Keeping Canada Alive Part 3 features palliative care doctor

Episode three of Keeping Canada Alive, a day in the life of our health care system, features an unconventional palliative care doctor, a girl who receives a prosthetic arm to play road hockey and an innovative surgical technology for a man with a recurring brain tumour.

Emmy Award-winning actor Kiefer Sutherland narrates the six-part series of compelling stories of patients whose lives are changed by the care they receive and the medical professionals who improve their well-being.

The series was shot on May 6, 2015 by more than 60 camera crews in 24 cities across Canada.

In episode three:

• Dr. Sugar, a palliative care doctor in North Vancouver without an office or staff, treats three patients, including a woman with terminal breast cancer facing one of the biggest decisions of her life.
• In St. Catharines, Ont., teens prepare to transition from male to female and vice versa.
• Surgeons in Montreal try to cure a man with a recurring brain tumour using a light-scattering technology to highlight abnormal cells against a normal background.
• A Hamilton, Ont. teen with chronic pain waits for a second operation to fix the damaged tissue in her hip.
• An emergency room physician in Yellowknife treats a man with a bleeding complication who is flown in from a community inaccessible by road.
• A six-year-old girl in Toronto tests out her new prosthetic arm by playing road hockey.

The episode also outlines how orthopedic surgery wait times can extend up to 10 months.

"This is a great system if you're having a heart attack, if you've been hit by a bus," says Dr. Sugar. "But if you've got a chronic disease, if you're a palliative patient, the wheels kind of turn a lot slower."

The extensive website for Keeping Canada Alive features more original content, including a 24-hour stream of raw footage.