Life Support

I created this short grounding meditation as part of a debrief for childhood cancer survivors, caregivers, and allies following a difficult but important discussion on long-term health impacts of survivorship. After a conversation heavy with the weight of research and reality, this meditation was offered as a soft landing, gently weaving sound healing, breath and presence.

This meditation invites you to reconnect with your innate capacity for healing and to remember that as long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you. May it be a space to befriend yourself, to offer yourself kindness in the face of life’s challenges and feel the quiet strength that lives within you.

The human body is a magical mystery capable of healing in the most miraculous ways. This meditation offers a portal of connection to a healing light that lives within you. Bathe in the healing light as you are gently guided to release control, thus allowing this natural process to unfold.

Connect to the open-hearted and balancing frequency of the element of Air, as you are guided in this meditation to recognize the truth of the affirmations: "I am surrounded by love" and "I deserve love and to be loved". This meditation was designed to support increased feelings of spacious connectedness to oneself and the greater world.

Connect to the flow, fluidity, and surrender of the element of Water as you are guided in this meditation to recognize the truth of the affirmation: "I have a right to feel". This meditation was designed to support the release of any stuck emotions, in addition to nurturance and receptivity.

Connect to the confidence and transformational power of the element of Fire, as you are guided in this meditation to recognize the truth of the affirmations: "I am worthy" and "I am a powerful creator". This meditation was designed to support increased feelings of self-esteem in one's body and life.

Connect to the solidity and stability of the element of Earth, as you are guided in this meditation to recognize the truth of the affirmation: "I have a right to be here". This meditation was designed to support increased feelings of confidence and sovereignty in one's body and life.

It was a surgery for a rare congenital heart defect that lead Grace's doctors to shockingly discovered her stage II Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

In this episode of the AYA podcast series, Montana and Grace discuss the realities of isolation and survivor's guilt that come with achieving remission after a blood cancer diagnosis as a young adult.

This Life Support podcast episode features a conversation with Dr. Ariel Lefkowitz, an internal medicine doctor who is currently caring for patients on the COVID ward outside of ICU who require hospitalization at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.

Ariel speaks about how the experience of being at the centre of the world's focus through supporting patients without treatment options has transformed his life and practice.

A theme that comes up throughout our discussion is how this pandemic has exacerbated existing tensions in society. It provides an opportunity for us as individuals and a collective to redefine ourselves and choose a new path that is more supportive of humanity.

Ariel’s account of his momentous experience as a physician on the COVID ward was also recently featured in Toronto Life magazine. Photograph courtesy of Christopher Wahl.

This episode features a fascinating conversation with Addiction Medicine Specialist, Dr. Ashok Krishnamurthy, where we discuss the corrosive impacts of stigma on individuals struggling with an addiction. We speak about how our health care system could better care for those attempting to overcome a substance abuse disorder, and the importance of treating people holistically. This conversation is a deep dive into some of the issues that we are facing in the field of addictions - systemically, socially, politically and psychologically. We also talk about how we can work together to build a more integrative system that puts the humanity back into addiction treatment!