A cancer survivor lost her family doctor. Now she’s pushing for better access to care [Video]

The Cure is a CBC News series examining strategies that provinces and territories are using to tackle the primary-care crisis across Canada.

Barb Broome was diagnosed with thyroid cancer nine years ago.

The western P.E.I. woman had her thyroid gland and all four parathyroid glands removed, leaving her body unable to regulate the amount of calcium in her system. Without correction, that could be fatal.

For nine years, Broome had a family doctor to help her navigate her changing calcium levels through regular blood tests and intravenous infusions.

She had no idea how difficult that would be to manage after her doctor retired last November.

“I really didn’t know what to expect… or how this was going to work, or how to use the Maple system,” she said, referring to the private online medical service she’s able to access at government expense, as one of 38,006 Prince Edward Islanders with …