Growing up in the Maritimes, I grew up surrounded by a family and community brimming with extraordinary storytellers. I listened intently to tales of colossal fish, epic love, and grand adventures. Yet, above all others, it was the stories of people that left a lasting mark on me. These stories taught me invaluable lessons, including never letting the details get in the way of a good joke. Most importantly though, I learned a fundamental truth: our stories are potent instruments for building connections, fostering understanding, and weaving the fabric of community. 

Throughout my life and my journey as a health advocate, these lessons about the power of connection, collaboration, and the significance of sharing our stories have resurfaced time and time again. Data, facts, and figures are great tools for shaping policies that enhance hospice palliative care, but they fall short in conveying the heart of the matter.  

All too often, healthcare leaders, politicians, and everyday Canadians mistakenly regard palliative care as a luxury, a “nice-to-have” rather than an imperative. However, a deeper understanding emerges when a daughter recounts the story of hearing her father’s laughter for the first time since his diagnosis at the palliative care day program. When she shares the profound peace of mind that the sound of his laughter brought her as his caregiver, knowing that the care team saw him as a person, not just a patient, and that they prioritized bringing him joy alongside managing his symptoms. 

Similarly, when a widower shares how the grief support group at his local hospice helped him rediscover the beauty in life following his wife’s passing, it becomes impossible to deny the vital role these services and programs play in our communities. Person-centered support throughout illness, life, death, and grief is not a luxury; it should be the basic standard across our nation. 

I could stand on the highest rooftops and proclaim that every person in Canada deserves access to palliative care when they need it. But if Canadians, including their elected representatives, lack a basic understanding of palliative care – its purpose, its beneficiaries – how could I expect them to listen? To genuinely transform hearts and minds, to truly make Canadians and our policy makers listen, we must capture their hearts and their humanity with the stories of life and death that unite us all. Those are the stories that make the need for palliative care for everyone with a life-limiting illness in Canada indisputable. 

This is precisely why the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) is embarking on a mission to collect stories from people across the country, stories that illuminate their experiences with or without hospice palliative care, grief and bereavement support, and caregiver assistance. We cannot hope to depict the story of palliative care in this country without amplifying the voices of those who understand its value through their own experiences. 

If you yearn to share your story with us and with fellow Canadians, please consider submitting it on the CHPCA website. Your voice will contribute to a tapestry of experiences that will light up the way forward toward better access to palliative care in Canada. Each story is a vital piece of this larger mosaic, a testament to the impact of palliative care and the transformative power of human connection. Together, we can change hearts, minds, and policies, weaving a narrative of care, compassion, and community that is impossible to ignore.  

So, I ask you to take a moment, reflect on your experiences, and share your story with us. Your voice has the potential to touch hearts, open minds, and sway the decisions of policymakers. You can join a chorus that will resonate across Canada, urging our nation to prioritize hospice palliative care as a fundamental right, not a privilege. Let us unite our voices and harness the power of storytelling to create a more compassionate and understanding Canada, where palliative care is not just a wish but a reality for every individual and family facing life’s most challenging moments.