Anna Brundage Anna Brundage  is an accomplished and respected Diabetes Nurse Educator. She is the recipient of the Diabetes Educator of the Year Award from the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre and the recipient of the Honourary Lifetime award from the Canadian Diabetes Association in the Diabetes Educator Section. The DES grants honorary lifetime membership to recognize active DES members whose longstanding excellence in practice and significant contributions have improved the quality of life for people affected by diabetes.

Anna is co-founder of the T1 Think Tank, a highly specialized collaboration of Patient Leaders and Healthcare Professionals focused on Type 1 Diabetes. The T1 Think Tank has 3 main objectives: 1) Improve communication between Patients and Healthcare providers. 2) Elevate the Standard of Care provided to Type 1 Diabetes 3) Empower patients with skills for better self-management of Type 1 Diabetes (Editor’s Note: True to her tradition, Anna did not reply to our request for information. The picture we chose to represent her reminds us of her life’s work and the constant balancing act that diabetes management demands from those living with the condition. Anna’s modesty and humility is well known. Yet the impact she’s had on literally thousands of people living with diabetes over her long [...] continue the story

Anne Marie Cerato 4-Year Lung Cancer Survivor

Patient Advocate and Speaker

I am living with stage 4 Lung Cancer. A little over a year ago, I was certain that my life would be cut short and I doubted I’d see my 35th birthday. Thanks to a targeted treatment I’m looking past 40, my condition although incurable is now manageable and chronic, not terminal.

One of the most challenging parts of this journey has been the isolation I felt, during and after treatment, both as a Lung Cancer patient but also as a Young Adult. Even living in a world-class city like Toronto, I found it incredibly difficult to find the resources and outlets I needed as a Young Adult living with Lung Cancer. After having experienced the stigma and isolation of having this condition I decided I would do something to change things for the better.

I began These Are My Scars to provide other young adults with a place and the tools to see their own scars in a new light. Through this new perspective, we hope that individuals are able to heal from the deeper emotional scars emanating from the cancer experience. This personal project has led me into Patient Advocacy and [...] continue the story

Mandy Maresky My son Aaron was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the tender age of 7. In 2009, shortly after my son’s diagnosis my family and I started Aaron’s Apple.

Parents of children with chronic illness are faced with the harsh reality that they are unable to control the illness that their child has been diagnosed. One of the options to ease the suffering of these children comes in the form of highly priced medical treatments. Some parents are fortunate enough to have medical insurance that will cover such high costs. However many are not so fortunate and simply don’t have the financial means to ease the intolerable pain that their child is experiencing.  Aaron’s Apple’s primary goal is to help families cope with overwhelming medical costs. As the costs of delivering healthcare rises, the ability of families to afford the appropriate and necessary healthcare diminishes. This places enormous stress upon families. In their time of need, Aaron’s Apple helps families pay for expensive medication and treatments.

Aaron’s Apple has raised over $400,000 in it’s short existence, and amazingly has helped 20 families gain access to unaffordable medications. In addition, in 2013 Aaron’s Apple donated $50,000 to the Aaron’s Apple Amenities fund, administered by [...] continue the story