Local advocate ‘absolutely stunned’ to be Order of Canada recipient

Diane Sims thought it was scam call when her home phone began ringing at around 9:30 am one autumn morning.

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Instead, the person on the other end of the phone line told her she had been awarded one of Canada’s highest honors as one of 88 new appointments to the prestigious Order of Canada. She joins a list of roughly 8,000 people who have received the recognition since it was first introduced in 1967.

“I was absolutely stunned,” Sims said of that Oct. 24 phone call.

While she was shocked by the honor, the process of getting Sims this appointment had actually been in the works for a couple of years, started by a friend of her late brother who had known her all of her life.

“I was so surprised because I’d forgotten about it. There have been recipients announced in those two years, so I thought I had been discarded, and so I was so surprised and I’m so delighted, but I’m also so humbled by it. It’s such an honor because I believe this is something Canada does right,” the Stratford resident and Sault Ste. Marie native said.

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Even after she was told she was being named to the order, she questioned the caller if she was actually worthy of such recognition.

“She said, ‘You are going to receive the Order of Canada.’ And I said, ‘What? I don’t deserve this.’ And she said, ‘Well, enough people think you do.’”

Sims is a former journalist with the London Free Press and the CBC, and was the editor of the Manitoulin Expositor. She is also the author of several books, including Rider of the Clouds: Faith, Survival and Just Plain Hanging On, and Solace: A Correspondence of Gardening, Friendship and Healing. Her publications also include the internationally distributed An Ovarian Cancer Companion.

Her newest book, a memoir entitled Living Beyond the Shadow, will now get a second printing with a byline of “Diane Sims CM.”

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Diagnosed in 1975 with multiple sclerosis – a disease she calls her “lifelong companion” – Sims has endured serious and ongoing medical challenges since she was 17 years old. She has coped with these challenges by “maintaining an attitude of joy and gratitudee.” She was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 38, and told she only had a year to live – and then she was told five years.

Despite her health issues, Sims became a local advocate for accessibility, joining and becoming vice-chair of Stratford’s advisory committee. She has been a strong champion for multiple sclerosis research and Ovarian Cancer Canada, a national organization dedicated to people battling the disease.

“I’ve had to commiserate with many people, and I’ve been with half a dozen women who have died with ovarian cancer, and it’s not easy. There are no words at that point,” she said.

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The announcement of her appointment highlighted her “candid writings about her lifelong perseverance through medical hardships and her personal journey with medical assistance in dying.”

Beyond helping others facing similar health issues find joy, Sims said she she wants them to understand they are the most important person on their health-care team.

“You have to be the strongest advocate for your medical care. Make sure if you’ve got pain, if you’ve got spasms, if you’ve lost part of your vision, get in touch with your doctor right away and demand that you be treated and you have every right (to be treated) .”

Embodying these words, Sims has chosen to take the path of medical assistance in dying to end her own life when the time comes. She cites a desire to never end up residing in a long-term care home as her reason why. She said she also does not want to be a burden to her husband.

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“I think we all saw what happened in COVID with long-term care facilities and those poor people. Long-term care facilities, to me, are places where you’re just waiting for God, and I am at peace with God, with the divine. I’m a writer and communicator. When I can’t speak and can’t write, or they’re suggesting a feeding tube, that is my time to bow out,” she said.

The Order of Canada is considered the cornerstone of the Canadian Honors System. Through nominations from people across the country, the order has celebrated the outstanding achievements and wide-ranging contributions of more than 8,000 Canadians since its 1967 inception.

“Members of the Order of Canada are builders of hope for a better future. Each in their own way, they broaden the realm of possibilities and inspire others to continue pushing its boundaries. Thank you for your perseverance, fearless leadership and visionary spirit, and welcome to the Order of Canada,” Governor General Mary Simon said in this week’s release announcing the appointments.

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