Our Evening at Queen's Park

19Sep 

Last night we attended a reception at Queen’s Park for IPF Awareness Day. We hooked up with Ruth & Don, friends from the transplant program and grabbed a table so she and Carman wouldn’t have to stand. The reception was held in the Dining Room on the lower level of the main legislative building and included representatives from the Ontario Lung Association, MPPs and various government staff. 

Robert Davidson, lung transplant recipient and founder of the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, spoke eloquently about his personal experience with IPF. Robert petitioned the members present to consider “the death sentence that is an IPF diagnosis - there is no known cause or treatment...transplant is the only option for continued life”. He then highlighted the need to generate public awareness and funding for research. Robert thanked those present for attending and InterMune for their continued research into therapies for the disease and for their sponsorship of the day.

We then circulated and chatted with fellow IPF patients, George and his wife Emma (NFLD);  our post-transplant friends Ruth and her husband Don; Rob; and Robert Davidson and his wife Heather. Others in the room who made a point of chatting with us were Deb Matthews, Minister of Health & Long-term Care (from our former home city of London, ON); Tim Smitheman, Snr Advisor, Stakeholder Relations at Minister Matthers’ office; Lisa Thompson, MPP Huron-Bruce; Ashley Hammill, Lisa’s Executive Assistant; France Gelinas, MPP for Nickel Belt (NDP Health Critic); Elizabeth Harvey, Government Relations Manager for the Ontario Lung Association and Lana, a respiratory educator with the OLA (who happens to handle all east coast calls). Lana & Elizabeth have promised to share information on the OLA Breatherhood initiative.

It was a serendipitous meeting with Lisa and Ashley. It turns out that Carman’s cousin was Lisa’s Sunday School teacher and she grew up on the same county road on which his cousin’s still have their farm (in Huron County). Ashley, on the other hand is from Prince Edward Island and a graduate of St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Not to out do Lisa & Carman’s connection, Ashley’s cousin, Ferne, works at St.TU, with my sister Penny!  I think we win Ashley!

While we were the “out of towners” at tonight’s event, everyone made us feel welcomed and was interested in chatting about our experience. Thanks Robert for including us and Megan Boyle, Consultant, Global Public Affairs for helping us with the “getting there” logistics and registration.

Ashley, Pamela, Lisa, Carman