From forced removals from their communities, and being sent to sanitoriums in a de-facto medical apartheid system, the legacy of TB treatment in Indigenous communities in Canada is a dark one. In this episode, Indigenous survivors share their stories of hurt – and healing – from tuberculosis.

We hear about the 1950s and 1960s, when Indigenous people infected with TB were evacuated hundreds of kilometres from their communities on ships and planes, with no information about where they were going, or how long they’d have to stay. Tracing the blood memory of TB through lived experiences, we hear from Ralph Olson, a two-spirit man living with HIV in Toronto; Ida Lemaigre, a Métis alderwoman advocating for TB education in her community; Dr. Ben Geboe, a social worker in New York; and Igah Sanguya, an Inuit health worker in Clyde River, Nunavut. Drawing from their own experiences with TB, they offer encouragement and advice for any patient who is newly diagnosed and undergoing treatment.