SPEAKERS

Jeremie Saunders

Jeremie Saunders is an award-winning actor, producer and host of the hit podcast, Sickboy. Born and raised on the East Coast of Canada, Jeremie is a strong voice in rethinking the way people look at illness and disease. He lives with a genetic lung disease called Cystic Fibrosis.

Jeremie discovered his passion for performance through competitive improv. He studied acting at Ryerson Theatre School. Soon after, Jeremie began his career as a professional actor as a host on the Canadian Screen Award and Gemini-winning CBC television series, “ARTZOOKA!” and the National Film Board of Canada’s educational documentary series, “Space School.”

In the culmination of Jeremie’s affinity for laughter and education, Sickboy Podcast was created.  Listed as one of iTunes’ Best of 2015, the Sickboy Podcast is produced and hosted by Jeremie and his two best friends, Taylor MacGillivary and Brian Stever. Together, they explore conversations with a wide range of guests, talking and laughing about the experiences of living with terminal or chronic illness. Sickboy Podcast aims to tear down the walls of stigma and find levity in an otherwise dark situation.

Dying with Laughter - A Patient's Journey to Accepting Life & Death Through the Power of Laughter

Despite our differences, one thing we all have in common is death. One way or another, it's going to get each of us. Jeremie has been forced to meditate on that reality and it's had a profound effect on how he approaches life. In this keynote, Jeremie candidly and openly shares his story about growing up as a patient living with Cysitic Fybrosis. His experiences of living life in and out of the medical system, and how he found laughter to be key as he shifted his perspective from seeing himself as someone who is dying from a fatal disease to someone who has been given the gift of a shortened life expectancy in order to make the most of it. As he sees it, his time on earth really isn't that much shorter than yours, so why don't we all try living life this way?

Darcy Harris

Darcy L. Harris, R.N., R.S.W., M.Ed. (Couns)., Ph.D. FT, is a Professor of Thanatology at King's University College at Western University in London, Canada, where she also maintains a private clinical practice specializing in issues related to change, loss, and transition. In addition, she is a faculty member of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, dedicated to post-graduate training in grief therapy leading toward Certification in Meaning Reconstruction in Loss.

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She has served on the board of directors of the Association of Death Education and Counseling and is a current member of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement. 

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She is a series co-editor for Routledge Publishing Company's Death, Dying, and Bereavement Series, and she is an internationally-recognized speaker and author. 

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Exploring Compassion-Based Approaches in Difficult Times:

During the past year, the COVID 19 pandemic has stretched health care resources and profoundly affected those who work in clinical care settings. In light of the multiple stresses experienced by care providers during this time, it has been suggested that an understanding of compassion based approaches and self-compassion practices may offer a possible buffer of protection and sustainability for those affected directly and indirectly by COVID19. This session will review the research related to compassion training, apply the concepts of compassion based approaches to the current pandemic, and explore the potential benefits of self compassion (versus self-care) in potentially traumatic clinical scenarios.

Phil Callaway

Phil Callaway is an award-winning best-selling author of 27 books who has spoken in close to 30 countries. He hosts the hit daily radio show Laugh Again, which airs on 400 stations in North America, and many more overseas. His humorous stories on family life have been featured in hundreds of magazines. Nursing his parents through Alzheimer's and dementia has given him a deep appreciation for caregivers.

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Laugh Again: The Caregiver's Guide to Survival and Sanity

It's hard to find a caregiver these days who isn't exhausted and in need of a shot of joy. With ample humor and insight, Phil Callaway will inspire you to laugh again. While caring for his parents on their journey through Alzheimer's, he uncovered the 5 secrets that are essential to sanity and success while caring for those you care about. Phil's goal is "to leave these awesome caregivers with sore stomachs from the laughter, but better yet, to remind them of the difference they are making and offer some practical tools to do what they love and love what they do".

Join us for a Day of Respite & Restoration

register

now

for our free virtual conference

JUNE 17, 2021

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8:00am - 1:00pm MST

If you are unable to register, it means the conference is currently full. Keep checking back as spaces may open if people cancel.

Webinar opens at 8:00, conference starts promptly at 8:30am.

Zoom link will be in your confirmation email

after you register.

In honour of our 20th anniversary, this year's free conference is our gift to you

 From Palliative & End of Life Care, Calgary Zone.

S C H E D U L E

June 17, 2021

8:00am - 1:00pm MST

08:00

Webinar Open for Log-In 

Enjoy live music by Michael McLaren while you settle in

Conference starts promptly at 8:30

10:30

Darcy Harris

Exploring Compassion-Based Approaches in Difficult Times

08:30

Opening Remarks

11:45

15 Minute Break

09:00

Jeremie Saunders

Dying with Laughter: A Patient's Journey to Accepting Life & Death Through the Power of Laughter

12:00

Phil Callaway

Laugh Again: The Caregiver's Guide to Survival & Sanity

10:15

15 Minute Break

12:45

Closing Remarks

Quilt Draw

Quilt draw winner must be in attendance