccine yet? Do you think we’re going to need a booster? How were these vaccines developed so quickly? What is an mRNA vaccine, anyway?
The Secret to Cybersecurity Is Open Collaboration
Charles Finlay Founding Executive Director, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Ryerson University Steven Liss Vice President of Research & Innovation, Ryerson University In today’s online world, safety and security are digital concerns. Cybersecurity is a fast-moving field, and Canada can’t afford to fall behind. Cybersecurity is security.
Sponsored | With AOSD, sore and swollen joints are just the tip of the iceberg
There are more forms of arthritis and related conditions than there are joints in your hands and knowing which one you have makes a big difference By D.F. McCourt Fri., June 4, 2021timer2 min. read updateArticle was updated 13 hrs ago In some cases, getting the right diagnosis can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Charlotte’s next act: Life after lymphoma
In 2018, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) nearly robbed Charlotte of her life. Now, thanks to cell therapies, she’s savouring every moment. By D.F. McCourt March 2, 2021 Created by At age 64, Charlotte Grad was showing no sign of slowing down. She was an avid traveller, a loving grandmother, a theatre regular and a fitness enthusiast. If she wasn’t at the gym, she was hiking or cycling one of the many trails near her Markham, Ont., home.
Sponsored | Stepping forward: Sarah’s story
For years, Sarah Bernard struggled to manage the many challenges posed by XLH. When her son, Elliot, was diagnosed with the same condition, she vowed to do whatever was necessary to make his experience easier than hers had been. By D.F. McCourt Mon., Feb. 8, 2021timer5 min. read Like many parents, Sarah and Steve Bernard can be found most mornings in the bleachers of their local rink, coffee in hand, cheering on their son Elliot’s hockey team.
Sponsored | A recipe for living well with Pompe
Receiving — and managing — a rare diagnosis is never easy, especially for those in Canada’s rural communities. For Lochlan Smyth, genetic testing and early intervention have allowed him to get back to doing what he loves most: being a great father, husband and chef. By D.F. McCourt Mon., Feb. 8, 2021timer4 min.
Sponsored | Regaining balance: Michel’s story
Michel Desjardins tours the sugar shack that he and his family have been able to build together. For years, Michel Desjardins worried that the same rare, inherited disease that took his mother’s life would also take his own. Now, as his own condition improves, he’s turning his focus to the health of his two young sons. By D.F. McCourt Mon., Feb. 8, 2021timer5 min. read Just seven years ago, Michel Desjardins was the very picture of health and vigor. The Hawkesbury, Ont.
Sponsored | Critical therapies remain out of reach for many Canadians with rare diseases
Many regard our country’s health care system as world-class, and for most, it is. However, patients like Yhulan Walters and Owen Worsfold are increasingly being left behind. By D.F. McCourt Mon., Feb. 8, 2021timer5 min. read Many regard our country’s healthcare system as world-class, and for most, it is. However, patients like Yhulan Walters and Owen Worsfold are increasingly being left behind.
Sponsored | Feeling rare disease in the bones
Siblings Mélanie and Stéphane St-Germain both live with Gaucher disease, but their experiences with the disease — including how it has impacted their bones — couldn’t be more different. By D.F. McCourt Mon., Feb. 8, 2021timer5 min. read Mélanie St-Germain and her brother Stéphane share an unusually close bond.
Sponsored | Time is everything for rare, progressive diseases
Matteo lives with a genetic condition called Hurler disease, also known as mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type I-H. Angie Lombardo counts herself lucky to have received a prompt MPS I diagnosis for her son Matteo. Unfortunately, for many Canadian parents, this isn’t always possible. By D.F. McCourt Mon., Feb. 8, 2021timer5 min. read In most ways, Matteo Spina is a typical 11-year-old Montrealer. He loves soccer and hockey.
Sponsored | Untreated, rheumatoid arthritis can devastate lives. Properly treated, it's a different story
Arthritis is everywhere so it is easy to underestimate its severity. For many Canadians living with inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis, it can be thoroughly debilitating. By D.F. McCourtMediaplanet timer2 min. read In 2015, Eileen of Vancouver was a new mother in her twenties. If that wasn't hard enough, she was also experiencing chronic pain and inflammation in her hands, feet, and knees. “I was unable to function," Eileen says.
Sponsored | For women with rheumatic disease, family planning and health planning go hand in hand
Arthritis affects men, women, and children of every age. For women, especially those looking to become pregnant, the health challenges are unique. By D.F. McCourtMediaplanet timer3 min. read Jennifer was a 19-year-old student at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON when she first noticed stiffness and pain in her left wrist. The year was 2012, and she didn’t yet know that she was suffering from ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a form of inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine.
Sponsored | Cassie and Friends is helping kids across Canada
Kids aren’t small adults with arthritis. Cassie and Friends is the only association dedicated to juvenile arthritis research. By D.F. McCourtMediaplanet Wed., April 8, 2020timer2 min. read Arthritis is such a common condition that, if you don't suffer from it yourself, you almost certainly know someone who does. But, when we think of a typical person with arthritis, most of us picture someone elderly. Unfortunately, the truth is that arthritis doesn’t discriminate.
Sponsored | From biologics to biosimilars: The art of equivalence
Drugs derived from complex biological sources, known as biologics, have been in use for over a century, but with recent advances in genetic technology, the field has exploded By D.F. McCourtMediaplanet timer2 min. read Drugs derived from complex biological sources, known as biologics, have been in use for over a century, but with recent advances in genetic technology, the field has exploded.
Sponsored | The real-world impact of migraine
For how common and disabling migraines are, it is shocking how little we talk about the impact this condition has on individuals and society as a whole. By D.F. McCourt Mediaplanet Fri., March 13, 2020timer2 min. read For how common and disabling migraines are, it is shocking how little we talk about the impact this condition has on individuals and society as a whole. The effects of migraines stretch from the home to the workplace and everywhere in between.
Working Toward The Elimination Of HPV-Related Cancers
In October of 2006, Liz Ellwood could tell that something was wrong, so she asked her doctor for an unscheduled pap test. A week later, she had an emergency appointment at the gyno-oncology clinic in Ottawa. “Clueless 24-year-old that I was, I managed to confuse the words oncology and obstetrics, so I figured the doctor was just a standard ob-gyn,” Ellwood recalls with a laugh. “When I got there and he said the word cancer, my heart dropped.
The flu shot: The most powerful tool for senior independence
In 2017, Michael Leone of Toronto was an active and independent 81-year-old. He liked to walk around the neighbourhood with his wife, Concetta, he did his own driving, cut his own grass, and helped run events at his local seniors’ club and parish. He had some health issues that come with age, like diabetes and cardiovascular concerns, but they were well-controlled with medication. Life was good. Then Michael caught the flu. For older people like Michael, influenza can be particularly serious.
Rick’s story: Reclaiming control from an overactive bladder
As a licensed counselling therapist specializing in grief, loss, and spiritual health, Rick Benson, a 62-year-old New Brunswick resident, understands the power of discussing difficult topics. And now he’s opening up about his experience with OAB. “I’ve spent my whole adult life hiding this,” says Rick. “To speak about this is a major step for me. When I was initially asked to speak publicly about this, I hesitated.
Michael’s PKD journey: From uncertainty to self-advocacy
Michael Coyle was a new Search-and-Rescue (SAR) recruit in British Columbia two decades ago when his blood pressure showed up abnormally high during training. As it turned out, it was the beginning of the road to a diagnosis that would change his life. Michael, now 49 and still working with Coquitlam SAR, remembers that day like it was yesterday. “I was feeling perfectly healthy,” he recalls. “I was in good shape. I rode my bike everywhere. I was a vegetarian.
Publicly available opioid overdose kits could save young Canadian lives
“Between 2013 and 2017, hospitalizations due to opioid poisoning increased by 62 per cent among teens and young adults aged 15 to 24,” says Fardous Hosseiny, Interim National Chief Executive Officer at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). “In Alberta, the rates of hospitalization more than doubled for these young people.
Combatting uncertainty with optimism
It was January of 1994, and Mina Rajan had no inkling of the lifelong journey she was about to embark upon. The Calgary native was feeling fatigued beyond what was normal or expected of a mother of two young children, and had started noticing small red spots on her arms. A blood test revealed that Mina had an abnormally low platelet count and a hematologist with knowledge of the disease provided a prompt diagnosis of acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP).
An Informed Approach To Menopause Treatment Can Change Lives
Menopause is a natural part of aging, and every woman’s experience with it is unique. Unfortunately, for many, symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, joint aches, mood swings, and sexual dysfunction can be disruptive, embarrassing, and just get in the way of daily life. There’s no reason to let these symptoms interfere with one’s quality of life. Different treatment options exist and women should feel empowered to seek them out.
Rare diseases, common struggles: Seeking timely access to medical innovation
In Canada, our health care system is a point of national pride. The idea that all Canadians should have fair and equal access to the best health care possible is core to our civic identity. Unfortunately, for Canadians with rare diseases, the reality often fails to live up to the ideal. Though each individual rare disease is—by definition—rare, collectively these conditions affect millions of Canadians.
Debbie's Story: Life On Her Terms With Overactive Bladder
As we get older, all kinds of things happen to our bodies. But one of the great victories of modern medicine is that we don’t have to accept these changes as simply inevitable. For Debbie of Toronto, one of those changes was an overactive bladder. Overactive bladder is a condition that presents with an overwhelming need to suddenly urinate.
Ryan’s story - Macleans.ca
Ryan and Stéphanie Deveau photographed at Dartmouth’s Alderney Ferry Terminal. (Credit: Jenn Nauss) From early childhood, Ryan Deveau suffered from chronic pain in his hands and feet and an inability to sweat that left him prone to overheating quickly, especially in the summer or during physical activity. “I couldn’t go outside very much,” says the Dartmouth, NS native. “My main interests ended up being things like computers and video games.
A champion’s mentality
Danielle Campo displays her medals at the Town of LaSalle Civic Centre near Windsor, ON. (Credit: cocophoto) The potential of those who live with neuromuscular disorders is unlimited, so long as the rest of us enable rather than disable. Danielle Campo is a 34-year-old mother of three (with a fourth on the way) who lives in Windsor, ON.
Advocating Against Pain: Philippa's Endometriosis Journey
Philippa Bridge-Cook of Toronto began experiencing severe pain during menstruation at the age of 13. At the time, she assumed that it was just a normal part of being a young woman. As she got older, however, the pain got worse, changed in character, and lasted longer and longer each month. “At its worst, it wasn’t just during my period,” says Philippa. “I had significant pain two to three weeks out of every month. It was all through my pelvis, extending into my lower back.
Embracing a new normal
Jordan was diagnosed with cystinosis when he was just eight months old, and the first doctor his family spoke with gave him only ten years to live. Now approaching his 20th birthday, Jordan is thriving. That’s not to say that things weren’t extremely difficult for a very long time. “I wasn’t very strong when I was younger and I wasn’t able to do a lot of the things my friends could do, like play sports,” Jordan says.
Diagnosis, support, and hope: A recipe for managing rare diseases
Anne Marie Carr was 53 years old when her body started giving her signals that all was not well. It was 2011 and she was climbing the stairs of her local Ancaster, ON library when suddenly she got very dizzy and had to sit down. From there her symptoms progressed to weight loss, diarrhea, heart palpitations, and tingling and pain in the hands and feet often mistaken for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Evolving Canada's health care system for the 21st century
Louis Thériault photographed outside the Innovative Medicines Canada office in Ottawa, ON. (Credit: Kevin Belanger) For all that we do right, Canada still struggles to provide fair, affordable, and timely health care access to many citizens and residents. Unfortunately, changing the system is not easy, practically or politically.
Age or chronic conditions make the flu even more dangerous
Stacey McNeilly photographed at her home in Vancouver, BC. (Credit: Taylor Roades) As flu season approaches, it’s important for Canadians to be aware of just how serious influenza can be, especially for higher-risk populations like older adults and those living with chronic conditions such as asthma. The annual flu vaccine remains our single best tool for protecting vulnerable Canadians from this common virus that can seriously incapacitate or even kill them.
For older Canadians, the flu shot is a lifesaver
Philip Emberley photographed on the UBC campus in Vancouver, BC. (Credit: Tanya Goehring Photography) It’s all too easy to put off getting the flu shot and to think that you won’t get the flu, or that if you do, it won’t be that bad. But every year, over 12,000 Canadians are hospitalized because of influenza complications, and about 3,500 die as a result. And the older you get, the greater risk you’re at.
HPV Causes Cancer – Why Prevention Is Key - Chatelaine
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is widespread in Canada and worldwide. Nearly 80 percent of sexually active people will be exposed to the virus in their lifetime. It’s known to cause not only cervical cancer but also anal, penile, vulvar, vaginal, and oropharyngeal cancers. These are cancers that take the lives of both women and men every single day. The good news is that we have a highly effective vaccine against HPV, and thus against the cancers it causes.
Not so rare: The fight for rare disease treatment
Rare diseases are by definition uncommon. But, collectively, rare diseases like Gaucher, Pompe, Fabry, and MPS (mucopolysaccharidosis) affect millions of Canadians. Many of these diseases can be very serious and even life-threatening, and yet, even when an effective treatment exists, obtaining prompt and affordable access to it can be a challenge in Canada. This is something that health care experts and advocates are working to change.
Bringing hope to previously untreatable kidney disease
When Elyse Gawley was two years old, her grandfather passed away from kidney disease. When she was ten, her father needed a kidney transplant. It was then that her parents sat her down and explained that there was a genetic kidney disease in the family and that there was a 50/50 chance that she would have it as well. It’s called polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and it’s one of the most common genetic diseases worldwide, affecting about one person in five hundred. That’s 66,000 Canadians.
Menopause And Hormone Therapy: A New Understanding
Dr. Jennifer Blake photographed at the SOGC office in Ottawa, ON. (Photo: Max Rosenstein) Menopause is a natural part of every woman’s life. Some few lucky women breeze through menopause with little or no inconvenience. But for most, it’s a time of hot flashes, night sweats, disrupted sleep, and general discomfort. The good news is that safe and effective treatments exist to alleviate these symptoms, so long as we can get past the stigma and misconceptions about menopause and its treatment.
Debbie's Story: Life On Her Terms With Overactive Bladder
As we get older, all kinds of things happen to our bodies. But one of the great victories of modern medicine is that we don’t have to accept these changes as simply inevitable. For Debbie of Toronto, one of those changes was an overactive bladder. Overactive bladder is a condition that presents with an overwhelming need to suddenly urinate.
Overactive Bladder: Stop Dancing Around The Issue
Dr. Sender Herschorn photographed at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, ON. (Photo: Max Rosenstein) When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go. Everyone has those occasional moments of having held it a bit too long and then needing to desperately sprint (or waddle with knees held together) for the washroom. That’s a normal part of life. What’s very much not a normal part of life is having to live that moment multiple times a day, every day.
Immunization made us healthy. Vigilance can keep us healthy.
Mary Godsall photographed at her home in Rockland, ON. (Credit: Max Rosenstein) With polio—and other vaccine-preventable diseases—all but invisible today, it can be easy for Canadians to become complacent and to forget what the world was like before immunization. Mary Godsall of Rockland, ON, contracted polio in 1950, just five years before the introduction of the Salk vaccine. “I was seven years old and I just went to bed one night,” says Godsall.
Healthy aging through immunization
Created by Immunize Canada Dr. Ian Gemmill photographed at his home in Kingston, ON. (Credit: Max Rosenstein) Canada’s aging population is very interested in personal health, and for good reason. If we want to enjoy the benefits of a longer life, we must remain fit, active, and independent. We pay close attention to diet and exercise. We monitor perhaps a little too closely the latest news on things suspected of causing or protecting against cancer.
Recovering from muscle spasticity after a stroke
Chysoula Tsiknis photographed at her home in Burnaby, BC. (Credit: Taylor Roades) Spasticity is a very common disorder in stroke survivors, causing stiffness, tightness and pain at points throughout the body in up to 40 per cent of patients. For one patient, it can display as a hand that cannot be unclenched from a fist; for another, a stiff knee or painfully pointed foot.
Together we can improve Canadian pharmacare
Delegates at the Market Access Summit in Toronto, ON. (Credit: Sara Scott) Canadians care a lot about health care. And, though an overwhelming majority of Canadians are happy with our health care system (73 per cent gave the system an A or B grade in the most recent Canadian Medical Association survey), there’s always room to improve. Of the gaps in our current system, perhaps the largest is in equal access to treatment and medicine.
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