Seniors – keep an eye on your eyes

In anticipation of Grandparents Day – September 11 in Canada and the US – I’d like to draw attention to vision issues that may affect seniors. If you’re a senior reading this or a grandparent (like I am), you probably already know how important it is to safeguard your vision. If you’re a younger person,… Continue reading Seniors – keep an eye on your eyes

A Poetic Tribute

Earlier this year, I visited Kenya’s Narok District, a dry, dusty region where the sunlight is blinding, the Maasai population is sparse and water is scarce. Trachoma, an excruciatingly painful disease and one of the world’s leading causes of unnecessary blindness, used to be widespread in this area. Trachoma is caused by bacterial infection and… Continue reading A Poetic Tribute

East Africa drought crisis: Doing our part

By now, most people have heard about the drought and famine in East Africa. The stories and images from the region are disturbing and hard to fathom. Since we hadn’t heard much about it from our partners, Lynda Cherry, our vice-president of International Programs, sent an email inquiring, “How are you doing? What’s going on?”… Continue reading East Africa drought crisis: Doing our part

India has much to teach us – Part 2

Last week I wrote about the amazing efficiency of India’s Little Flower Hospital. Our hospitals may be busy, but they don’t come close to the sheer number of people treated daily by Indian hospitals. Here in Canada, we could learn a lot about patient flow from them. For instance, in North American hospitals, the operating… Continue reading India has much to teach us – Part 2