Every year at our Annual General Meeting, we spend a lot of time looking at the numbers, the advocacy wins, and the strategic goals of the PAO. A few years ago, I had the chance to share a bit more about my personal “why” behind this work, and it’s a story I want to bring to our wider community.

Before I ever stepped into the role of Executive Director, I was a parent trying to navigate a world I didn’t yet understand. Today, I raise two wonderful, neurodivergent boys, both with ADHD, and one on the Autism spectrum. But in the early days, before the diagnoses, I didn’t feel like I was navigating. I felt like I was drowning. I distinctly remember sitting in the quiet moments wondering what was wrong, and why I couldn’t find my joy as a parent. I felt completely isolated.

It took a pediatrician to change everything.

It wasn’t just that they provided a medical diagnosis and guidance; they provided perspective. They helped me see my children clearly, and in doing so, they helped me find my joy again. They threw me a lifeline when I felt entirely lost as a parent.

Now, sitting in the Executive Director’s chair, I have a unique, front-row seat to both sides of the desk. Every day, I see the staggering amount of energy, advocacy, and behind-the-scenes work that you all put into caring for Ontario’s children. I know the harsh reality of the system you are working in. You are overstretched. There are simply too many children in need and not enough hours in the day. I see the exhaustion, and I know how heavy that burden can be.

Yet, miraculously, you still show up.

Despite the systemic strain, you choose to pull off daily miracles in your clinics and in the hospital. You still find the extra five minutes to genuinely listen to a child who needs to be heard. You still find the patience to reassure a panicked new mother. You still find the energy to volunteer, advocate, and give back to your local communities.

You don’t just treat symptoms; you heal families. You humanize a medical system that can often feel cold and overwhelming.

I know that in the rush of a busy day, parents don’t always have the words or the emotional bandwidth to say it. So, let me say it on behalf of all of us. To every pediatrician who has ever looked at an overwhelmed parent or caregiver and given them hope: thank you. The system may be strained, but your dedication is what keeps the heart of pediatric care beating in Ontario. You are making a massive, generational ripple effect on families like mine every single day, and it is the honor of my life to advocate alongside you.

You help me see my “why” every single day. And while I’ll be the first to admit that parenting these delightfully spicy kids isn’t always pure joy, especially on the extra chaotic days, your support means we are thriving through the spice, rather than just surviving it. Thank you for giving us our roadmap, our confidence, and our joy back.