When a Simple Blemish Turns Into a Wake-Up Call

“For two years, my mom worried about a small blemish on her cheek. It refused to go away causing her to be more and more worried as she’d had been told of pre-cancerous cells in that same spot 10 years ago.” – Lisa Chartrand Despite mentioning it several times to her family physician, he refused […]
The Truth Between Nurse Practitioners and Doctors

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) play an extremely important role in Canada’s healthcare system. NPs have…
Valeria’s Story With Melanoma

Valeria is a mother of three and her journey with melanoma spanned the globe and is riddled with misdiagnoses, delays, and conflicts.
Listen to her story below.
Father Ed Shares his Journey with Melanoma

In my rural area of Southern Ontario, there is a scarcity of dermatologists / plastic surgeons, so when I became aware of a rapidly-growing, ugly-looking lesion on my left temple, I began searching for skin specialists over the internet—which is where I discovered you and your team.
Maria’s Story – Part 7: The Epilogue

This story is not meant to be an indictment against the Canadian Healthcare System.
Maria’s Story – Part 6: Heavenly Choir

Call it Karma. Call it Divine Intervention. Call it what you will, but on December 15th Maria’s luck kicked into hyperdrive.
Maria’s Story – Part 5: Plan B

For months she let the system control her health, but now that she knew the stakes, she decided to take control of her health.
Maria’s Story – Part 4: Bureaucracy

December 3 finally arrived, and Maria is bracing herself to hear the results of her biopsy.
Maria’s Story – Part 3: Delays

A small sore appeared on the bump. It was dry and featured a crusty gap in the middle. Slowly, alarm bells began to ring.
Maria’s Story – Part 1: The Bump

The origin story of any skin cancer diagnosis typically begins like this:
“Hmph. I wonder what that is?” and is usually followed by “Do you think I should get it checked out?”