MAID Medical lead – helping families through life’s final journey
LETHBRIDGE — Dr. Dionne Walsh had always wanted to be a family doctor, but her Lethbridge practice took an unexpected turn after about seven years. She loved family medicine, as she knew she would, especially the opportunity to get to know her patients well over long periods of their lives.
“But I found that I really enjoyed caring for patients with incurable illness, and those near end of life,” says Walsh. “Providing palliative care, following people I knew and journeying with them and their families through that time in their life.
“People say that must be such a hard thing to do, but it’s just such a lovely thing to do, and such a special time to be a part of people’s lives. I can spend a lot of time talking with my patients about fishing, or cooking or their losses, their family and the things that are important to them. They teach me so many things. It’s been very special.”
When she learned that Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) would become legal in 2016, Walsh felt compelled to get involved. She believed strongly that MAID should be available to terminally ill people as an option — and that it should be available in their home community.