Chronic Conditions 2025

Chronic Conditions

LIVING BOLDLY WITH CROHN’S: How Sara Levitt Turned Pain into Purpose

After facing life-changing surgery and years of uncertainty, Sara Levitt found strength in vulnerability, community, and self-love. Now, as an advocate, model and creator, she’s redefining what it means to live — and thrive — with a chronic condition.

Getting diagnosed and facing surgery can feel really overwhelming. Thinking back to that time, what kind of support or advice helped you the most, and what do you wish you’d known earlier?

What helped me most was realizing I wasn’t alone. I wish I’d known how many people had similar experiences—community changes everything. Sharing my story and connecting with others brought so much healing, and the support of friends, family, and my medical team made all the difference.

Life after ostomy surgery can take some getting used to, both physically and emotionally. What helped you rebuild your confidence and start feeling like yourself again?

I never thought I’d feel this confident living with my ostomy. Confidence grew slowly—opening up to friends, trying new outfits, and even wear-

ing a bikini on a family trip. Doing a personal photoshoot helped me see myself as whole and strong. Sharing my story publicly keeps reinforcing that confidence is something anyone can rebuild.

Competing as a Miss Universe Canada delegate while living with a chronic condition is incredibly inspiring. How did that experience shape your advocacy work?

I’m so grateful for the Miss Universe Canada experience. It taught me so much about myself, my capabilities, and just how much I can achieve when I put my mind to something. Pageantry gave me a platform to amplify my message on a national level and show that strength, beauty, and resilience come in many forms. Being represented by such a renowned organization and having them embrace and support the IBD and ostomy community felt truly transformative. It’s the kind of growth and representation the

modeling, media, and pageantry industries need.

Competing and placing in the Top 15 was more than just a personal achievement; it was proof that strength has no boundaries, and that a chronic illness or medical device doesn’t define or limit what we’re capable of.

Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives you’d like to share with our audience?

How Diabetes Care Tech Helps People Live Life to the Fullest

For Canadians living with type 1 diabetes, life can be a series of ongoing decisions as they manage their condition. An autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes affects more than 300,000 people in Canada.* Those with the condition cannot produce the necessary insulin needed for cells to function, requiring the delivery of insulin through the use of a pen or wearable pump. These are effective solutions, but necessitate constant manual monitoring.

The mylife Loop, a brainchild of Swiss company mylife Diabetescare, is innovative digital technology for people living with diabetes. It’s diabetes management at the tip of a user’s fingers, literally. The product combines the use of the mylife YpsoPump, CamAPS FX mobile application and a Continuous Glucose Monitoring system to create an automated insulin delivery system that can be managed easily through any smartphone.

A personalized, adaptive monitoring solution, the

To learn more about the work of Breakthrough T1D and its advocacy initiatives visit BreakthroughT1D.ca/advocacy or email info@BreakthroughT1D.ca

I have a few exciting projects coming up across social media, film, and publishing. The best way to keep up is on Instagram @saralevs and TikTok @ saralevitt, where I share my journey with LIV, my ostomy.

smartphone-based algorithm helps users take their mind off their condition by doing the thinking for them, adjusting insulin delivery through the pump every eight to twelve minutes. It constantly adapts to individual needs on a day-by-day, activity-by-activity basis.

For those with type 1 diabetes, elements of life, particularly exercise, may feel impossibly complicated. Automated insulin delivery products like mylife Loop make active living more accessible by learning and predicting insulin needs during physical activity.

Montrealer Christina Muchandani praises the mylife Loop for helping her continue to enjoy an active lifestyle, despite her diagnosis. “Diabetes is like an invisible backpack full of ‘just-in-case’. With mylife Loop, it’s lighter,” she says. She encourages Canadians with type 1 diabetes to choose technology that will keep up with them, instead of slowing them down. Algorithm-based therapy is the future of diabetes treatment, and that future is bright.

To learn more about mylife Diabetescare or the mylife Loop visit mylife-diabetescare.com

Breakthrough T1D Canada (formerly JDRF) advocates for universal access and patient choice for all Canadians with

Close to 300,000 Canadians live with type 1 diabetes (T1D) a chronic autoimmune disease where the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are attacked. Unlike type 2 diabetes, individuals living with T1D require insulin for survival. People with T1D have the risk of short or longterm complications, including highs and lows in blood glucose levels; damage to the kidneys, eyes, nerves, and heart; and even death if left untreated. There is currently no cure for T1D. Breakthrough T1D Canada is the country’s

largest non-profit organization focused on T1D. They work to support Canadians impacted by the disease through community programs, funding T1D research and advocating with T1D community for access to diabetes technologies like advanced glucose monitors and insulin pumps which make management easier as well as help prevent life-threatening complications and improve health outcomes. The organization advocates at all levels of government to help decision-makers recognize the potential diabetes technologies offer to help those with T1D lead healthier, safer, and easier lives.

More Awareness Needed About Canada's Fastest Growing Cardiac Condition

Anne Papmehl

Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart is unable to function optimally. “It can occur if the heart is too weak but also if the heart is strong, but too stiff, and unable to fi ll properly with blood,” says Dr. Stephanie Poon, a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and Medical Director of the Heart Function Clinic at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada.

“This can lead to fluid backing up in the lungs causing symptoms of shortness of breath, coughing, and leg swelling,” she says. The most common cause is coronary artery disease, which can lead to blockages in the heart arteries or heart attacks.

Approximately 750,000 Canadians are currently living with heart failure, and an additional 100,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, putting increased strain on our healthcare system. For example, in 2019 alone, there were more than 71,000 hospitalizations, costing billions of dollars. By 2040, those hospitalization costs are projected to reach approximately $19.5 billion. While these patients may experience high-quality hospital care, they may face a very different situation when they return home. Fragmented community support and limited access to effective treatment can lead to repeated hospital visits. In fact, 1 in 5 patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge.

Canada’s fastest growing coronary condition

Cardiovascular disease is Canada’s fastest rising coronary condition due to our aging population, earlier diagnosis in young patients, and people with other heart conditions. Despite its prevalence, only 4 out of 10 Canadians know what heart failure is. Given the seriousness of this condition, this lack of awareness is concerning. Heart failure is one of the most common reasons why Canadians end up in hospital and can be more deadly than some cancers. “We know that the mortality rate for heart failure is higher than that for breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men,” says Dr. Poon.

While there is no cure for heart disease, complications and deaths can be prevented through diff erent treatment options to help patients manage their condition, strengthen their hearts, and avoid hospitalization. These can include both lifestyle modifications, such as reducing excess fluid and salt intake and not smoking, and new medical therapies. Among the new evidence-based therapies are drugs targeting different biochemical

and hormonal pathways implicated in heart failure, which are helping to improve quality of life, extend survival, and reduce hospitalizations.

Unequal access to life-saving therapies add to disease burden Unfortunately, fewer than 70% of eligible patients receive these therapies, and fewer than 30% receive target doses. This gap may be due to physician or patient-related factors, but is largely related to how heart failure drugs are covered across provinces. Recent research from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) shows that provincial differences in drug reimbursement criteria, prior-use requirements, and prescriber restrictions that don’t align with current evidence make it harder for clinicians to deliver the best possible care. Quebec, for example, is one of four provinces that does not impose prescriber-related restrictions for sacubitril-valsartan through its drug benefit program (RAMQ). However, it is the only province that has restrictions on its coverage of dapagliflozin, a life-saving heart failure medication. Similarly, the heart failure beta-blocker carvedilol, which reduces the combined risk of death and hospitalization, is covered without restrictions in all provinces except Ontario and British Columbia.

• 3,698 fewer 30-day readmission

• >$40 million reduction in hospitalization expenditures

“There is strong evidence that heart failure medications save lives and reduce health care costs. It’s time to erase health inequities by providing universal coverage without restrictions for heart failure medications across Canada,” says Dr. Simone Cowan, Director of the Heart Function Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.

Important test needed to diagnose heart failure

The result of this patchwork approach to essential heart failure medication is avoidable suffering, preventable deaths, and higher long-term costs. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Modeling data show multiple tangible benefits could be achieved if eligible patients were treated with guideline-direct medical therapies, including:

• 4,699 fewer cardiovascular deaths or fi rst heart failure hospitalizations

Another area of health inequity is in the ability for many Canadians living with heart failure to get a prompt diagnosis. A simple but critical blood test to diagnose heart failure, N-Terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP), is available. However, until 2021, the $80 cost for the test was borne by patients. Ontario Health started to fund NT-pro BNP following the fi ndings of a health technology assessment report by Health Quality Ontario, demonstrating its effectiveness and potential to reduce healthcare costs. However, the test is not yet covered through core OHIP funding in Ontario, nor is it covered uniformly across Canada.

To fully benefit from the available heart failure diagnostics and treatments, Canadians need equal access, regardless of where they live. Because when it comes to heart failure, where you live should never decide how long you live.

Helping Kids with Arthritis to Face Pain with Courage

For four-year-old Brooklyn and her family, one of the hardest parts of juvenile arthritis was the injections. Since diagnosis, she’s endured over 50 needle pokes, high fevers, and months away from school.

Then Brooklyn’s family received an Injection Support Kit from Cassie + Friends, Canada’s only charity dedicated to kids and families affected by juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Inside were numbing creams, a Buzzy Bee, and small comfort and

distraction items like fidget toys—plus a letter from a youth mentor who’d been through it too. Slowly, fear gave way to confidence.

“Brooklyn used to cry through every injection,” says her mom, Tamara.

“Now she takes a deep breath and says, ‘I’ve got this.’” Regular injections keep kids like Brooklyn active and prevent long-term disability, but fear and pain can make every dose stressful. Cassie + Friends’ programs ensure no child or family faces these challenges alone.

Why Understanding Gut Health Is Critical to Unlocking Health Benefits

Much of the human body remains a mystery, and the gut may be the most elusive. Similar to a fi ngerprint, the gut microbiome is unique to each individual, made up of trillions of microbes that live in the digestive tract. It can change on a dayto-day basis, influenced by things like diet, environment, stress, and age. When out of balance, the microbiome can strongly contribute to issues like inflammation or mood changes.

“The gut is the intersection where diet, immunity, and metabolism meet,” explains naturopathic doctor Dr. Jacqueline van der Made. “It can be influenced every single day through what you eat, how you manage stress, and the quality of supplements you choose.”

Scientists believe an understanding of our unique gut microbiome could hold the key to better living, yet in a world where every health product promises to be the “next big thing,” it’s hard to know where to start. Luckily, when it comes to gut health, probiotics offer a well-researched, scientifically backed starting point.

Probiotics take the mystery out of the gut

Probiotics are live, beneficial microorganisms. In supplement form, they provide users a way to support their intestinal health and balance their gut microbiome according to their individual needs. “Think of them as tiny workers helping to keep the

gut environment healthy,” explains Dr. van der Made. “They rebalance and fi ne-tune the system.”

Generally, probiotics are an important part of helping strengthen the gut. “In today’s world, where stress, processed foods, and medications can disrupt our microbiome, probiotics act as a buffer, helping us maintain balance,” explains Dr. van der Made.

Probiotics can be found naturally in foods like yogurt, but supplements provide them in much higher concentrations. While probiotics may help guide gut health, finding the right product can still be a challenge. “Not all probiotics are created equal,” says Dr. van der Made.

Trusted products critical to success For over 30 years, supplement company Genestra has been working to provide Canadians with trusted probiotic products based on both science and traditional knowledge. Most importantly, the company is committed to offering innovative products proven to be effective and safe.

Genestra specializes in Human MicroFlora (HMF®) probiotics, which Dr. van der Made describes as “human-sourced, strain-specific, and supported by scientific research.” Unlike many generic probiotics, HMF formulations are designed for better survival and colonization in the gut.

“From the last 35 years of research, HMF consortia of probiotic strains have produced the widest range of health benefits of any multi-strain probiotic globally,” says Dr. Nigel Plummer, PhD one of the founders

of HMF probiotics and leading expert in the field. As a microbiologist, Dr. Plummer has been the force behind HMF research, spearheading dozens of studies and over 25 human clinical trials, many focused on high concentration and high potency probiotics. With decades of research behind them, HMF probiotics are proven, highly effective probiotic solutions that can be targeted to individual needs. Gut health is unique, therefore choosing science-backed formulas offer users the highest chance of seeing health benefits.

The future of gut health

Probiotics like HMF formulas are helping to shape a future featuring more personalized probiotics, with Dr. van der Made noting this to be the start of a shift toward more condition-specific products. “The microbiome is incredibly complex,” she says. “The probiotics of tomorrow will be less about general gut support and more about precision medicine.”

Dr. Jacqueline van der Made Naturopathic Doctor Dr. Nigel Plummer, PhD Microbiologist & Founder of HMF Probiotics

You Can Now Find Natural Relief from Everyday Pain

Nearly everyone has experienced the dull ache of a stiff back, a sharp muscle twinge after a workout, or bruising from an accidental fall. Acute pain, whether from overexertion, poor posture, or everyday mishaps, is an inevitable part of life. The challenge, however, lies in finding relief that’s both effective and gentle on the body.

While many turn to conventional, overthe-counter painkillers, a growing number of people are seeking natural alternatives that work without compromise. That search for a trusted, natural solution is what inspired the development of Traumacare — a homeopathic treatment designed to relieve pain safely and effectively.

Canada’s choice for natural pain relief

Developed by Homeocan, a Canadian leader in natural health products, Traumacare launched in 2009, inspired by the vision of registered pharmacist and now Homeocan CEO Michèle Boisvert. “Having worked many years as a pharmacist, I was very familiar with the standard line of anti-inflammatory and pain medications,” Boisvert explains. “But during my pharmaceutical studies, I was introduced to the benefits of alternative therapies, so

I thought — why not try developing an all-natural product?”

The result was a homeopathic pain relief treatment that quickly became the brand’s best-selling product. Made entirely in Canada at the company’s Montreal-based laboratories and licensed by Health Canada, Traumacare has earned the trust of consumers nationwide. With a range of formulations — including cream, gel, tablet, drop, and spray — it offers versatile, effective relief powered by a unique blend of natural ingredients. The product reflects a commitment to quality, safety, and the growing demand for trusted natural health solutions.

Inside the formula At the heart of homeopathic medicine is the principle that “like cures like.” In other words, a substance that could cause adverse symptoms in its raw form can, when highly diluted, actually help the body heal from those very same symptoms. Ingredients are therefore carefully selected and undergo a rigorous dilution process so that, rather than causing

harm, they stimulate the body’s natural healing response.

In developing Traumacare, the result was a unique blend of 13 active ingredients that work to reduce pain and inflammation. “Every ingredient works on a specific part of your body that may need relief,” says Boisvert. “Together, the synergy of the ingredients creates an effective formula that’s fast-acting — with some experiencing relief in as little as a few minutes — while also being non-greasy and quickly absorbed by the skin.”

Among the ingredients are Hypericum perforatum, known for easing nerve pain from injuries or stings; belladonna, which helps soothe the discomfort of burns; and Arnica montana, which has been found to help relieve bruising and muscle stiffness.

While moments of acute pain may be inevitable, suffering doesn’t have to be.

Relief for sore muscles, bruises, or everyday aches can be both effective and natural.

Trust your body’s healing process — and when it hurts, take Traumacare.