Becoming Kristin

Now that the entire world is paying attention, Canada wants to talk about the healthcare crisis?

Because you’re embarassed that is stepping in to help Jolene Van Alstine?

Are we not more horrified that she suffered 8 years without relief?! No of course not. Silent suffering is a time honored Canadian institution 🙄

Prized above rocking the boat.

So while everyone wants to talk about the Ma1d program as part of this — we’re all forgetting the actual problems that are causing the rise IN MAID

— Canada’s healthcare system is in freefall collapse. 

📍Almost 24K died on a waitlist in ONE year
📍nearly 75K died waiting in the 5 year period between 2018-2023
📍6 million don’t have a primary care doctor
📍1 in 20 Canadians cause of death is MA!D
📍Wait times for critical imaging and diagnostics - months to years depending on conditions (causing worse outcomes for those of you with dumb @$$ comments like ‘I’d rather wait than pay’)

After I was left to die with stage 4 cancer by BC, I’ve seen story after story after story hit the news about people dying while waiting, suffering in agony, waiting eons in the ER, ER closures, doctors fired for speaking out against poor management… it goes on.

and what does Canada want to do?

Expand MAID.

because the more people that do that, the fewer people are in line waiting for treatment.

Universal healthcare in Canada is COOKED.
I’m glad I’m safely back in America now, but damn….

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Freedom of choice saves lives. Have we not been over this already?

Today I got the most amazing experience. I got to decide I wanted a tumor marker test and paid for it (on sale!) and now I have key data without having to go through a doctor or wait.

You can’t do this in Canada… you don’t have free choice. And if you want to tell me you’d rather wait than “go bankrupt” I’ll let you know that waiting isn’t without consequences.

A 2024 study showed that women who waited more than 30 days from ovarian cancer diagnosis to treatment saw their 5 year survival rate drop from 62% to 34%. It took me 50 days. This is very likely why I have recurrent disease. And could end my life early.

This is why i will not shut up about healthcare running off a cliff. They leave people to die and there is no accountability. Not acceptable, Canada. 🇨🇦

When you give government the ability to control something, you lose freedom. PERIOD.

G0vt control of healthcare means your bodily autonomy becomes a budget line item on some bureaucrats ration list.

Also, my PET scan back and clear, but for ovarian cancer that doesn’t mean I’m out of the woods. 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

Your continued support and prayers mean everything to us. 💕

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Cancer update!! We have staring down the unknown for the past 6 weeks. Today, we can finally get an answer.

I’ve had symptoms of recurrence. My blood tumor markers have crept up stealthily. And yet, this entire time I’ve have had to push to be taken seriously. 😒 this is something that is universal in healthcare everywhere.

After everything I’ve been through, two things are true:

1. I know my body, I listen to its whispers and I know when something is not right. I don’t pretend to be certain of what that something is. But when it’s not your first rodeo, it’s easy to connect dots.

2. I have enough trauma from being dismissed, ignored and left to die. It may make me trigger happy but I’d rather be that than not have learned my lesson.

What’s different here is that once the doc ordered a PET scan, I got it scheduled quickly.

I know in Canada I’d be waiting weeks/months?? For a PET scan even on top of the delays from doctors. And when patients have worse outcomes or don’t respond to treatment because of those delays? Nobody ever hears about it. 😤

It’s been a long 6 weeks watching the development of symptoms and then seeing little rises in my tumor markers. Especially given the time of year.

These last 6 weeks have been difficult. I’ve fallen apart and have struggled to stay grounded and optimistic. I have found comfort lately in giving up the fight and turning to God. We’ve been going to church (after 30 years for me) and I’m reading the Bible for the first time in my life.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I just know I need God now, and I feel good doing what I’m doing. Maybe that’s enough.

The cost of justice in BC is such that there is no accountability when the government hurts people.

$1 million to seek justice for what happened to me, in a case that could’ve had an ENORMOUS impact on millions of Canadians.

So we do this in the court room of public opinion. We all know the medical system has fallen off the cliff.

Now it’s time to make that dialogue even more public.

🎟️ Oct 19, 7 PM
KELOWNA, BC (doors 6:45)
By donation. | RSVP in bio

I’ll be sharing how I had to flee Canada THREE times to save my life, how to find courage in dark times like these and reclaim a sense of power from a system that wants you silent and compliant.

We are Live-streaming on so if you’re not local, comment LIVE!

What happened to me is not unique. I’m coming to to share my story to help people like this woman. She saw me on the news and it gave her the courage to act to save her husband.

When they left me to 🥀, I realized I needed to speak out for everyone. I’m coming to Kelowna to do exactly that.

This is a conversation about finding courage when your back is against the wall, and finding our voice when our silence is expected.

see you there!

Oct 19 @ 7 PM || doors 6:45

📍KELOWNA, B.C.