A Good Way To Go?

Normalizing "sick care", Dismissing "well care"

A Good Way to Go?

Last night, my dear friend Nigel died in his sleep. This morning, his wife told me, “It was a good way to go.” Nigel’s death was also a preventable tragedy, a stark reminder of how deeply broken and devoid of accountability our healthcare systems are, albeit hidden behind the death shroud of denial. Let me tell you about Nigel and why he should be alive right now.

Nigel was more than just a friend. He was my teacher, my mentor, and a man who had every right to live a long, vibrant life. But he was also a Black man in a world that rarely honors, respects or cares for the fullness of lives like his. From the age of nine, he taught me to play the bagpipes, and in doing so, he taught me about discipline, resilience, and the sheer beauty of refusing to give up. He had survived childhood trauma and abandonment, and he poured his heart into music. But despite his strength, Nigel fell victim to a healthcare system that let him down, one that normalized his decline and ignored the deeper causes of his suffering.

We Have Accepted the Unacceptable

We have been conditioned to believe that our bodies are meant to betray us as we age, that it’s natural for our health to fall apart in our 50s and 60s. But if there is no time like the present, then no other time exists. We cannot measure a life simply by the number of years lived. Nigel’s life, like so many others, was cut short by systemic failures; failures that led to the loss of his vitality and the essence of who he was long before his heart stopped beating.

Nigel developed colon cancer, and after his surgery, no one helped him heal his gut. The intricate ecosystem of his body, the delicate balance that could have sustained him, was ignored. He likely suffered from intestinal permeability or “leaky gut”, a condition that disrupts the immune system and leaves the body vulnerable. But instead of treating the root cause, his doctors watched as his health declined, as he lost his ability to play the bagpipes, a loss that, for Nigel, was like losing his voice. And we all accepted it. We accepted his suffering as normal. We accepted his decline as inevitable. This, my friends, is not care. This is neglect disguised as healthcare.

The Body Speaks, But Are We Listening?

Autoimmune disease is the body’s cry for help; a sign that it is under attack, that it perceives threats that we have failed to address. But Nigel’s doctors, constrained by a system more interested in maintaining the status quo than in true healing, couldn’t or wouldn’t hear what his body was trying to tell them. They followed protocols designed not to heal but to manage, to contain the symptoms without ever asking why those symptoms were there in the first place.

If his doctors had been allowed to think critically, to step outside the narrow confines of pharmaceutical algorithms, they might have seen the connections. They might have understood that Nigel’s gut health was central to his overall well-being, that by healing his gut, they might have healed much more. But instead, they were bound by a system that stifles innovation and discourages doctors from using their own instincts, from connecting the dots that could lead to true healing.

An Archaic System Clings to Control

This isn’t just about individual doctors. This is about a system, an institution, the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada and the Medical Boards in the US, that should be a beacon of hope, a leader in patient-centered care. But instead, it has become a gatekeeper, enforcing outdated practices and punishing those who dare to think differently. It promotes public healthcare as a universal good, but what it really offers is a one-size-fits-all approach that leaves no room for the integrative, holistic treatments that could truly make a difference.

The Illusion of Equality in Public Healthcare

In Canada, we like to believe that our public healthcare system is the great equalizer, that it ensures everyone receives the care they need, regardless of wealth. But what good is equality when the care itself is inadequate? What good is access to a system that doesn’t work—not for prevention, not for emergencies, and certainly not for chronic conditions like the ones that plagued Nigel?

We have been lulled into a false sense of security, convinced that because our healthcare is free, it is good. But when the system fails to prevent disease, when it treats symptoms instead of causes, it becomes a system of neglect, not care. Equality in access means nothing if what we’re accessing doesn’t heal.

The American Dream Is Just Another Illusion

And lest we think the problem is unique to Canada, let’s look at the United States. There, patients are coerced into paying for insurance, locked into a system rife with economic iniquities that, like ours, fails to address the root causes of their issues. Society locks them into an assembly line of care that they cannot break out of, then blames them, the individual, for a broken system. They are left stranded, forced to spend their savings on functional medicine, the only option that offers them a glimmer of hope. And all the while, they are gaslit by a system that tells them their suffering is either their fault or their imagination. This isn’t care; it is exploitation.

Awakening to the Truth: We Deserve More

Nigel’s death was a preventable tragedy. It is also a wake-up call and a teaching. As a physician, it is my responsibility to tell it like it is.  We cannot keep pretending that this is the best we can do. We need to awaken from the sleep that is delusion that our current healthcare systems represent true care, from the lie that we are being looked after. It’s time to demand more.

We need a healthcare system that empowers doctors to think critically, to explore new treatments, and to address the root causes of illness. We need to break free from the stranglehold of pharmaceutical algorithms and embrace a model of care that prioritizes health, healing, and human dignity.

Honoring Nigel Through Action

Nigel’s life was rich in music, in love, in the teachings he passed on to me and so many others. In life and in death he is a teacher. His death, like the bagpipes he played, is a call to action. From where I stand as a healthcare provider, the call is clear. It asks me to challenge the norms that led to his untimely death. We must redefine what it means to care for someone. Care means empowering people to live fully, with viable and effective options, resources, vitality and purpose.

Let us honor Nigel’s memory by fighting for a system that truly cares, for all of us. We owe it to him, and to ourselves, to demand nothing less.