Disrupting Death

“People should be allowed to be authors of their own lives to make decisions for themselves if they have the capacity to do and having doctors say, or having the government say we don't think you're actually, able or qualified to make this decision. You need our approval. I think that's ethically unjustified.” In this episode, Kathy and Keri-Lyn wax philosophical with Eric Mathison, PhD, contemplating clinical and practical ethical...

“ It's brought some hope that maybe it'll be different for the generation, the young disabled girl who's just getting the diagnosis today will be able to see a few examples anyway out there of somebody who had a life and who got to live and thrive.”

Dear listeners, this month Kathy and Keri-Lyn are privileged to share a conversation with April Hubbard, a performer, arts administrator, accessibility consultant, and a Mad, Disabled, ...

 Grief matters because it happens to all of us. 

In this episode, Kathy and Keri-Lyn are fortunate to converse with Drs. Susan Cadell and Mary Ellen Macdonald, co-creators of Grief Matters, a Canadian organization that aims to improve how people understand and make room for grief, using creative, community-based activities. They use the framework of ‘grief literacy’ to increase knowledge, skills, and actions about all kinds of grie...

“ She's in her favourite chair. She's surrounded by loved ones. She's got a supportive GP. There's love and laughter, and I can't imagine anything better for the very final moments of your life. And I have to just say I'm just really thankful, one, to be a Canadian and that she has this option, but also that I had the opportunity to be there and that our family got to have these really beautiful final moments with her.”

Dear liste...

“ Ignorance is not a safeguard.”  In this episode, a very fortunate Kathy and Keri-Lyn sit down with Dr. James Downar, a Critical Care and Palliative Care physician in Ottawa, for a conversation about the data around MAiD and access to palliative care.   Dr. Downar graduated from McGill Medical School and completed residency training in Internal Medicine, Critical Care and Palliative Care at the University of Toronto. He has a Mast...

 In the context of any kind of illness, whether it's the child's illness, a family member's illness, somebody's sudden death or MAiD, if we recognise that children have these rights to access information and to express themselves, it's very hard to justify not giving them a choice about having information. In this episode, Kathy and Keri-Lyn have the great pleasure and privilege of speaking with Ceilidh Eaton Russell, a Certified ...

This month’s episode of Disrupting Death has Kathy and Keri-Lyn have the pleasure of speaking with Paul Magennis, a Registered Nurse and educator on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in British Columbia and co-creator of MAiD in Canada, a Substack newsletter that tackles misinformation and promotes education about medical assistance in dying. 

With over seven years of experience in MAiD, Paul has the expertise to provide fact-base...

 ”I think we need to know that the possibilities are out there, that MAiD's not just a medical procedure, that even though this healthcare professional is coming with their kit and their medications and all of their social authority that they bring with them, that we get to slow it down and do some important things to remember our person.” This month, Kathy and Keri-Lyn have the pleasure and privilege of sitting down with Kelley Ko...

“When we're brought into this world more often than not … there's all this love coming for birthing in a human being to this world, right? And I felt like that same kind of energy  was given to them on their way out.”

This month, your hosts of Disrupting Death sit down with Chris Reid, a storyteller, military veteran, and founder of Stretch Creative, about his experiences in 2024 when two very important people in his life chose to ...

This month, Kathy and Keri-Lyn are very excited and privileged to explore the issue of mature minors in relation to MAiD legislation with Dr. Sydney Campbell, PhD. Sydney Campbell is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University, having recently completed her PhD in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto wherein she generated conceptual and empirical evidenc...

This month’s episode of Disrupting Death has Kathy and Keri-Lyn speaking with Dr. Christine Gibson, aka TikTokTraumaDoc, about her experiences with MAiD and her book, The Modern Trauma Tool Kit.  A Family Medicine physician with academic expertise in medical education and holistic care, with twenty years of clinical experience. Through extensive additional specialty training, has become a local and national leader in education and ...

In this episode of Disrupting Death, Kathy and Keri-Lyn have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Marney Thompson, Director of Bereavement Services at Victoria Hospice and an executive member of the Canadian Grief Alliance, and Robin Farr, of the MAID Family Support Society, about MAiD grief and bereavement around the holidays.   Marney Thompson is the Director of Bereavement Services at Victoria Hospice and an executive member o...

In this episode of Disrupting Death, Kathy and Keri-Lyn lean in to learn from Dr. Konia Trouton, BSc MD CCFP MPH FCFP, about the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers (CAMAP) [https://camapcanada.ca/] and providing MAiD in non-medical settings. 

Dr. Trouton is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Practice at UBC, and a Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at University of...

In this episode of Disrupting Death, Kathy and Keri-Lyn have the privilege of learning about the role of the Office of the Chief Coroner in medical assistance in dying (MAiD) from Dr. Dirk Huyer, Chief Coroner for Ontario since March of 2014.

Dr. Huyer received his medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1986. He has served as a coroner in Ontario since 1992, serving as Regional Supervising Coroner between 2008 and 2013. H...

In this episode of Disrupting Death, Kathy and Keri chat with Dr. Julia Brassolotto about rural healthcare challenges and how media shapes our perceptions. Don't miss this insightful conversation! 

Julia Brassolotto is an Associate Professor in the Public Health program at the University of Lethbridge. She is a qualitative researcher and a social scientist. Her research program looks at care for older adults, with a focus on contin...

In part two of this three-part episode, we sit down with Dr. Mike Lang, the lead facilitator of the two digital storytelling workshops. We also hear from six participants who created digital stories about their experiences accompanying someone on their MAiD journey. These participants were recruited by Bridge C-14, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting families and loved ones through every stage of assisted death.

You c...

In the final part of this three-part episode, hosts Kathy and Keri speak with Krystle Scofield and Maureen Leier, facilitators of the digital story workshops. We also hear from six participants who created digital stories about their experiences accompanying someone on their MAiD journey. These participants were recruited by MAID Family Support Society, a not-for-profit corporation and charity that offers one-to-one peer support fo...

In part one of this three-part episode of Disrupting Death, hosts Kathy and Keri have the honour of sharing information about their research in medical assistance in dying, a component of which is digital storytelling, and Keri sits down with Diane Sims, the project’s only (to date) participant who herself has opted for MAiD.

Please consider viewing Diane's digital story entitled "MAiD: A Servant In Deed" https://www.youtube.com/wa...

In this episode of Disrupting Death, Kathy and Keri speak with Dr. Jyothi Jayaraman, joining us to share her views on an issue of great interest to both her and us: forced transfers. Dr. Jayaraman reached out to Disrupting Death to highlight her ongoing quest to eradicate forced transfer of MAiD recipients from institutions refusing provision. In addition to conversation about forced transfers in general terms and the specific choi...