I Found a Doctor in British Columbia, and It Took My Determined Pants!
When you move to British Columbia, or probably anywhere, there is a process you are supposed to follow to find a medical doctor.
You register for the Medical Services Plan, better known as MSP. You add your name to healthcare registries, care sites, and waitlists. You complete online intake forms and wait for someone to tell you that a doctor has become available.
So that is exactly what I did.
I registered with MSP. I joined the waitlists. I filled out forms and contacted clinics. A few offices eventually responded, only to tell me that I had been declined as a patient.
How do you get declined as a patient?
There was no explanation, no phone number, and no human being available to ask what I was supposed to do next.
Just one cheerful little word:
DECLINED.
I had already heard the horror stories about people waiting years to find a family doctor in British Columbia. Some people told me they had waited more than eight years.
Eight years. Yes, you read that correctly.
When you have been through cancer, that is not merely inconvenient. That is a horror story.
I did not have an oncology team in British Columbia to lean on. My medications were running out, and I require ongoing monitoring, blood work, follow-up appointments, and continued treatment for at least the next seven years!
But I could not simply contact a cancer hospital and ask for an oncology team.
I needed a family doctor to refer me.
Doctors, nurses, specialists, and healthcare workers are doing incredibly important work under enormous pressure.
The silly part of all of this is that there are not enough doctors to ensure people can access the care they need. The silly part is that someone who has already been through cancer can move between two Canadian provinces, yet the systems cannot easily communicate and continue that person’s care.
I knew what care I needed and where I needed to go. I simply could not get through the front door without someone who would take me on as a new patient to write the referral.
After a few weeks of feeling worried, frustrated, and honestly quite upset, I finally drew a line in the sand.
On Monday morning, I put on my determined pants.
I decided I was going to find a doctor that day, no matter what it took.
I worked my way through lists, websites, directories, and clinic pages across the Greater Vancouver area. By then, I no longer cared where the doctor was located.
I have a car.
I can get there.
I just need a doctor!
Many websites claimed clinics were accepting new patients. When I contacted them, they were not. Apparently, “accepting new patients” can sometimes mean “we once considered accepting new patients during a brief window in 2022.”
Still, I kept going.
After about five hours, I was exhausted and close to giving up. Then I found a doctor in Vancouver who appeared to be taking new patients.
I remained skeptical. By this point, I trusted the words “accepting new patients” about as much as I trust jeans labelled “one size fits all.”
But this time, it was true.
Not only did I get a doctor for myself, but Nino was accepted too.
And we did not find just any doctor.
From my first appointment, this young doctor understood exactly what I needed. I explained my cancer history, my treatment, my medication concerns, and the fact that I did not yet have an oncology team in British Columbia.
His immediate response was:
“We need to get you into a cancer hospital!”
YES!
I was finally heard.
It was patient-doctor love at first sight. Not that kind of love. I love him for being a great doctor. You know what I mean. Jeesh.
He was knowledgeable, compassionate, and thorough. He ordered blood work immediately and told me he would send the referral.
I completed my blood work on Wednesday. Today, I received notice that he has already arranged a virtual appointment to review the results with me.
And yesterday, after seeing this doctor only once, I received a letter from BC Cancer confirming that I have an appointment booked in six weeks.
I can finally breathe again.
Things are moving.
I have a doctor. My blood work is underway. My follow-up is booked. My BC Cancer appointment is scheduled. The right team is beginning to line up around me so I can move through the next few years of checkups, monitoring, and treatment with confidence.
For weeks, I felt as though I was standing alone in the middle of a healthcare maze, rattling every locked door.
Now, one has finally opened.
Finding a doctor should not have required weeks of worry, multiple rejections, five hours of relentless searching, and a particularly powerful pair of determined pants!
But I found one.
Even better, I found the right one.
It feels like Christmas came early, and today I am counting my blessings.
I am grateful for the doctor who listened, the referral to BC Cancer, and the feeling that I am supported again.
Sometimes the blessing is not simply finding what you were searching for.
Sometimes it is finding exactly who you needed.
Have you struggled to find a family doctor, transfer medical care between provinces, or navigating the healthcare system after cancer? Please share your experience in the comments. Your story may help someone else feel less alone, and perhaps together we can keep this important conversation moving forward.
