We Can't Fix What We Don't Acknowledge

Marion and Dani return in Season 2 with another deeply honest conversation about death, autonomy, and the systems that shape how we live and die. In this episode, they’re joined by Dr. Don Versluis, a nurse practitioner and MAID assessor, to talk about the realities of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Canada—especially through an Indigenous lens.  Marion revisits her decision to choose MAID after witnessing her sister’s end‑of‑life experience with pulmonary hypertension, and she reflects on the relief that comes with having some control in an uncontrollable journey. Together with Dani and Don, she explores why MAID is used overwhelmingly by white, often wealthier patients, and what that reveals about medical racism, systemic discrimination, and broken trust in healthcare.  Don shares what it’s like to do this work on the ground: the privilege of being invited into families’ final moments, the backlash he’s faced (including hate mail and safety concerns), and how changes like Alberta’s Bill 18 may limit access for some of the most vulnerable people. The three discuss culturally safe MAID, narrative pedagogy and Indigenous storytelling, the emotional cost of caregiving, and what “self‑care” and personal autonomy really look like when the stakes are life and death.  Season 2 continues to centre caregivers, patients, and families with the same honesty as Season 1—normalizing hard conversations about MAID, grief, racism, and love at the end of life, so that people listening feel seen, heard, and respected. **Vision Quest Communications, the producers of Before I Go, gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Indigenous Screen Office -** iso-bea.ca You can also watch full Season 2 episodes on our YouTube channel. Welcome to Season 2 of Before I Go. **Episode Guide** **0:00** – Check‑in, presence, and gratitude: Marion & Dani open Season 2  **1:30** – Introducing Dr. Don Versluis & his work with MAID  **2:43** – Marion’s decision to choose MAID after her sister’s death  **7:22** – Don’s path into MAID practice and early system challenges  **10:48** – What MAID is, in practice, and the relief of eligibility  **12:09** – Pushback, hate mail, and leaving social media as a MAID provider  **15:16** – Alberta’s Bill 18 and growing barriers to MAID access  **17:01** – “Weaponized Christianity,” autonomy, and relief in choosing MAID  **18:58** – Why 90%+ of MAID users are white: racism, access, and broken trust  **21:28** – Historical and ongoing medical racism, including coerced sterilization  **25:12** – Allies, queer history, and hope for systemic change  **27:18** – Indian hospitals, epigenetics, and the long road to Indigenous healing  **29:53** – How family disagreement can impact a MAID request  **33:25** – Beauty at the end of life: apologies, “a million I love yous,” and meaning-making  **37:03** – What culturally safe MAID can look like  **40:01** – Narrative pedagogy, circle work, and Indigenous ways of teaching  **43:35** – Going to the hospital while wondering, “Will they treat me as human?”  **44:01** – How Don’s university is (and isn’t) integrating Indigenous perspectives  **47:17** – Defining culturally safe MAID and inviting patients’ traditions in  **48:37** – Indigenous strengths in death and dying, and why trust is still so fragile  **49:47** – Listening to Indigenous leadership and lived experience in healthcare  **51:02** – “It happened a long time ago, get over it”: why that thinking is harmful  **53:04** – Epigenetics, generational trauma, and visceral responses to racism  **53:54** – When dementia, capacity, and timing block access to MAID  **1:09:41** – What supports exist (and don’t) for families after MAID  **1:17:52** – Advice for people who want to work in MAID or end‑of‑life care  **1:22:31** – What needs to change in end‑of‑life and palliative care systems  **1:30:48** – Could MAID become a substitute for better care? Ethics and safeguards  **1:33:58** – Autonomy vs. cost‑saving: why it must be “both/and,” not “either/or”  **1:39:41** – Media portrayals, confidentiality, and misconceptions about MAID  **1:42:31** – Marion’s and Dani’s emotional reflections as they close the episode