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Don’t Let This Rare Eye Disorder Go Undiagnosed
“This VKC blog is sponsored and supported by Santen Canada Inc.” A rare allergic eye disorder affecting children and adolescents is often missed by parents and can cause lasting damage. VKC, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, usually strikes during main allergy seasons, but it can also be present all year round. VKC is a relatively rare disorder. Public awareness is very low,” says Dr. Michael O’Connor, Pediatric Ophthalmologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO in Ottawa), and Past-President of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (CAPOS). Common Symptoms of This Eye Disorder With a range of symptoms that mimic allergies and pink eye, VKC can easily be overlooked, but there…
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Six Ways to Empower Your Child to Take Charge of Health Care
My regular readers know my kids have special needs. I write about the challenges involved in parenting them sometimes. We shuttle (mostly I to be honest) both girls back and forth to doctors and medical appointments and for assessments so much that I get tired and overwhelmed. So I imagine they must also. Which brings me to a tricky balance question. I was a child when I was sick with Crohn’s disease. I was in hospital a lot and shuttled back and forth to doctors a lot and I never felt empowered throughout the process until I became an adult with a career. Honest To God. I never felt…
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Zambia Fellowship – Preparing For The Journey #VaccinesWork #travel
I’m sitting in a travel clinic getting a typhoid shot and a prescription for anti-malarial pills. Today this is what work looks like as I prepare to visit Zambia in October. It’s a Tuesday morning and I am talking typhoid, Twinrix, safety precautions, Canadian embassies and Malaria. Not my average day in the office. A few weeks ago I learned that I was one of the lucky journalists who received a Fellowship with the UN Foundation and an advocacy group called Shot@Life. Together with 2 other bloggers and a doctor with a regular column in a US newspaper, I will travel to Zambia. The itinerary is evolving, but it mostly looks like…
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Canada Global Nutrition Challenge #MyRoadToRio
It’s easy to take things for granted when you live in Canada. We have what we need. We live in one of the richest countries in the world. As a parent, it’s my job to challenge my family and my children to see beyond our backyard. I’m raising my kids to be global citizens who care and believe they have power to help change the world for the better. So, what does that look like? This summer as the Rio Olympic games get started, I’ll use the media coverage to find moments to talk to my kids about issues like malnutrition, and children’s health and welfare around the world. My kids…
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Allergy Symptoms – What to Look for in Children
If you child seems down all the time, has upper respiratory issues, or has chronic stomach issues, they could have allergies. If you suspect your child may have allergies, here are some common allergy symptoms to look for. It’s important to document any suspected allergy symptoms to have a better idea of whether or not your child does, in fact, have allergies. Allergy Symptoms There are different allergies that have various allergy symptoms to watch out for. While this list of symptoms is in no way a substitute for a visit to the doctor, it is a way to arm yourself with information prior to taking your child in…
