Dr. Maxxine Rattner is a hospice/palliative care clinician and educator who recently completed her PhD on the topic of non-physical suffering. In this episode, we discuss the challenges in addressing non-physical suffering and the importance of making space within palliative care to do this intrinsically difficult work and approach the work without the expectation of “fixing” suffering.
Season 5 Episode 5: Cultural humility in healthcare - Dr Zhimeng Jia
Dr. Zhimeng Jia is a palliative care physician at the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care in Toronto. Through a combination of personal and clinical experiences, Dr. Jia developed an interest in health inequities that Asian immigrants experience at the end-of-life. In this episode, he shares the lessons he has learned in providing culturally aware care to patients and their families.
Season 5 Episode 4: Wrap Around Support: Caring for the Seriously Ill Child - Dr Dave Lysecki
Dr. David Lysecki is the Founder and Medical Director of the Quality of Life & Advanced Care Program at McMaster Children's Hospital. In this episode, Dr. Lysecki discusses his experience working in pediatric palliative care, and how he navigates both the rewards and challenges of working in this area. We also discuss how we can ensure that palliative care and pediatric palliative care become the work of all health care providers.
Season 5 Episode 3: Finding Joy in Every Day: When your child is diagnosed with a terminal illness - Mishi Methven
Shortly after Stella Joy turned two, Mishi Methven and her partner Aimee were given the devastating news that their daughter only had months to live. In this episode, Mishi shares how they navigated Stella’s diagnosis of a fatal brain tumour - Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma - guided by the philosophy of finding joy in the every day.
Season 5 Episode 2: Through the Patient’s Lens: Advocacy from the Inside - Julie Vizza
Julie Vizza was born with a multifaceted genetic condition, beta thalassemia-major. She joins the podcast today to discuss her journey in the healthcare system and how these experiences have inspired her work as a patient advocate; providing a voice for those with complex health care needs with an aim to improve the system for all.
Season 5 Episode 1: Breaking the Barriers of Ableism - Billy Bridges
In this episode, Billy Bridges shares his inspiring ideas for addressing ableism with empathy and offers a rallying cry for disability advocacy. Billy Bridges is an extraordinary Canadian athlete who has represented his country in six Paralympic Games, winning gold (2006), bronze (2014, 2018), and silver (2022) medals. He's also a four-time World Champion, including two Championship MVP awards, and was the youngest recruit to the Canadian sledge hockey team at 14 years old. But that's not all - Billy is also an accomplished athlete in wheelchair basketball and tennis, a motivational speaker, mentor, and ambassador for para sports. Born in PEI, he spent most of his youth in Ontario due to his medical needs for Spina Bifida.