A passion reignited

Today I met a cop turned doctor who is aiming to revolutionize cold case investigations and a woman whose research is helping catch killers.

I learned about murders across Canada and a killer who evaded justice for decades after being presumed dead. And I learned how important social sciences can be in bringing more than fossils to the surface -- but also suspects.

That's what I call a good day!

Meeting fascinating people, visiting interesting places and most importantly, learning so many new things is the life of a journalist -- or at least the parts I miss most about my former career.

I have been out of the biz now for three years, but every time I get a chance to relive my former life I take it. My life as a freelancer has taken off again and I am once again loving the chance to interview and write.

Crime was my beat and is still my interest today. It makes seeing my byline again, now for a law enforcement magazine, is even more invigorating.

I like to find out how people tick, and I believe everyone has a story. I can feel the fire burning inside me again. It feels good.

I could use my blog just to tell my story, but because people are my passion -- I want to hear about yours. Got a story idea for me... pass it along.

Comments

The dragon in his head

As far as my son knows, there was a dragon in his head. This dragon was big and scary and made him feel sick. But as far as my son knows, we stomped that dragon out. The idea of Xavier's cancerous tumour being a dragon in his head came from a movie that had been given to me by another mom of childhood cancer. Paul and The Dragon is a powerful 20-minute video of a young boy with cancer. Although it is generic (not about brain tumours), and there are no words, it is incredibly telling. For any family who has been through a similar experience, you will instantly connect with this boy and his family. And for my kids, who are very young and don't exactly understand medical terminology, the story is easy to understand and has provided a great foundation for how to talk to them about Xavier's journey with cancer. The movie was so popular among my kids that it became part of our regular Friday night movie rotation. My son even requested it while he was in the hos...

Kids need to be kids - even with cancer

No one wants to see their child hurt. But when you have a child with a serious medical condition, seeing your child in pain can often be a frequent occurrence. Physical pain is one thing - emotional suffering is another- one I had little experience with until recently. (Yes, I am struggling, so that's why I am writing!) When Xavier was initially diagnosed and treated for brain cancer, he was a baby. He couldn't talk, express his feelings or even remember the trauma he suffered. Now, he is older, smarter and more thoughtful - yet too young to understand. About a month ago we started to see a change in Xavier. He was different. His sleep patterns changed, he was lethargic and other symptoms arose that concerned us. An MRI was immediately scheduled, followed by appointments with multiple doctors. A lumbar puncture has now been scheduled. I am not concerned they will find more cancer. I am not worried there is anything physically wrong. What has me scared and heart broken i...

Open wounds

I respect everyone who wants to help our family and offer some advice on how to help in our current situation, but I am frustrated because most people just don't understand the complexity of the issues. I am so tired of hearing, in some form of another, just make them suck it up! My children are behaving normally for a 3-4 year old. They are 6. Their behaviour is associated with many internal hurts, trauma from our experience of having a child with cancer. Yes, someday things will have to be different. But just a few short months ago our lives were turned upside down again. Look at it this way... if your child got hit my a car and had a gushing open wound to the head or leg, would you just tell them to suck it up?? Of course not. You would need to seek medical treatment ASAP and have them treat the wound so it can heal properly followed by proper physio therapy. Well my kids have a big open wounds in their hearts right now. If we leave it and just make them suck it up th...

The Book of Me

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