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Sue Robins
Nov 184 min read
I Don’t Do Disability: A Commentary
I’ve read all the memoirs written by moms who have children with Down syndrome (including obviously my own) and I can report that Adelle...
330
Sue Robins
Nov 63 min read
The Dice are Loaded
People tell me that American politics are none of my business. That’s not true. They say that health care isn’t political. That’s...
370
Sue Robins
Oct 313 min read
Mama Bear Rears Her Head
My youngest son Aaron, who is 21 years old and has Down syndrome, had a long-awaited specialist appointment today. I’ll share my...
2010
Sue Robins
Aug 214 min read
Burnout: Patient-Advocate Style
Well is it dark enough? Can you see me? - My Skin by Natalie Merchant Moral injury, distress and burn-out does not only happen to...
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Sue Robins
Aug 64 min read
Help, Don't Harm (The Cancer Edition)
Lately I've been hearing a lot about cancer from: People being investigated for cancer. People who have a brand new diagnosis of cancer....
450
Sue Robins
Jul 182 min read
Lessons from Down Under, Part 2 Limestone Coast Local Health Network
Early in July, I took three planes and travelled a total of 24 hours to get to the Mount Gambier site at Limestone Coast Local Health...
460
Sue Robins
Jul 175 min read
Lessons from Down Under, Part 1 World Down Syndrome Congress
My husband, youngest son Aaron and I went on an impromptu 12-day trip to Australia in early July. Who spontaneously jumps on a 16-hour...
490
Sue Robins
Jun 235 min read
The Truth About Our Health System
The Canadian health system is built on the myth of Medicare. The notion that health care is free in our country is, to be blunt, a lie....
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Sue Robins
May 283 min read
AI: The Four E’s from a Patient Perspective Notes from a Talk at e-Health 2024
These are my notes from a panel I was on with Dr. Kimberlyn McGrail, Dr. Devin Singh and Dr. Khaled El Emam, moderated by Dr. Mohamed...
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Sue Robins
May 133 min read
Feedback for Thee But Not for Me
This essay is a long time coming. Here is a not-so-eloquent description of my writing process. I get stuff stuck in my head. Then I...
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Sue Robins
May 124 min read
brother do you love me: A commentary
brother do you love me is an exquisite book about the relationship between two brothers. Co-authors Manni and Reuben Coe have crafted a...
360
Sue Robins
Apr 254 min read
The Wisdom of Nurses: A commentary
Note: I’m fortunate enough to know authors Sara Fung and Amie Archibald-Varley, as I was a guest on their Gritty Nurse podcast in 2021...
920
Sue Robins
Mar 244 min read
Oska Bright: A week of belonging
“I tell him I have value. Over and over and over.” -Jamie Hale, poet In early March, we had the privilege of accompanying our son Aaron...
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Sue Robins
Feb 213 min read
Cheers to All the Family Doctors
I nominated our family physician for an award last year. Sadly, she didn’t win this well-deserved recognition, but I made sure to send...
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Sue Robins
Feb 213 min read
Caregiving for Love
Taking care of another human being is the most honourable job on Earth. Caregiving is also devalued, unrecognized and unsupported. There...
2690
Sue Robins
Feb 1511 min read
A Series on Patient Advocacy
This series of 4 essays was originally posted on LinkedIn, based on my Levels of Advocacy diagram for patient and family advocates. A....
780
Sue Robins
Dec 28, 20235 min read
If You Build It and They Don’t Come: The Story of Give a Duck
Naively, when I began advocacy twenty years ago, I envisioned a cycle of quality improvement where things only got better. I never...
3010
Sue Robins
Nov 21, 20232 min read
Who Cares for the Patient Advocates?
I've been thinking about a recent article written by Lisa Machado called Canada’s Advocates are Burning Out. I'm grateful to Lisa for...
3300
Sue Robins
Oct 4, 20233 min read
Way Beyond Textbook Learning
I recently had the opportunity to review case studies about Down syndrome that are used to teach medical students. My main response was:...
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Sue Robins
Sep 28, 20232 min read
Beauty as a Social Determinant of Health
Years ago at a health conference I heard a nun who worked in Winnipeg’s North End say, “Beauty should be a social determinant of health.”...
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