Do Her No Harm - Episode 2 - Marie

H.E.A.L. Healthcare

Do Her No Harm – Stories of Health Inequity and Dehumanization Experienced by cis-Women in the Canadian Healthcare System
Episode 2 - Marie Civitarese: Believe My Pain

In this episode, Marie shares her story of trying to navigate the Canadian Healthcare System as a young woman battling endometriosis for over 20 years. After decades of being passed between healthcare practitioners, feeling powerless, kept in the dark about her own health, and experiencing medical gaslighting, Marie highlights how kindness and humanity in her care had the power to change the trajectory of her healthcare experience, and empowered her to take her sexual and reproductive health into her own hands.

Marie’s Reflective Questions:

1. If you had an undiagnosed condition for 10+ years that was causing you severe pain and major disruption to the quality of your life, what what you do? Who would you go to? What would you want to hear from your (5th, 6th, or 10th) healthcare professional?

2. If you had a young teenaged child, let's say 13 or 14 years old, and they went to their doctor to discuss their pain, what would you expect from their practitioner?

3. What could you change about your practice immediately that would better support women who come to you seeking help?

Marie was born and raised in Trail, BC. She spent her formative years studying classical voice locally, and went on to complete a Bachelor and Master Degree in Music Performance. After years of studying and working abroad, Marie returned to her hometown during the COVID-19 pandemic. She now resides in Rossland, BC with her partner and works in Marketing and Communications for a local credit union. She likes to spend her time hanging out with her nephew, exploring the Kootenays on weekends, and sharing her passion for music with the local musical theatre group. Marie has been dealing with the symptoms and side effects of Endometriosis and various prescribed treatments for over 20 years.

This podcast series is part of the H.E.A.L. Healthcare project.

The Hearts-based Education and Anti-colonial Learning Project brings together artists, writers, activists, and people with lived experience to create arts-based anti-oppression learning materials for healthcare educators, professionals, and practitioners wanting to address biases and ‘-isms’ that permeate healthcare systems and culture. The learning modules provided on this site address the longstanding and well-established health disparities exist because of racist, colonial, able-body/minded, geographic, economic, and gendered inequities.
For more learning opportunities, visit healhealthcare.ca