Canadian woman is receiving treatment from American doctors rather than euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Jolene Van Alstine

On December 10, 2025 Joe Warmington reported for the Toronto Sun that Glenn Beck, an American political commentator, offered to cover the cost of medical treatment in America for Jolene Van Alstine, who lives in Regina Canada. 

Van Alstine was approved for euthanasia rather than provided surgery or medical treatment for her rare medical condition.

On January 7, 2026, Joe Warmington reported for the Toronto Sun that Glenn Beck has helped Van Alstine receive treatment and her condition is improving. Warmington wrote:

If not for American Glenn Beck, Canadian Jolene Van Alstine could have been dead today.

The day Jan. 7, 2026, was the day Jolene was eligible to end her life with medical assistance under the supervision of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program.

Thankfully, that’s not happening now. Instead, the 45-year-old Saskatchewan wife and mother has not only chosen to live but is fighting hard. She’s getting a lot of help and prayers from across Canada and the United States.

Warmington continued:

Things are going in a better direction for Jolene. For this first time in years, things are looking up for a change.

A lot of that credit goes to iconic American conservsative podcaster and journalist Beck, who used his platform, respect and clout to put out a cold call to the American medical community to see if they would assist keeping this woman alive and also help her deal with her chronic gland issues best described as a rare and extremely painful parathyroid disorder.

Warmington explains what happened:

There is currently no Saskatchewan surgeon able to perform the operation she required.

Beck offered to fly Jolene and her partner Miles Sundeen to the Norman Parathyroid Center near Tampa, which pledged to cover the cost of her surgery or treatment.

The team of doctors are first providing treatment for Van Alstines condition with the hope of averting surgery.

Jolene Van Alstine recent selfie

Warmington explains:

Jolene said doctors told her “if it brings my parathyroid levels down to low normal, then I don’t need another surgery, I need an endocrinologist who deals with patients who need monitoring of their calcium, vitamin D and magnesium levels and can adjust them as needed.”

However, “if it does not bring my levels down then there is still another gland inside me somewhere that is overactive.”

Another operation is possible. But hopefully not.

Either way, she’s still in pain and discomfort. However, Jolene is starting to see a light at the end of what has been a very dark three-year tunnel. Now she has hope.

Warmington stated that Beck has been regularly calling Van Alstine about how she is doing. Jolene said that she is doing a lot better now. She told Warmington that:

“I never wanted to go through with MAID but I lost hope,” she said. “I’m Roman Catholic. Suicide is a sin, but I just couldn’t stand the pain and nausea and vomiting and overheating 24/7.”

She said she found herself “sleeping underneath a cooling blanket at night with the temperature turned down anywhere from 16.5 C to 13 C, sometimes sleeping on the cold bathroom floor with cold water running in the shower, throwing up my medications into a bucket in the bathroom and them fishing out my pills and then having to actually retake them (the ones I threw up) because a lot of them can’t be filled early because they are controlled substances.”

She joked that sometimes she thought about sitting in a Saskatchewan snowbank.

Her sense of humour was starting to show Wednesday, and she managed to put a smile on her face. She knows she’s not out of the woods yet. But she’s in a more positive mood knowing so many care about her and that the medical community is working hard on her problem now.

“I’m just praying that I get treatment, whether it be medication or surgery. I just want to feel well again,” she said.

In a couple of weeks, Jolene hopes to have a better idea of just where she stands.

Jennifer Brady

The December 10th article concluded with Van Alstine stating that she does not want to die by euthanasia (MAiD), she wants to receive effective treatment for her medical condition. Van Alstine is not the first Canadian to face this scenario.

An article by Angela McIvor that was published by CBC News on September 18, 2024 reported that Jennifer Brady, who lives in Nova Scotia, was approved for MAiD (euthanasia) after being unable to obtain treatment for Lymphedema.

The good news is that an update to the story that was published by CBC News on September 18, 2025 explained that Brady won a 6-year court battle with the Nova Scotia government and has received treatment in New Jersey.

McIvor had to fight to be approved for treatment, but had no problem being approved for euthanasia.

Allison Ducluzeau

In December 2023 I published an article about Allison Ducluzeau who lives in Victoria BC. Decluzeau was diagnosed with abdominal cancer and offered MAiD (euthanasia) rather than treatment. she was successfully treated at the Institute for Cancer Care at Mercy Medical Centre in Baltimore.

Allison Ducluzeau was offered euthanasia but not medical treatment. The Ducluzeau story concerned the fact that she was suing the BC Ministry of Health for the cost of the successful treatment that she received in Baltimore.

The wedding picture of Ducluzeau was taken in Hawaii. After Ducluzeau went into remission she decided to get married.

Van Alstine, Brady and Ducluzeau were all able to die by euthanasia but were not offered medical treatment for their conditions. Brady and Ducluzeau were successfully treated in the US. These are three out of many stories of Canadians who were denied or not offered effective medical treatment.