BLOOM combines real family stories with the best expert advice, plus the latest news and opinion on disability.
'It's like the only thing I'm allowed to be is strong'
A study that found suicidal thoughts common in parents of disabled children has been the most read BLOOM story since it was published in August 2024, reaching over 6,100 people.
Dads find Snoezelen pool a relaxing place to share ideas
Lewis Tolensky has been taking his son Seth swimming at Holland Bloorview’s Snoezelen pool since he was one.
A brother's illness inspires teen to 'cherish every moment'
Vanessa Williams, 18, has spent three years on the Children’s Council at the Hospital for Sick Children and last year she chaired the group. SickKids has always been a part of Vanessa’s life, as her
A child's unhappiness, not diagnosis, most strains families
Unhappiness and worry in children with disabilities is the most significant predictor of negative impact on family wellbeing—regardless of diagnosis—according to a study published last month in the
'Endangered Syndrome' ad sparks controversy
Have you seen the new ad by the Canadian Down Syndrome Society? Young adults with Down syndrome dress up as pandas, polar bears and lions to suggest that, like these endangered species, their well
'Cancer throws you in the deep end'
The other day I saw the image above on social media and clicked on I draw childhood cancer, a Facebook page run by Angus Olsen. Angus, who lives in Australia, is trained in animation and began drawing
'Learn from each other's heart' is cartoonist's message
My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder is a magical watercolour children's book by Chinese master cartoonist Nie Jun.
Earning child, parent trust is job number 1 for surgeon
Dr. Unni Narayanan (above left) is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children who sees patients at Holland Bloorview while they do their rehab here. Dr. Narayanan went to Madras
Lived experience 'helps me go to the darker places with families'
Holland Bloorview social worker Val Lusted has spent almost 20 years working with youth with brain injuries caused by illness or trauma, and those hospitalized for rehab after bone surgeries or spinal
Meet Karmzah, a heroine with cerebral palsy and super powers
Farida Bedwei is a Ghanaian software engineer who's launching a new comic book with a super hero who has a disability. Farida, who has cerebral palsy, loved comics as a child, but never saw any
Her son's stroke puts a Nunavut doctor on the other side of care
Family doctor Madeleine Cole works at a 25-bed hospital in Iqaluit doing emergency medicine and delivering babies. She also flies in to remote Nunavut villages to run clinics for the largely Inuit
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