Recent Blog Posts
Emily’s House
It was just another ordinary day until I got Lindsey Yeskoo’s comment on my blog post, Ordinary Days. I don’t cry much anymore after all I’ve been through, but there I was in the Tim Horton’s, with my 5 year old Gracie suddenly dropping her jumbo Smarties and chocolate chip cookie (a rare occurrence indeed) [...]
Category: Uncategorized
Michael Douglas’ throat cancer
There’s been a huge media storm over actor Michael Douglas’ statement that the type of throat cancer he had is often caused by HPV, the same virus that causes genital warts and other cancers, such as cervical cancer. The virus also causes the warts on the vocal cords that can be effectively treated by the [...]
Category: Papillomatosis, Voice problem
Voices for the voiceless
The Globe and Mail profiled technology and other approaches that help people with neuromuscular disorders (like cerebral palsy) or traumatic brain injuries to speak. It’s called augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and includes electronic devices with word-prediction properties and assistants who interpret gestures, blinks and verbalizing. Several key points were made at a recent 90 [...]
Category: Voice problem
Biking with the doc
So Dr. Anderson and I have now biked for over an hour in Sunnybrook Park each morning, two days in a row. This is great exercise for me, and gives Jennifer a chance to catch up on her text messages. Picture me, huffing and puffing, full sweat, cresting a hill, to find Jennifer slowly tooling [...]
Category: Uncategorized
Glee star makes special trip to Toronto for young girl
Here’s the video of Glee star Dot Jones (Coach Beiste) making a special trip to Toronto to see Sophie Sullivan, a vibrant young Branksome student who suffered a brain injury after a fall.
Category: Uncategorized
Ordinary days
Yesterday I went to a talent show at Branksome Hall, in support of a young lady named Sophie Sullivan. Sophie was in Emily’s grade 3 class at Branksome. Last winter, she fell while skiing and triggered a rupture of an AVM (arteriovenous malformation, a tangle of arteries and blood vessels in her brain that she’d [...]
Category: Uncategorized
My concession to 50
I might just start wearing a touch of lipstick. Not every day, mind you.
Category: Uncategorized
Girlfriends
Today’s the day: half a century on the planet. I’m thankful for many things. But as any woman over the age of say, 10, will tell you, nothing’s better than a good girlfriend. So I’d like to thank a few of them today: Lea – June Cleaver’s got nothing on you. You’re the nicest person [...]
Category: Uncategorized
Greece
We’re in Greece now, on the island of Mykonos. Staying at the Mykonos Grand in a quiet suite with our own pool. It’s cooler here than in Toronto. Arrgh. Any time summer is ready, I’m ready for it. There’s not much to do in Mykonos (it is a very small, barren island with a few [...]
Category: Uncategorized
Description of laryngeal papillomas
Here’s possibly the best description of laryngeal papillomas (warts on the voicebox), which are caused by the HPV virus (the same one which causes cervical cancer in women) and affect roughly 4 children and 2 adults out of every 100,000 people in the US. The virus recurs, even after treatment, and can cause voice problems or [...]
Category: Papillomatosis, St. Michael's Hospital Voice Chair, Uncategorized, Voice problem, Voice treatment
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