Disrupting Death

Photography and MAiD: Disrupting Death with Ruth Steinberg

In this episode of Disrupting Death hosts Kathy and Keri have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Ruth Steinberg about her exhibition, The Leave-Taking, which tells the story of the photo-based artist’s friend and neighbour Alma as she lives her life in the time before her medically assisted death. The subtitle of the exhibition is: What is Given and What is Left: Ruth Steinberg’s Exploration of Living and Dying Authentically. Listen how she discusses her relationship to her subject within the context of both spaces as well as in the liminal space in between. 
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
Ruth Steinberg is a photo-based artist who uses the camera as a tool to open doors of conversation, uplifting the voices of her subjects. Through visual storytelling she examines facets of dignity, resilience, and presence within marginalised communities, particularly with the elderly. Her work has been shown across North America and internationally including the Karsh-Masson Gallery in Ottawa, LACP: Centre of Photography in California, PhotoPlace Gallery in Vermont, and FotoNostrum, Mediterranean House of Photography in Barcelona. In 2017, as part of an intergenerational chain of mentorship, Steinberg was selected to exhibit in Continuum: Karsh Award artists welcome a new generation. In 2022 she received the first place for the Figureworks Award and in 2023 she was a Photolucida Critical Mass 200 finalist. Steinberg’s exhibition, The Leave-Taking, discussed in this episode, is a finalist for the Project X photography prize in Ottawa, results of which will be announced May 21.
Music for Disrupting Death was created by Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist, and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com.
This episode of Disrupting Death was produced by Sadie Mallon.

One Year Anniversary of Disrupting Death

In this special one year anniversary episode, Kathy and Keri speak with Sarah McInnis, the creator of Disrupting Death's music, and learn more about how Sarah utilizes music to normalize, socialize and honour death dying and grief. In the second half of the episode, the tables are turned as the editor of the podcast, Sadie Mallon, interviews co-hosts Kathy and Keri.
 
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
 
Sarah McInnis is an accomplished songwriter, music therapist, and end of life doula. In 2021 she created The Legacy Song Project. Moving through her own experiences with loss, she wanted to support others doing the same. By interviewing people at the end of life and folks who have lost loved ones, Sarah writes and records personal songs, based on the stories that she hears. In 2023 Sarah released an 8 song album, featuring the songs and stories of everyday people across the four Atlantic-Canadian provinces. The album, THREADS, is a one-of-a-kind collection of songs that gives voice to heartening and heart-breaking experiences of death, grief, love, and loss, and ultimately what it means to be human. Accompanied by a short documentary film, created by filmmakers Aly Kelly & Pat LePoidevin, this project has been making waves across Canada, with its evocative subject matter and the songs that are at its core. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com
 
Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever lovely Sarah McInnis. 
 
This episode of Disrupting Death was edited by Sadie Mallon.

Advance Requests and MAiD's Relationship with Palliative Care: Disrupting Death with Dr. Jeff Myers

In this episode of Disrupting Death, hosts Kathy and Keri sit down with Dr. Jeff Myers for an insightful interview. Join them as they navigate the complexities and challenges surrounding advance requests and learn more about the relationship between palliative care and medical assistance in dying.
 
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
 
Dr. Jeff Myers is clinically based at Sinai Health’s Palliative Care Unit within the Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital. He is an Associate Professor and is University of Toronto’s Bresver Family Chair in End-of-Life Care & Medical Assistance in Dying within Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine. 
 
Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com
 
This episode of Disrupting Death was edited by Sadie Mallon.

I want to ____ until I die: Disrupting Death with Kathy Kastner

On this episode of Disrupting Death, Kathy and Keri speak with entrepreneur, author, and volunteer witness for MAiD Kathy Kastner. With humour and relatability, Kathy discusses the importance of developing more accessible and thoughtful language in healthcare, and the importance of individuals identifying what truly matters to them at the end of their lives.
PS. In this episode, Keri mentions her puppet “Phoebe the Sloth." Phoebe the Sloth is Keri’s educational puppet. Together, Keri and Phoebe help kids talk about living and life, and dying and death.
Kathy Kastner became an entrepreneur in the health space when pregnant with her first daughter. Applying skills developed as a television producer and reporter, she co-founded The Health Television System, to create hospital-based patient education TV networks: The Parent Channel and Healthtv, in teaching hospitals across North America. A Twitter chat sparked an interest in palliative, hospice care and medical assistance in dying, leading to creating BestEndings.com, to share as she learned from a patient’s point of view. To dig deeper into MAID, Kathy is a volunteer witness for the necessary paperwork required to begin the MAID approval process.
Kathy is an author: 'Death Kills’; her original research, The Whiteboard Experiment, has been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Her TEDxTalk: Exit Laughing; Keynote presentation at Stanford University: Sweat the Small Stuff. YouTube series, ’10-second MedSchool’, on medication administration confusion. She also facilitates workshops on Dying and Death with students in the University of Toronto’s Center for Advancing Collaborative Health and Education. Her personal website KathyKastner.com
You can find Kathy on Twitter @kathykastner Instagram: @mybestendings and Youtube: KathyKastnerBestEndings
TEDxTalks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbh694DDufk
You can buy Kathy’s book, Death Kills, here: https://www.amazon.ca/Death-things-learned-internet-illustrated-ebook/dp/B01LXKFCBV
 

Theatre and MAiD: Disrupting Death with Simon Malbogat & Catherine Frid

A play about medical assistance in dying? That’s right! In this episode, Kathy and Keri have an enthralling conversation with Catherine Frid and Simon Malbogoat, the playwright and director “Two-Sided Mirror,” an interactive play that follows a family whose member is considering MAiD. Through the viewpoints of each family member, the realities of MAID and its implications are explored. The interactive element of the play allows for audience members to find new ways to navigate these challenging circumstances, should they arise.
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
 
You can read more about Two-Sided Mirror on mixedcompanytheatre.com 
 
Simon Malbogat is a prominent figure in Canada's theatre scene with over 25 years of experience. He has studied with the greatest contemporary popular theatre practitioners and blended Forum Theatre with the Sweet Medicine Teachings (SMT) of the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society for an innovative theatre and teaching approach. Simon has directed and acted in over 50 new Canadian works, many of which are now seen as important benchmarks in the development of Canadian theatre.
 
Catherine Frid is a Guelph-based playwright whose full-length works have been showcased at prominent venues, such as Toronto Fringe and SummerWorks. She is known for co-creating community-engaged plays and has publications in various collections. Catherine teaches dramaturgy at Ryerson University’s Chang School, has been Playwright in Residence at Mixed Company Theatre, and is the artistic director of Watercourse Theatre.
 
Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com
 
This episode of Disrupting Death was edited by Sadie Mallon.

Track Two: Disrupting Death with Tania Stilson

“Fear death less and love life more” In this episode of Disrupting Death, Kathy and Keri speak with Tania Stilson about her father, John Warren, who advocated for Canadians’ access to MAiD right up until the evening before he accessed it himself. 
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
Fact Check: Tania mentions that to qualify for Bridge C-14 support services, individuals need to have completed at least one MAiD assessment. This is accurate for Bridge C-14 1:1 peer support. However, it's important to note that their drop-in sessions and Facebook group are inclusive and welcome anyone in the stages of considering MAiD, in the process of applying, already approved, or found ineligible.
 
Tania Stilson has been sharing the perspective of her family’s MAiD journey (Track 2) since her Dad’s passing in January 2023. She and her Dad shared the belief that, like most good things in life, a good death is worth thinking and talking about. Unique to the story is that her father, John Warren, was a long-time advocate of Medical Assistance in Dying. He sat as the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for Dying with Dignity Canada from 2011 – 2015, and was responsible for writing letters, opinion pieces, blog posts and being interviewed by radio stations nation-wide. This included the historical events of the Carter Case, which eventually led to the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in 2015. Also unique, is that John’s passing was NOT deemed a reasonably foreseeable natural death, although all other criteria were, of course, met. His MAiD journey was a Track 2 vs. Track 1 experience. An event, according to the latest MAiD in Canada Report (2021), that currently occurs in only 2.2% of the MAiD provisions. Tania’s lived experience has led her to feel that Canadians who know that MAiD is a legal choice, falsely believe it is only for those who are terminally ill. She wants to help to further develop the conversations around all options, and help expand the support, knowledge, and on-going narrative so that Canadians are empowered to discuss the care options that will best align with their values.
You can learn more about John Warren’s story here: https://lethbridgeherald.com/news/lethbridge-news/2023/04/21/sacpa-hears-about-one-mans-journey-to-a-death-by-choice/
 
And watch Tania speak at the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OH57bh0FG4
 
Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com
This episode of Disrupting Death was edited by Sadie Mallon.

Shamanism and MAiD: Disrupting Death with Gaye Hanson

Shamanism and Medical Assistance in Dying? In this episode of Disrupting Death, Kathy and Keri engage in an insightful conversation with Gaye Hanson, a shamanic practitioner who combines her expertise as a healthcare policy analyst, researcher, and grief expert with her shamanistic knowledge.
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
 
Gaye Hanson is a nurse leader of Cree ancestry with a life-long commitment to community service. She lives in Whitehorse, Yukon and is the mother of one amazing daughter, mother-in-law to a courageous young man and grandmother to two beautiful girls. Gaye is a shamanic practitioner of close to 30 years of experience offering individual, couple and small group sessions, workshops and supported drumming circles. She is also President of Hanson and Associates, an Indigenous management consulting company founded in 1994. As a consultant, she works with Indigenous governments and non-government organizations in program design, delivery and evaluation. Her passions include development of Indigenous and land-based healing programs in areas of loss, grief and grieving; trauma; addictions; wellness and well-being. Gaye is a spirit-led helper who holds a treasured shamanic tradition along with degrees in Nursing and Public Administration.
 
Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com
 
This episode of Disrupting Death was edited by Sadie Mallon.

Clinician’s Perspective: Disrupting Death with Dr. Stefanie Green

“Assisted dying has really opened the door, not just to dying, but to living.”
In this episode Kathy and Keri speak with Dr. Stefanie Green, author of the book “This is Assisted Dying.” Dr. Green sheds light on how Canadian clinicians are engaging thoughtfully with medical assistance in dying
 
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
 
Dr. Stefanie Green spent 10 years in general practice and another 12 years working exclusively in maternity and newborn care before changing her focus in 2016 to medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Dr. Green is the co-founder and immediate past president of the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers (CAMAP) and co-lead of its Canadian MAiD Curriculum Project. She is a medical advisor to the BC Ministry of Health MAiD oversight committee, moderator of CAMAP’s national online community of practice, and has hosted several national conferences on the topic. Beyond her clinical practice, she frequently speaks about MAiD to a wide range of audiences locally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Green is clinical faculty at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria and, most recently, is the author of the internationally bestselling book THIS IS ASSISTED DYING, a memoir about her first year providing assisted dying in Canada.
 
You can buy Stefanie's book “This is Assisted Dying: A Doctor's Story Of Empowering Patients At The End Of Life ” here: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/this-is-assisted-dying-a-doctors-story-of-empowering-patients-at-the-end-of-life/9781668004784.html#algoliaQueryId=eec2e9f06791a9b090d975b5e7eaa46d 
 
You can watch Stefanie's TedxTalk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvDpE0g7arY&themeRefresh=1
 
Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com
 
This episode of Disrupting Death was edited by Sadie Mallon.

Dying with Dignity Canada: Disrupting Death with Helen Long

In this episode Kathy and Keri speak with Helen Long, CEO of Dying with Dignity Canada, an organization whose mission is to ensure access to quality end of life choices and care through advocacy, education and support. 
 
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
 
Helen began her career in the not-for-profit sector, working with organizations including ALS Canada, and Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, and Child and Family Services in her local community. Prior to joining Dying With Dignity Canada as CEO in early 2020, Helen was the President of the Canadian Health Food Association, the leading trade association in the natural health sector. With a long track record of informed engagement, Helen led DWDC through the successful passage of Bill C-7, amending Canada’s medical assistance in dying legislation. She has kept DWDC engaged in the subsequent work of the Special Joint Committee, advocating on behalf of people across Canada, educating stakeholders, and engaging supporters on the most pressing issues related to end-of-life rights today.
Please visit dyingwithdignity.ca to learn more about this wonderful organization. 
 
Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com
 
This episode of Disrupting Death was edited by Sadie Mallon.

Disability and MAiD: Disrupting Death with Rose Finlay

“We are an ecosystem……if our vulnerable citizens are at risk, we are all at risk.” 
In this episode Kathy and Keri speak with the “wheelchair wonder woman,” Rose Finlay. As an advocate and member of the disabled community, Rose has been using her story to shed light on the ways in which a lack of proper and timely government support results in Canadians with disabilities being “ushered” towards medical assistance in dying. 
 
Trigger warning: Themes of death, dying and suicide
 
Rose Finlay, quadriplegic single mom to three boys, has lived 17 years disabled after suffering a spinal cord injury in her teens. For the last few years as a business owner, Rose has found it increasingly more difficult to keep things afloat. She hasn't been able to find adequate personal care support or get community access in her small, suburban town in Ontario. She now has recurring health issues that are directly related to not having the care she needs. As a last attempt at survival, Rose applied for ODSP. The wait time to receive assistance is between 6 to 8 months, with many appeals taking up to 2 years. However, the wait time to access the MAiD program is only 91 days - based on her permanent disability, poor quality of life and declining health. True to her nature, Rose is using her story to help create awareness about how much work needs to be done to close the cracks that our most vulnerable citizens are falling through. 
 
You can follow Rose's story on Tiktok at @Wheelchair1derWoman or receive her newsletter by signing up on her website, www.wheelchair1derwoman.com
 
Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com
 
This episode of Disrupting Death was edited by Sadie Mallon.