Those were the words Allison Ducluzeau, 57, said she was told in January, a month after being diagnosed with a rare and terminal abdominal cancer.
After several weeks of consultations and inconclusive tests, the British Columbia resident said a surgeon told her she was not eligible for surgery and she might only have between two months and two years left to live.
“I felt completely hopeless and powerless and (at) a complete loss about what to do with my health,” Ducluzeau told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Saturday.
Ducluzeau started researching options to tackle her illness within Canada and found out she required a time-sensitive, specialized surgery to treat her Stage 4 cancer. That’s when her general practitioner referred her to cancer specialists.
From there, she was told she would have to wait almost two months for an initial consultation with a specialized surgeon in Vancouver.
But she’d been told she might only survive another two months, suggesting the consultation might be too late.
So, the mother of two started looking for options outside of the country.
Ducluzeau eventually landed on the Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md., where she met with a specialist one week after sending the results of an imaging test that detects early signs of cancer. She was told she could have the abdominal surgery done two weeks later.
Her husband accompanied her on the trip in February, for the procedure she described as her last resort.
Allison Ducluzeau and her husband leaving to the U.S. from Canada for surgery on Jan. 28, 2023 (Submitted)After the surgery in the U.S., Ducluzeau said she learned that if she had stayed in Canada, waiting to meet with the Vancouver surgeon, there would have been a wait of six to eight weeks to have the operation done in Vancouver, in addition to the two months she had to wait for the consultation.
By her calculations, she believes she had surgery approximately three months earlier than the best-case scenario in B.C., because of her trip to the States.
And based on the timeline given to her when she was diagnosed, she may not have survived long enough to have the surgery in Canada.
“I never should have had to travel away from the support of family and friends,” said Ducluzeau. “But (there) was not an alternative. It was that or go home and prepare to die.”
Ducluzea’s experience is not unique. With long wait times becoming a defining characteristic of Canada’s health-care system, many Canadians are taking matters into their own hands by travelling outside of the country to get surgeries and other medical procedures done sooner.
HOW LONG IS THE WAIT?
Each province and territory is responsible for administrating and delivering health care to its residents, meaning the average wait times for surgeries and other procedures vary across the country.
The pan-Canadian benchmark for a hip replacement surgery is 26 weeks, or 182 days, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. But based on the provinces’ and territories’ own electronic wait time estimates, most patients wait longer than that.
Ontario had the lowest waiting times, based on these trackers, with an average of 87 days between the time of referral to the first consultation, and 138 days for hip surgery. B.C. and Newfoundland and Labrador indicated nine in 10 patients are waiting an average of 348 and 385 days for hip surgery, respectively.
P.E.I., Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia had some of the longest wait times, with 90 per cent of patients waiting more than 600 days for their orthopaedic surgery.
Alberta also had among the longest wait times indicated, with nine in 10 patients waiting an average of 80 weeks, or 560 days, for hip replacement surgery.
‘ONCE YOU START WAITING, OTHER THINGS START TO BREAK DOWN’
For Edmonton resident Trevor Bukieda, 60, waiting for surgery meant enduring agonizing pain.
Bukieda said he started feeling pain in his hip four years ago. The initial X-rays and ultrasound showed minor joint wear, so after a cortisone injection, he continued on with his life. But he said the pain intensified and became unbearable in March of this year.
He had new X-rays done, which he says showed that his hip had totally degenerated, and there was no cartilage left at all.
In an attempt to ease the pain, Bukieda said, he contacted an Alberta clinic that specializes in hips and knees in hopes of having his injury treated. Three weeks later, he said, he received a letter saying he had been accepted for an appointment to see a surgeon in 14 to 16 months. The actual hip replacement surgery would’ve taken another nine months’ wait, he told CTVNews.ca.
Losing patience, Bukieda started looking for out-of-country options and found a clinic in Kaunas, Lithuania, that could take him in as soon as July, three months after his most recent X-rays.
“The biggest reason why I chose to go overseas is because once you start waiting, other things start to break down in your system,” Bukieda said.
Before the surgery, Bukieda said, his joints were getting worse as the balance compensation to avoid pain in his left hip started to affect both of his knees and other hip.
Sarunas Tarasevicius, hip surgeon and head of orthopedics at Nordorthopaedics in Lithuania, said this is common; the quality of life of a patient worsens the longer they wait for surgery.
“Those patients who are operated on later need more effort to make those muscles work again properly,” he said. “And the recovery might be significantly slower compared to those who had surgery done on time.”
Tarasevicius told CTVNews.ca in an interview that his clinic welcomes at least 10 Canadians each month for surgery, and he is expecting a 40 per cent increase in Canadian patient volumes this year.
Bukieda’s hip replacement surgery in Lithuania fortunately went well and he is now recovering in his home in Edmonton. In total, he said he spent 10 nights overseas and paid approximately $12,862 for the surgery.
Trevor Bukieda and his family travelled to Kaunas, Lithuania for his hip replacement in July, 2023. (Submitted)
HEALTH CANADA CITES PANDEMIC BACKLOG
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Health Canada told CTVNews.ca that there are many pressing needs in the health-care system including addressing backlogs that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadians had to wait a median of 27.4 weeks between the referral from a general practitioner and receiving treatment in 2022, the survey found. By comparison, they waited just 9.3 weeks in 1993.
In an attempt to reduce the wait times, Health Canada said the federal government is “working with provinces and territories to improve the collection, use and sharing of health information.”
Part of that work has included dedicating a $2-billion fund for provinces and territories to address immediate pressures on the health-care system, such as in pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms, as well as long wait times for surgeries, the department said, citing an announcement made in July.
“No one should have to travel abroad or to a different province and pay to receive the care they need in a timely manner,” Health Canada said in the statement.
‘THIS IS MY LAST CHANCE’
For some Canadians, travelling outside of the country seems to be their last bit of hope.
Sena Gurbuz said she was nearly paralyzed because of back problems. For years, neurosurgeons could not come to a conclusion as to what was causing her pain.
“It got to the point where I had to buy a wheelchair,” Gurbuz told CTVNews.ca on Wednesday, explaining she could only sleep two hours a night.
Then, one day in December 2021, she started bleeding uncontrollably.
“The test showed I had polyps (small growths of excess tissue) in my uterus and they were precancerous,” she said. “My gynecologist at the time was freaking out because she didn’t do the type of surgery I needed.”
After another round of tests, Gurbuz said, doctors told her she also had an umbilical hernia, meaning she was in need of three different surgeries — all with different wait times.
Wait times for these types of treatments too vary across the country. In Quebec, the average wait time for a gynecological surgery at the hospital closest to Gurbuz is between 11 and 15 weeks, according to provincial data, a timeframe that does not include the wait for consultation.
Orthopedic surgeries have an average wait of between 19 to 49 weeks, depending on the procedures.
Gurbuz said was given a two-year wait for the robotic surgery needed to remove the precancerous cells in her body.
“It was my ultimatum,” she said. “I’m either going to end up with cancer and it’s going to be too late … and if I don’t have back surgery I’m going to end up permanently in a wheelchair. That’s what was going on in my head: ‘This is my last chance.’”
Last August, Gurbuz and her girlfriend took out a loan, hired a medical visitor co-ordinator and booked a two-month trip to Istanbul, Turkiye, where Gurbuz had three different surgeries — two done on the same day and a third one month later.
“Everything went very well. I found the doctors and hospitals and staff all of the highest standard,” she told CTVNews.ca.
In total, Gurbuz said, the trip and surgeries cost her $50,000.
“I was able to walk without a cane after three days of back surgery,” she said.
While some Canadians report having successful stories abroad, the spokesperson for Health Canada stressed that there are “medical and financial risks” linked to receiving care outside of Canada.
“Before taking such a decision, we invite patients to consider the risks,” they said.
BATHURST, N.B. – RCMP in New Brunswick say a weekend ground search for evidence related to the disappearance of a teenage girl in 2021 didn’t reveal any new information.
In an emailed statement, the RCMP said 20 people participated in the search for evidence in the case of Madison Roy-Boudreau of Bathurst.
The release said the search occurred in the Middle River area, just south of the girl’s hometown.
Police have said the 14-year-old’s disappearance is being treated as a homicide investigation.
The RCMP said the search “did not reveal any new information regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.”
There are no plans for another search until police receive a tip or a lead pointing to a new search area.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
VICTORIA – A middle school in Victoria was forced into a lockdown after a man entered the building without permission, and police say they had to use a stun gun to make an arrest.
Victoria police say officers received multiple calls around noon on Monday of an unknown male entering Central Middle School, leading staff to set off emergency procedures that put the building under lockdown.
Police say its emergency response team arrived within minutes and found the suspect, who “appeared to be in a drug-induced state,” in the school’s library.
A statement from police says the suspect resisted arrest, and officers had to use a Taser to subdue the man.
He’s being held by police and has been assessed by emergency medical staff.
Police say the man was not armed and there were no continuing safety concerns for students and staff following the arrest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Former B.C. Green leader Andrew Weaver knows what it’s like to form a minority government with the NDP, but says such a deal to create the province’s next administration is less likely this time than seven years ago.
Weaver struck a power-sharing agreement that resulted in John Horgan’s NDP minority government in 2017, but said in an interview Monday there is now more animosity between the two parties.
Neither the NDP nor the B.C. Conservatives secured a majority in Saturday’s election, raising the prospect of a minority NDP government if Leader David Eby can get the support of two Green legislators.
Manual recounts in two ridings could also play an important role in the outcome, which will not be known for about a week.
Weaver, who is no longer a member of the Greens, endorsed a Conservative candidate in his home riding.
He said Eby would be in a better position to negotiate if Furstenau, who lost her seat, stepped aside as party leader.
“I think Mr. Eby would be able to have fresh discussions with fresh new faces around the table, (after) four years of political sniping … between Sonia and the NDP in the B.C. legislature,” he said.
He said Furstenau’s loss put the two elected Greens in an awkward position because parties “need the leader in the legislature.”
Furstenau could resign as leader or one of the elected Greens could step down and let her run in a byelection in their riding, he said.
“They need to resolve that issue sooner rather than later,” he said.
The Green victories went to Rob Botterell in Saanich North and the Islands and Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
Neither Botterell nor Valeriote have held seats in the legislature before, Weaver noted.
“It’s not like in 2017 when, you know, I had been in the (legislature) for four years already,” Weaver said, adding that “the learning curve is steep.”
Sanjay Jeram, chair of undergraduate studies in political science at Simon Fraser University, said he doesn’t think it’ll be an “easygoing relationship between (the NDP and Greens) this time around.”
“I don’t know if Eby and Furstenau have the same relationship — or the potential to have the same relationship — as Horgan and Weaver did,” he said. “I think their demands will be a little more strict and it’ll be a little more of a cold alliance than it was in 2017 if they do form an alliance.”
Horgan and Weaver shook hands on a confidence-and-supply agreement before attending a rugby match, where they were spotted sitting together before the deal became public knowledge.
Eby said in his election-night speech that he had already reached out to Furstenau and suggested common “progressive values” between their parties.
Furstenau said in her concession speech that her party was poised to play a “pivotal role” in the legislature.
Botterell said in an election-night interview that he was “totally supportive of Sonia” and he would “do everything I can to support her and the path forward that she chooses to take because that’s her decision.”
The Green Party of Canada issued a news release Monday, congratulating the candidates on their victories, noting Valeriote’s win is the first time that a Green MLA has been elected outside of Vancouver Island.
“Now, like all British Columbians we await the final seat count to know which party will have the best chance to form government. Let’s hope that the Green caucus has a pivotal role,” the release said, echoing Furstenau’s turn of phrase.
The final results of the election won’t be known until at least next week.
Elections BC says manual recounts will be held on Oct. 26 to 28 in two ridings where NDP candidates led B.C. Conservatives by fewer than 100 votes after the initial count ended on Sunday.
The outcomes in Surrey City Centre and Juan de Fuca-Malahat could determine who forms government.
The election’s initial results have the NDP elected or leading in 46 ridings, and the B.C. Conservatives in 45, both short of the 47 majority mark in B.C.’s 93-seat legislature.
If the Conservatives win both of the recount ridings and win all other ridings where they lead, Rustad will win with a one-seat majority.
If the NDP holds onto at least one of the ridings where there are recounts, wins the other races it leads, and strikes a deal with the Greens, they would have enough numbers to form a minority government.
But another election could also be on the cards, since the winner will have to nominate a Speaker, reducing the government’s numbers in the legislature by one vote.
Elections BC says it will also be counting about 49,000 absentee and mail-in ballots from Oct. 26 to 28.
The NDP went into the election with 55 ridings, representing a comfortable majority in what was then an 87-seat legislature.
Jeram, with Simon Fraser University, said though the counts aren’t finalized, the Conservatives were the big winners in the election.
“They weren’t really a not much of a formal party until not that long ago, and to go from two per cent of the vote to winning 45 or more seats in the B.C. provincial election is just incredible,” he said in an interview Monday.
Jeram said people had expected Eby to call an election after he took over from John Horgan in 2022, and if he had, he doesn’t think there would have been the same result.
He said the B.C. Conservative’s popularity grew as a result of the decision of the BC Liberals to rebrand as BC United and later drop out.
“Had Eby called an election before that really shook out, and maybe especially before (Pierre) Poilievre, kind of really had the wind in his sails and started to grow, I think he could have won the majority for sure.”
He said he wasn’t surprised by the results of the election, saying polls were fairly accurate.
“Ultimately, it really was a result that we saw coming for a while, since the moment that BC United withdrew and put their support behind the conservatives, I think this was the outcome that was expected.”
— With files from Darryl Greer
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Allison Ducluzeau and her husband leaving to the U.S. from Canada for surgery on Jan. 28, 2023 (Submitted)After the surgery in the U.S., Ducluzeau said she learned that if she had stayed in Canada, waiting to meet with the Vancouver surgeon, there would have been a wait of six to eight weeks to have the operation done in Vancouver, in addition to the two months she had to wait for the consultation.
Trevor Bukieda and his family travelled to Kaunas, Lithuania for his hip replacement in July, 2023. (Submitted)
