In July 2023, Sydney Gesualdi was rear-ended at a red light. She was told by her doctors that she had whiplash and tissue damage, but instead of getting better - she got worse. Her mobility began to suffer, her motor skills disappeared, and she felt like she was forgetting how to breathe and swallow. This began her years long journey through Ontario's medical system as she tried to receive a diagnosis for Craniocervical Instability and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Sydney about her experiences of being forgotten in the medical system and her hope to receive funding from the government for a surgery she says is her right.

Research links

EDS Foundation: https://edscanada.org/

‘We live in constant fear’: the reality of life with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/05/we-live-in-constant-fear-the-reality-of-life-with-ehlers-danlos-syndromes

Billie Eilish Has Hypermobility — Here's What That Is: https://www.shape.com/billie-eilish-hypermobility-7091708

Desperate to walk again, this 25-year-old Ontario woman is ready to pay $40K for U.S. spinal assessment: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ontario-woman-seeking-spine-care-1.7512862

Millions have the same ‘bendy body’ disease as my daughter. Why isn’t the medical profession paying more attention?: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/24/health/hypermobile-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-health-hnk-spc-dst-intl

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: More than “just loose joints”: https://acaciahealth.ca/blog/ehlers-danlos-syndrome-more-than-just-loose-joints

The GoodHope Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Clinic: development and implementation of the first interdisciplinary program for multi-system issues in connective tissue disorders at the Toronto General Hospital: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13023-021-01962-7

Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

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The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

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Femtech focuses on technological innovation within the women's health space. Innovations can include everything from a new version of the speculum to a bra that can track heart health. But innovators face hurdles in a market where funders still find the word "vagina" a challenge. To find out more, Nam Kiwanuka speaks with journalist Marina Gerner about her book "The Vagina Business", which looks at Femtech's market opportunity and the pitfalls.

Research links

The Vagina Business: https://www.marinagerner.com/about

The dawn of the FemTech revolution: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/the-dawn-of-the-femtech-revolution

Researchers redesign vaginal speculum to ease fear and pain: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/researchers-redesign-vaginal-speculum-to-ease-fear-and-pain

MIT Develops 'Smart Bra' for Early Breast Cancer Detection: A New Frontier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3uqmexASIY

The ‘huge disadvantage’ women behind femtech phenomenon face: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/08/the-huge-disadvantage-women-behind-femtech-phenomenon-face

Women in tech statistics: The hard truths of an uphill battle: https://www.cio.com/article/201905/women-in-tech-statistics-the-hard-truths-of-an-uphill-battle

A subsection of tech is set to be worth $1 trillion. But taboos are holding it back: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/12/a-subsection-of-tech-is-set-to-be-worth-1-trillion-but-taboos-are-holding-it-back.html

Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health

Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

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Did you know that women in Canada spend 24% more time in ill health compared to men? That's just one of the findings from The McKinsey Health Institute's report "Closing the women's health gap: Canada's $37 billion opportunity." Nam Kiwanuka speaks with one of the report's authors Marie-Renée B-Lajoie, a former ER doctor, about how addressing the gaps in women's health would benefit the economy and lead to better health outcomes for women.

Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health

Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

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According to the World Health Organization, it can take 4 to 12 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis. In Canada, it's 5 years, and in the U.K., 9 years. We speak to Evelyn Scott, who is from the U.K., about her experience with endometriosis. It took 15 years for her to receive a diagnosis, and she tells us what's it like to live with a condition that doesn't have a cure and how doctors repeatedly dismissed her symptoms.

Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health

Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

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Research links

Endometriosis: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis

Endometriosis: three reasons care still hasn’t improved: https://theconversation.com/endometriosis-three-reasons-care-still-hasnt-improved-157457

Pathways to Diagnosis: https://endometriosisnetwork.com/paths-to-diagnosis

Women in UK waiting almost nine years for endometriosis diagnosis, study finds: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/04/women-in-uk-waiting-almost-nine-years-for-endometriosis-diagnosis-study-finds

1 in 10 Women Have Endometriosis. Why Don’t Their Doctors Believe Them?: https://www.vice.com/en/article/1-in-10-women-have-endometriosis-why-dont-their-doctors-believe-them

Why hasn’t endometriosis care improved?: https://www.independent.co.uk/health_and_wellbeing/endometriosis-awareness-week-2022-nhs-b2026658.html

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Women were excluded from clinical trials until 1993 in the United States and until 1997 in Canada. Nam Kiwanuka speaks to Dr. Michelle Cohen, a family physician and an assistant professor of medicine at Queen's University, about why women were excluded and the historical harms that were caused by not including women in clinical trials.

Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health

Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda

https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo

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Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org

Research links

Closing the women’s health gap: Canada’s $37 billion opportunity: https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/closing-the-womens-health-gap-canadas-37-billion-dollars-…

Cuts, uncertainty over NIH grants disrupt innovation in health fields, researchers say
:https://marylandmatters.org/2025/09/15/cuts-uncertainty-over-nih-grants-disrupt-innovation-in-healt…

Gender Equity in Clinical Trials in Canada: Aspiration or Achievement?: https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3576&context=scholarly_works

History of Women’s Participation in Clinical Research: https://orwh.od.nih.gov/toolkit/recruitment/history

Guidance Document: Considerations for Inclusion of Women in Clinical Trials and Analysis of Sex Differences: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/applications-su…

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Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Kearie Daniel, the executive director and founder of The Black Women's Institute for Health about a first-of-its-kind survey on Black Canadian women and girls about their their health and experiences with the healthcare system.

Read the report: https://bwhealthinstitute.com/voices-unheard

Clip Courtesy of The Black Women's Institute for Health

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