Sonnie: Faced with Cancer and COVID Policy

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There were stains and bleeding. The doctor said we would know more the next day. I knew at that time. It was cancer. also.

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It was September 2020 and now feels like the early days of COVID. I spent the night standing next to my 38-year-old husband’s bed in the emergency room, swallowing a panic. At 2:00 am, the doctor provided the results of the preliminary study.

“We have 4 and 6 years old,” I suffocated.

I meant, “I need to fix this. You need to save him. You can’t continue without him.”

Cancer has hit my family in the last 20 years, so I was convinced it was cancer. I was the first at 21 years old. Then it hit my grandfather and mother. Now the cancer has hit my husband: a terrible type with few effective cures.

Fortunately, my husband did not cancel his tests or treatments due to COVID policy. Otherwise, he would have been one of the thousands of Canadians who died of medical delays. He is now “sick-free” and generally healthy, thankfully. But “relief” has not been part of his medical glossary for years.

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It was anxious to see the world addressing the COVID crisis as he saw chemotherapy eat up his husband. The cumulative COVID-related mortality rate in confirmed cases in Ontario is 1.5%. Still, I saw the government withdraw all suspensions. New vaccines were rolled out one after another. Meanwhile, my husband got worse from his probably ineffective anti-cancer drug. No new drug has been developed in recent years to treat his form of cancer.

We welcome the increase in resources to deal with COVID. But what about R & D for people like my husband? Why do you move so slowly? Canadians have a 28.2% chance of dying from cancer, which is our leading cause of death. Have you ever been in an imbalance?

The excerpt from the Premier Dougford press conference, where the speaker was talking about standing up and pulling together while splitting us into isolated silos, didn’t seem to be much mentioned. Need a community to fight cancer and survive its treatment? Yes, it is.

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It cannot be forgotten that in the fight against COVID, as with cancer, non-COVID patients and their families are suffering equally seriously. They are also becoming victims of dropouts from COVID measures. Wisdom is needed to avoid making public health decisions through COVID’s short-sighted lenses.

My husband and I run a law firm and talked to nurses, doctors and residents who lost their jobs. Unlike a fully vaccinated colleague who could unknowingly do so, everyone was willing to take a quick test to make sure they did not bring their COVID to the facility. They have been kicked out of the healthcare system and now have fewer specialists to take care of us.

Due to the hospital visitor vaccine policy, there was a call from a dying loved one and a family member who was unable to spend the last time. They too were willing to be tested quickly. However, being a healthy adult tested negative for COVID is not sufficient. Patients are now declining without a loved one.

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Do these types of measures protect patients, as rapid testing is readily available? Or is it present to force the remaining few Ontario citizens to vaccinate? If so, why did we go far beyond the multiple original goals of herd immunity?

COVID is a terrible virus. Unfortunately, there are many other terrible conditions, such as cancer, mental illness, and addictions that hit our loved ones.

When we make public health decisions, we have a duty to remember the suffering citizens and their testing needs, access to medical professionals, and support from their loved ones. We all know that is true. But what are we doing about it?

— Faye Sonier is a legal counsel and general manager of the Acacia Group (acaciagroup.ca), Boutique legal and telecommunications companies.