Canadian thalidomide survivors reflect on life 10 years after hard-won compensation

The Globe and Mail wanted to find out how the Canadians most severely affected by the thalidomide tragedy were faring, a decade after the federal government finally stepped up to correct this historic negligence with a financial support program. This documentary is a result of hours of interviews with more than a dozen people on what their lives are like now.

The money has indeed made difficult days easier for the thalidomide survivors, providing financial security, the ability to renovate their homes, pay for help and show kindness to themselves – even as many suffer with chronic pain, arthritis and joint issues, aging much faster than the average Canadian population.

But the word “survivor” has rarely been more appropriate: These are people who learned to manage everyday life on their own wits – typing with their toes, opening jars and carrying groceries with their teeth, doing everything from stoking wood stoves to loading dishwashers with their feet.

Stories can be forgotten with time, so here are some details: In the early 1960s, doctors gave thalidomide to pregnant women for morning sickness; the consequences were 10,000 babies around the world – including more than 100 in Canada – born with birth defects including missing or stunted arms and legs, misshapen fingers and damaged organs.

In 2014, The Globe’s Ingrid Peritz wrote doggedly for months about the poverty, indignity and despair long suffered by thalidomide survivors – award-winning work later credited for adding pressure on the government to deliver a support program.

A decade later, the 14 Canadians we interviewed agree the federal funds have made their lives more comfortable and financially secure. But that doesn’t mean all is forgiven.

“What are arms and legs worth?” asks Mercedes Benegbi, the former executive director of the Thalidomide Victim’s Association of Canada. They fought for decades to achieve a true measure of compensation – and that anger lingers. A handful continue to fight legally for a better settlement.

Read more:

• 10 years of dignity for thalidomide survivors
• Many thalidomide survivors find accessing medical fund stressful, ‘degrading,’ report finds
• Proposed changes to thalidomide survivors’ support program cause concern

Opinion:

• André Picard: We have not yet finished righting the wrongs inflicted by thalidomide