I grew up on the West Coast of British Columbia and moved to Toronto in 1974 to follow my dream of becoming a violinist. I earned a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto and enjoyed 10 years of performing with various ensembles in and around Toronto. Then I became a mother. The experiences of giving birth to my 4 children from 1979 – 1987 led to a deep concern and passion for reproductive and birthing rights. I was very drawn to the midwifery model of care (informed choice, choice of birthplace, and continuity of care) and felt driven to ensure that other people, and especially my children, would have the option to choose midwives for themselves, too. This led to a career in midwifery when, in 1999, I graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences in Midwifery. I have devoted more than 30 years to growing the profession of midwifery, through teaching, advocacy, and active involvement in the Association of Ontario Midwives, the College of Midwives Ontario (CMO), the Provincial Council for Maternal Child Health, and by establishing two midwifery clinics in York Region, including Family Care Midwives (FCM) in 2010.
I retired from clinical practice in October 2021 but continue to be actively involved with the management and administrative work of running our very busy FCM clinic, and committee work with the CMO. I am forever grateful to everyone who entrusted me with their care during my 22 years as a practicing midwife. They taught me everything I know and love about the unpredictability, the beauty, and the messiness of birth. Being a midwife has been an exceptional career and I am so privileged to be involved in the most ‘human’ experience of our lives. It’s a wild ride! When I’m not passionately working to ensure that midwives have a solid place within our health care system, you’ll find me listening to music or favourite podcasts, creating healthy meals, visiting friends, walking, practicing yoga, and staying physically fit so I can travel to play with my 5 grandchildren.