Erika Crawford and other Ontario residents with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome will all have new doctors assigned to their cases by the end of the week, health officials say.
Crawford, who lives in St. George, was supposed to undergo surgery Monday morning in Toronto. It would have been her first surgery in Ontario, after her parents spent years paying out-of-pocket for their daughter to receive treatment in Maryland.
That surgery was abruptly cancelled when the surgeon assigned to it, Dr. Mohammed Shamji, was arrested on the allegation that he killed his wife.
Crawford’s parents say they believe Shamji is the only doctor in Ontario able to operate on EDS patients – and even then, he’s been relying on the specialist in Maryland for advice and information.
The University Health Network, which runs the hospital where Crawford was to undergo surgery, says three other neurosurgeons will be able to perform the surgery.
According to a spokesperson for the network, all eight EDS patients scheduled to undergo surgery this month will have new surgeons assigned to their cases by Friday.
“Each surgeon’s office will be in touch with the individual patients to describe the new plan and let them know who will be doing their surgery,” Gillian Howard, the organization’s vice-president of public affairs, said in a statement.
The issue was also raised on Tuesday at Queen’s Park, where Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris grilled Health Minister Eric Hoskins about what he would do to ensure the surgeries go on.
“Patients that have been negatively affected by this horrible tragedy … will get the specialized service that they deserve,” Hoskins responded.
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal disease which causes the body’s connective tissues to degenerate. Crawford was diagnosed with it in 2012.
With reporting by Rosie Del Campo
