In April I wrote about SARS, five years later. The spring of 2003 was a frightening one for me. My son was only a year old and in daycare and there was so much we didn't know about this near pandemic that was taking lives in this city.
My wife, a worrier by nature, was particularly scared during this time. Every night we'd turn on the television and look for updates delivered by Toronto's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Sheela Basrur.
Dr. Sheela Basrur was our calm voice during a difficult time in this city. She spoke clearly, giving instructions and updating us in a comforting fashion that always made us feel better. We understood who should be quarantined and why, what measures were being taken to contain the outbreak and where it was safe to go. She seemed trustworthy and caring and she guided us through the SARS storm.
Yesterday, we lost Dr. Sheela Basrur far too early to a rare form of cancer. Dr. Sheela Basrur, thank you.
