• I offer a FREE Initial Consultation
• I offer TeleAdvocacy Service
• I am insured
• My geographical area of practice is My knowledge of healthcare systems is mostly related to Canada (Ontario and westward). I can offer medical advocacy support but may not be able to offer resource referral

I have been a registered nurse for 19 years. From the beginning of my education, I always learned to put the patient and their family first. However, when I started working, I discovered that many providers were not practicing in this way, nor did our system allow for patients and families to be at the center of their own care.

Then, I became a patient myself. Years of ignoring my own chronic illness caught up with me. At the age of 36, after being told to “slow down” (family life and career) repeatedly by my doctors, I suffered a major health complication and almost died. I almost died because I didn’t want to go back to the hospital YET AGAIN for the doctors to do nothing, tell me there was nothing wrong with me, and assume I was just there for drugs.

I had the emergency surgery that I needed and then spend the next three and a half years trying to convince anyone who would listen that something did not go right with the surgery. I had to jump through the hoops of Canadian healthcare and deal with medical gatekeeping, as well as hurry up and wait through COVID. Finally, I made it back to my surgeon. She decided in 5 minutes that she needed to operate again.

I went through with the surgery, I dealt with amazing providers and awful providers in the same hospital stay. Sometimes simultaneously. My concerns were validated, and the problem was fixed. It took almost 4 years. I realized that, if I was a nurse who had to fight this hard to be heard, what was happening to other people?
Everyone should feel heard and believed in their care.