BLOOM combines real family stories with the best expert advice, plus the latest news and opinion on disability.
A deaf girl writes about the pain and beauty of being different
The 12-year-old protagonist of a new book finds herself alienated from her family, who refuse to use sign language.
Community keeps this volunteer coming back
After her daughter Elizabeth was diagnosed with global developmental delay, Jean Hammond immersed herself at Holland Bloorview as a famil...
Instead of changing her child, a mother changes herself
Superbabies Don't Cry is a brilliant essay about how the birth of a child with a chromosome deletion upended one mother's ideas about per...
Care for the family shouldn't stop when the child dies
When Bruno Geremia's son Matthew died two years ago, Bruno's sense of loss extended to the people he knew at Holland Bloorview during Mat...
Rana finds her voice in advocacy
By Rana Nasrazadani“You're not ready for university.”A staff member said this to me in high school, in front of the whole class. Thes...
From patient to bioethicist, Dolly comes full circle
I met Dolly Menna-Dack in 1999 when we interviewed her as a youth role model in BLOOM (then called Connections). At age three, Dolly, who...
'We can't fix what we don't know'
Kimberley Siu-Chong (centre) is Holland Bloorview's touchpoint for feedback from families. As client- and family-relations facilitator, s...
A child who lived in hospital turns advocate to improve care
This is a photo of Emily Chan last summer, when she participated in the Ward Summer Student Program in our research institute. Tonight sh...
Life or death at 11 years old
Today is National Siblings Day. This is a moving and illuminating piece from Jamie Trossman, 12 (right), about a time a year ago when her...
When getting out is twice as hard
By Sara PotI hate surprises. On my 13th birthday, my mom invited five friends over to surprise me. As soon as I saw them, I said, “Seri...
'A good clown is a mask that reveals'
Helen Donnelly is Holland Bloorview's Dr. Flap—a therapeutic clown in a trademark aviator hat with goggles, a white medical coat and a ...
Join Our Mailing List
Sign up to receive helpful resources, breaking news, and special updates from Holland Bloorview.