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Play Without Limits – Why it Matters!

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At Pacific Medical Law, we know that for kids, playing is not a luxury – it is their “work”. It is how children learn to interact with their environment, develop physical skills and strength, expand their imagination and build friendships. It is indeed the essence of childhood. The importance of play in a child’s life simply cannot be over-emphasized.

Kids with disabilities are just like all other kids – they want to play, explore and have fun with friends. Yet, notwithstanding our common experience and the medical research which supports the importance of play in a child’s life, there is little support offered to children with disabilities to create recreational opportunities and support their ability to engage in play. Children with disabilities often need specialized equipment or other supports to facilitate their participation.

We are proud to support the efforts of the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC to assist them in raising funds to create opportunities for our youngest members to play. Last year, through the generous support of our community, we were able to provide an adaptive bike to a little girl with cerebral palsy named Eleeka. She rode a bike for the first time in her life – and her smile said it all! I had a chance to meet with Eleeka and it was clear to me that she and her family were very happy for her to have this special bicycle so she could be active in the sunshine.

To be in a position to put a smile on the face of a child is an opportunity that should not be missed. To be able to provide an opportunity for a child to grow, to laugh and to build friendships that they might not otherwise have is an opportunity that should be seized upon. It is a unique opportunity where doing something small can make a significant difference in the life of a child.

Kids with disabilities are resilient. They are fighters. They have overcome challenges and hurdles that few of us can comprehend. They deserve the same opportunities as all other kids. I am committed to doing what I can to make a difference in the lives of children living with cerebral palsy.

New Brain Injury Treatment at VGH Improving Outcomes

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Autoregulation monitoring, a new procedure for treating patients who have suffered traumatic brain injury, is now being used at Vancouver General Hospital.

In a healthy brain, autoregulation is an intrinsic control mechanism that maintains constant cerebral blood flow and oxygenation. When a person suffers a traumatic brain injury, their autoregulation mechanisms are impaired, and the brain may not receive enough oxygen in order for it to properly heal and recover.

Blood pressure plays a key role in determining how much oxygen the brain is receiving. In autoregulation monitoring the medical team inserts a catheter into the patient’s brain. The catheter is then attached to a monitor. The patient’s blood pressure is manipulated with medications to make the heart pump harder, which causes the patient’s blood pressure to increase dramatically. As a result, the patient’s brain receives the correct amount of oxygen within hours.

Dr. Donald Griesdale and Dr. Mypinder Sekhon studied autoregulation monitoring at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and were instrumental in bringing the treatment to Vancouver.

Competitive freestyle skier, Jamie Crane-Mauzy, was the first patient in British Columbia to undergo this treatment. On April 11, 2015, she crashed while competing in the World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler, suffering a severe traumatic brain injury that resulted in microbleeds throughout her brain and brain stem. Through autoregulation monitoring, Crane-Mauzy’s doctors learned that her oxygen levels were critically low. They were able to raise her blood pressure with medications to allow her oxygen levels to normalize within hours. Crane-Mauzy had to learn to walk and talk all over again, but she credits autoregulation monitoring with helping to save her life and get her back on her skis again.

Since then, 36 other patients have been treated with autoregulation monitoring at VGH. The doctors involved in the treatment report that 60% of patients have had favorable outcomes with autoregulation monitoring, compared to 37% of patients previously. According to Dr. Griesdale, “This technique is giving severe brain injury trauma patients a better shot at recovering to the point where they are able to live independently.”

September – Pacific Medical Law is Steppin’ Up to Support Children Living with Cerebral Palsy

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As part of our commitment to assist children living with cerebral palsy, both inside and outside the courtroom, the lawyers at Pacific Medical Law are once again participating in September – an annual fundraiser to raise funds and awareness for children living with cerebral palsy.

In the past, Pacific Medical Law was honoured to have been awarded the Top Fundraising Organization in Canada, raising over $8,000. Our mission this year is to raise at least the same amount of money, but to expand our reach and focus on raising awareness of cerebral palsy in our communities. Our goal is to encourage as many people as possible to show their support for people living with cerebral palsy by making a contribution in any amount they wish. We want to send a strong message to people living with cerebral palsy that the communities in which they live care about them and support them.

Please show your support by making a donation to at: https://event.September.ca/donate/search?search=steppin%27+up

No donation is too small, and a tax receipt will be provided for all donations over $10.

*image via https://research.cerebralpalsy.org.au

Making a Difference in the Lives of People Living with Cerebral Palsy: One Step at a Time

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Guest Contributor: Dan Chalcraft

This September the Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia will be hosting September for the third straight year- an annual health and wellness fundraising challenge to raise funds to improve the lives of people living with cerebral palsy.

The challenge is for a team of one to four people to register for September, complete 10,000 steps a day for 28 days in September, and collect pledges to raise money for cerebral palsy. Walking isn’t the only activity that participants can do to achieve better health; swimming, yoga, running, strength training classes, dog walks, wheelchair basketball, and rugby have been activities that participants can do to help make a positive impact and difference in the lives of people living with cerebral palsy (CP). There are more than 40 activities you can convert to steps including activities suitable for people with a disability.

Each team will have seven virtual summits to climb during their fundraising journey. The number of steps it takes to reach the top of each summit is directly related to the height of the summit. Each participant will reach all seven summits and the top of their virtual mountain by the end of September if they reach their target steps per day.

Susanne Raab, Chair of the September Committee, who participated in the challenge for the first time last year along with three of her colleagues, commented that they were surprised through doing the activities how much fun they had and how motivated they became to complete their 10,000 steps every day. “We had to be creative and stretch our comfort zones,” she said. “Last year our team raised over $8,000 and we were thrilled to be recognized as the top fundraising organization in Canada. This year we look forward to working even harder to beat that record.”

CP is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. It refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. The neurological condition normally occurs before, during, or after birth for a number of reasons usually it is a lack of blood supply, which means oxygen doesn’t flow to the brain causing brain damage or causing the brain to not fully develop. The damage leads to, among other things, problems with muscle development, control and movement.

Every 11 hours a Canadian child is born with CP and every hour 30 infants are born with CP globally. Cerebral Palsy is the most common disability in childhood and every step you take in September will go towards supporting cerebral palsy associations across Canada.

Raab said, “reflecting back on the last fundraising challenge, I would have to say that one of the most rewarding aspects of participating in September is the conversations it started with family, friends and even strangers, who, once they understand more about what cerebral palsy is and how it affects people, were so generous and willing to contribute.”

Raab, who also practices as a lawyer at Pacific Medical Law, said, “we are all very connected to the lives and challenges of people living with cerebral palsy as many of our clients are children living with cerebral palsy. We see their daily struggles, but more importantly we see their strength and resilience in the face of these challenges. We also see the worry and concern in the faces of their parents, which is only overshadowed by their deep love for their child.”

She believes that it’s so rewarding to contribute to this fundraising effort. “We know that raising these funds is necessary to enable the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC to continue to support and provide services for people living with cerebral palsy, and we can see it makes a difference in the lives of people living with cerebral palsy.

Taewon Kook, a 28 year-old Port Moody resident, participated in the September challenge last year and was introduced to wheelchair rugby and basketball indicating that these are his favourite activities to participate in. “September has taught participants about perseverance by doing fundraising activities such as meeting potential donors and persuading them to contribute to the cause,” he said.

He decided to join the campaign due to the fact that he has CP and wants to make a difference. The Simon Fraser Sociology graduate plans to participate this year in the September challenge and would like to reach out to people to ask for offline donations.

People who would like to get involved or support the cause can find out more information online at http://September.ca/ or e-mail [email protected].

*image via cerebralpalsyguide.com

Medico-legal review suggests that physicians miss the signs of stroke

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A recent review of cases conducted by the Canadian Medical Protective Association, an organization that defends physicians in Canada, has found that most medical malpractice cases involving stroke had issues with the diagnosis. This means that sometimes doctors are missing the signs of stroke at initial presentation thereby depriving patients of necessary prompt treatment. In the cases reviewed, more than 25% of patients died and another 40% were left with a significant disability.

In the reviewed cases, the common stroke symptoms were headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Delayed presentation with longer symptom duration spanning days and sometimes weeks was also seen. We can take it from the CMPA synopsis that cases where there was atypical presentation of stroke were generally easier to defend, especially where there was adequate neurological assessment and where appropriate discharge instructions were provided to a patient.

  • Malpractice cases that were more successful included situations where physicians
  • Failed to recognize the seriousness of the patient’s condition with red flags such as a new or severe headache, or focal neurological signs,
  • Did not perform a full physical examination including full vital signs, orientation, gait, speech, finger-to-nose testing, and visual field assessment, examination of the cranial nerves and motor and sensory function in all four extremities,
  • Developed an inadequate differential diagnosis,
  • Failed to consider the possibility of stroke in patients who have obvious risk factors such as smoking, obesity and hypertension,
  • Anchored on a specific diagnosis such as migraine or psychiatric disorder without considering the possibility of stroke.

Research suggests that up to 10% of strokes are not recognized at initial presentation. Research also shows that earlier diagnosis and treatment of stroke can improve outcomes. If you or your loved one suffered an injury as a result of a stroke and you were seen at the hospital or at a medical clinic and you believe that the diagnosis was potentially missed or delayed, you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries. At Pacific Medical Law we often hear from patients who have experienced a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of stroke that left them with a permanent disability. Although it is not possible to identify negligence in every case we review, we have been successful at helping clients obtain much-needed compensation for the injuries that they suffered as a result of a missed or delayed diagnosis of stroke.

You can read more about the CMPA case review findings here: https://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/-/stroke-can-you-recognize-the-signs-

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