Tag: publishing

Updates!

A.V.BlackLeave a comment

Well, a lot has been happening since I last wrote here, which, let’s be real, was quite a while ago. First and foremost is: one of my short stories, titled The Referral, is about to be traditionally published in an upcoming anthology entitled Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror. It will be available October 12, 2025 for purchase, but you can preorder it here.

When I first saw that Renaissance Publishing was taking submissions for this anthology, I jumped on the opportunity and began writing up a storm. This topic is incredibly personal for me. I haven’t talked about it, but over the past two years, I’ve been going through hell.

For those of you who don’t know, the Canadian medical system is publicly-funded and free (mostly), but incredibly underfunded and overburdened. Think the NHS, and while I want to say “but worse,” I’m not sure I can compare apples and oranges. After living in the UK, I know first-hand how much the NHS is struggling.

Here in Canada, being a woman with medical issues, particularly ones that involve our reproductive systems, can be incredibly challenging. For seven years, I begged doctors to believe me when I complained about having severe period pain, pain after eating, and eventually, pain all the friggin’ time. None of them took me seriously. Just when I was about to give up and accept that I would always be in pain, or when things were at their worst, that I could die, I finally found a doctor who believed me.

That was only the first step to getting treatment. I needed a referral, then another referral, then another. After eight months of waiting for referrals alone, I discovered that seeing a specialist meant another referral and yet another 18 to 24-month wait. As if that wasn’t enough, the doctor warned me that the surgery I would need was an even longer wait—2-3 years after that. That was if I was lucky enough to get it.

It wasn’t until I said I wanted kids and paid thousands for fertility treatment that I was able to get the medical treatment I needed. Another referral, and next thing I know, I’m at the fertility clinic. After paying a lot for fertility treatment, a different doctor had my referral to the surgeon expedited. I was able to get medication and treatment to manage my pain, and gradually, my condition improved. I’m now on the waitlist for surgery, although it’s been a year and I still haven’t heard when it will be.

If you haven’t guessed by now, the doctors diagnosed me with endometriosis. Stage III, meaning it’s invaded my bowels, glued my organs together, and formed little tumour-like lumps. I also developed pre-diabetes from stress, and found out that I have nerve damage from chronic pain, for which I need regular nerve injections to quell it. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a good chance I can’t have kids.

If you’re a Reddit user, head over to r/endometriosis, and you’ll find a lot of stories far worse than mine. I’ve come to learn that, sadly, getting an endometriosis diagnosis takes an average of seven years. They say it can’t kill you, but I’d beg to differ. Endometriosis can block your bowels to the point that you need emergency surgery. It can grow in your brain, or in your lungs, or in your heart. But to me, what makes it most deadly is the fact that no one believes you when you have it.

I can’t help but wonder that, had I been taken seriously when I first began complaining eight years ago, my condition wouldn’t have progressed to this point. In a way, I feel Canada’s broken, sexist medical system stole my reproductive rights. 

The situation here in Canada makes me very angry. I often find myself lying awake, wondering about other women like me. Especially women who have other overlapping conditions, particularly those related to mental health, like anxiety, ADHD, or depression. And God forbid you’re not white—racial discrimination in the Canadian medical system, particularly towards Indigenous women, is appalling. If you dig deep enough, you can find dozens of stories about women who have died due to negligence within Canada’s medical system, particularly when they’ve complained about pain.

All of that is to say that while Canada is known for being pro-choice and having legal abortions available nationwide, the wrong doctor with the right diagnosis can steal those rights, justified or not. In my story, the Referral, the doctor preventing the main character from having an abortion is creepy and horrible, but he isn’t the real antagonist. No, when I wrote this story, I wanted the true antagonist to be the Canadian medical system. That, sadly, is the reality for most of us.

If you want to read the full story, Choices will be available on October 12. You can pre-order the e-book here or the paperback here.

News Articles about women who have died in the ER in Canada due to negligence: