From his cellar, Louis Sansfaçon fights in memory of his daughter Émilie. An uphill battle against indifference as pandemic fatigue and the easing of hygiene measures weighs heavily on the shoulders of immunocompromised and vulnerable people.
Posted yesterday at 7:00 p.m
“You and I have always fought for the rights of the weakest. I promised him to go as far as possible. »
The promise was born on a pandemic fall morning. Louis Sansfaçon went to the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec with his daughter Emilie, who had colon cancer. There the young mother should receive her 35th chemotherapy. They passed a passer-by who was not wearing a mask. Émilie stiffened, fearing that COVID-19 would further threaten her life and rob her of quality time with loved ones.
If this stranger could have seen at a glance that the young woman in front of him was fighting for her life, he would no doubt have paid more attention. She pointed this out to her father.
Dad, you’d have to make something up to tell him, take care of me.
Emilie Sansfaçon
This is how Louis Sansfaçon and his daughter created the Immunoclip, a pin with a simple red “i” that any vulnerable person can clip to their mask as a call for goodwill1. One way for Emilie to say, “If you send me a virus I’ll end up in the hospital and probably in intensive care. I could even die from it. »
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS
Louis Sansfaçon holds a photograph of his daughter Émilie.
Unfortunately, Emilie did not live long enough to see the project come to fruition. On November 5, 2020, she died of an illness.
Father’s voice hoarse when he talks about it. “Émilie, I was always by her side. And even if she is no longer there today, I feel her next to me in her own way. »
After launching his project in spring 2021, Louis Sansfaçon, in collaboration with several foundations and pharmacies, managed to generate some media interest and a small wave of solidarity. Through the sale of several thousand Immunoclips, he has already raised over $50,000, which he has donated to cancer prevention and patient care charities. But he still has a long way to go. “So far we are represented in 60 pharmacies in Quebec. There are 1,800…” Behind this little “i” is a lot of love, solidarity and empathy, he emphasizes. “But if that ‘i’ isn’t known, it’s not as effective. »
On behalf of his daughter, the father called on the Legault government to help him publicize the initiative, as the prime minister had done with the transparent visor masks that allow lip-reading. He knocked on several doors, including that of Health Minister Christian Dubé. Vain.
“It’s not sexy to wear a mask right now. Especially in a pre-election situation…”
However, in a context where masks are no longer compulsory on public transport or in the grocery store, does it become even more important to do more to protect the most vulnerable?
What is the reason for this rejection? “In a context where many public health messages are being conveyed almost every day, we felt that asking immunocompromised people to wear this symbol was a very targeted approach. We must instead focus the message on respecting the health instructions for vulnerable people, whether they are elderly or immunocompromised,” explains Marjaurie Côté-Boileau, communications director in Minister Dubé’s office.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LOUIS SANSFAÇON
Emilie Sansfaçon and her father Louis Sansfaçon
Even if he is disappointed by the government’s indifference, Louis Sansfaçon does not want to give up. It is his daughter who inspires him. “Émilie was a fighter. If it had gone through I can give you a deal: the “i” would be known in Batinse! Her determination in the face of the disease – which she clearly wanted to overcome – inspires me as much as her positions. »
Denial and indifference to the plight of vulnerable people after more than two years of the pandemic is not unique to Quebec. We see the same phenomenon in many western societies, where too often “living with the virus” means “letting the most vulnerable die with the virus”. But that doesn’t make it any more acceptable.
Immunocompromised and vulnerable people paying the price of “everyone for himself” risk management are far more numerous than you might think, recalls Dr. André Veillette, immunology researcher and oncologist. According to Statistics Canada, 14% of the population has a compromised immune system and 18% have an underlying health condition such as diabetes or a chronic disease affecting the lungs, heart, or kidneys, increasing the risk of related complications.
Overall, 38% of adults in the country have at least one underlying condition that puts them at risk of serious complications if they contract COVID-194. Not to mention the elderly who, even without a genetic disease, feel their immune systems are weakened, or the youngest who think they are healthy but are not.
An advanced society should take care of everyone. Too bad we don’t.
dr André Veillette, researcher in immunology and oncologist
As if some lives were considered less valuable than others.
We’re not talking about a return to lockdown or other major sacrifices. “For example, we are talking about improving ventilation, requiring the wearing of a mask in certain contexts, using rapid tests…”
So many collective actions that would not prevent people from living and would posthumously comply with Emilie’s wish by saying: “We take care of you. »