Archives for August 2020

Susanne Raab again recognized by Best Lawyers™ in Canada for 2021

Thursday, August 27, 2020 By Admin

Pacific Medical Law is pleased to announce that Susanne Raab has once again been recognized as a leader in Medical Negligence law, through selection by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2021. Susanne is a partner at Pacific Medical Law, and an advocate for people living with disabilities.

Susanne’s practice focuses on representing individuals and families who have suffered injuries as a result of medical malpractice, with a focus on birth injuries and catastrophic brain and spinal cord injuries. Prior to joining Pacific Medical Law, Susanne spent much of her legal career representing physicians in complex medical malpractice actions. This has given her unique insight into the potential risks and legal hurdles involved in medical malpractice actions. It also helps her to be proactive in overcoming or minimizing those risks.

Paul McGivern receives double recognition from Best Lawyers™ in Canada for 2021

Thursday, August 27, 2020 By Admin

Congratulations to Paul McGivern for having once again been recognized by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Canada 2021 in the fields of Medical Negligence and Personal Injury litigation. Paul was included in the inaugural Canadian issue in 2007, and has been named every year since.

Paul McGivern has also been named the Best Lawyers 2021 Medical Negligence “Lawyer of the Year” for Vancouver. This is the fourth time in six years that Paul’s accomplishments and expertise have earned him recognition as Lawyer of the Year. Best Lawyers is regarded by both the profession and the public as the definitive guide to legal excellence. It is the oldest and most highly-respected peer review guide to the legal profession worldwide

Helping hands: how medical treatment and care is improving the long-term health of premature babies

Thursday, August 20, 2020 By Letty Condon

Preterm, or premature birth, where a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, affects around 8% of pregnancies in Canada. There are health problems which may affect premature babies soon after birth, as they go through childhood and also as adults. There has been significant work to help babies who are born early and this has helped reduce the chances of preterm babies being affected by long-term health conditions.

A collaborative program in Canada, involving the doctors, nurses and parents who care for premature babies, studied how implementing changes on a national level can affect the health of babies born prematurely over time. This program encouraged communication between those caring for pregnant women facing preterm delivery and the neonatal units who look after premature babies after birth.

What are the risks of prematurity and what can be done to improve outcomes?

Between 2004 and 2017, significant changes in medical care for babies were made and their effect was measured. The changes that were made included giving women steroids who were about to deliver prematurely, treating premature babies with a medication called surfactant and ensuring that babies maintained an ideal temperature after birth. The program also advised on how best to provide care to premature babies after birth, guided doctors and nurses to avoid using a ventilator if possible, gave guidance on how to support babies with their feeding and nutrition and encouraged developmental care.

The research showed that the survival of very premature babies improved by 25% during this time and reduced the chances of premature babies being affected by:

bronchopulmonary dysplasia – this is a severe chronic lung disease which can make a baby born prematurely more prone to developing asthma and or suffering pneumonia later in life;
retinopathy of prematurity – this is a condition which affects the eyes and, in turn, can cause blindness;
necrotizing enterocolitis – this is a condition causing infection and inflammation of the bowel which can cause severe damage and ongoing problems with digestion, growth and development.

The effect of the environment and level of support provided to families caring for premature babies has also been shown to impact upon their health and development. A study in Rhode Island, Providence compared babies who were cared for in an open bay to those in a single-family room and found that the premature babies cared for in a single-family room had better developmental scores between 18 months and 2 years of age. They also found that the volume of human milk produced by the mothers who were nursing babies in a single-family room was higher. An increased volume of human milk has been shown in other studies to impact positively upon the health of premature babies.

The development of premature babies may be affected if they have cerebral palsy and premature babies are at an increased risk of having this condition. As we reported recently, new research has shown that babies born prematurely to mothers who have been given magnesium sulfate shortly before birth had 30% less risk of developing cerebral palsy. This study and the research described above show the positive impact that the care, medication and support provided to premature babies and their mothers can have.

The timely administration of these interventions coupled with careful assessment and monitoring can make the difference between a premature baby who is able to overcome the risks of prematurity and the baby who suffers permanent health and developmental challenges that last a lifetime. If you have questions about whether your premature baby received appropriate medical care consistent with the standard of care in Canada, feel free to contact us for a free consultation. We are here to help.

Maysoon Zayid doesn’t believe in “can’t”

Thursday, August 13, 2020 By Admin

*Image by Karsten Moran for The New York Times*

Maysoon Zayid is a comedian, actress, writer, tap dancer, and disability advocate. She also happens to have cerebral palsy.

When Maysoon suffered a brain injury during birth, her parents were told that there were things she would never do, including walk. But they didn’t believe in “can’t”. Maysoon’s father taught her to walk at age five, and she’s not only been walking, but performing, ever since.

Her parents could not afford to send her to physical therapy so instead, she went to performance classes, and after a happy childhood in New Jersey, she went on to Arizona State University on an academic scholarship, majoring in theatre. However, after a discouraging experience in an acting class where she lost the role of a woman with cerebral palsy in favour of a nondisabled classmate, she began to notice the under-representation of people with visible disabilities in Hollywood. And if they were represented, they were largely portrayed by non-visibly disabled actors. People with disabilities make up 20% of the American population, but only 2% of those seen on American television; 95% of which are played by non-disabled actors.

Shifting gears to comedy, an industry she considers more accepting, Maysoon excelled. She is the first comedian to perform in Palestine and Jordan and the co-founder of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival. She now travels all over the world performing stand-up comedy. What Maysoon calls her “big break” came in 2010 when she was asked to appear on the political news television program, Countdown with Keith Olberman. An exciting career milestone turned into a shocking lessen in internet trolls when she was confronted by hateful comments left online underneath the clip of her on the show. Maysoon says she never experienced bullying about her disability until entering the public eye on television. The experience inspired her to advocate for people with disabilities and champion better representation in entertainment.

Not only did she go on to become a regular contributor on Countdown with Keith Olberman, but her many successes since include a TedTalk with almost 11 million views and the founding of a charity called Maysoon’s Kids, which provided resources, programs and scholarships to orphaned and disabled children in Palestine.

To those who come to her for advice, she tells them this: “Don’t let your physical body or the treatment of others define you. Only you get to define you. Create the person you want to be and be that person.”

At Pacific Medical Law, we are committed to helping children living with cerebral palsy reach their full potential. We are here to help. Call us for a free consultation – we can provide information about community resources and supports as well as legal advice regarding your child’s rights for financial compensation.