A Canadian woman with a rare parathyroid disease has been waiting for critical medical care for eight years, her husband said, as U.S. officials reportedly move to secure life-saving surgery after Canada’s healthcare system failed her repeatedly.
Miles Sundeen, Jolene Van Alstine’s husband, expressed profound gratitude on Thursday to Glenn Beck and his team for their intervention in helping his wife, who has been suffering from an increasingly severe condition that has caused extreme bone pain, fractures, and other complications.
“It’s been over eight years now that Jolene has been very ill,” Sundeen said during a tearful appearance on The Glenn Beck Program. “We’ve gone through very tough times trying to get help through our health care system; long, long wait times both to see specialists, to get a diagnosis initially, and then, of course, to wait times for surgeries as well.”
Van Alstine has normocalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism, a rare condition that causes nausea, vomiting, bone pain, weakened bone density, and fractures. Despite multiple surgeries, she requires a specialized procedure to remove her overactive parathyroid gland—a surgery no surgeon in her province can perform.
Sundeen noted that the Canadian healthcare system is “just absolutely overwhelmed” and has been “completely devastated” by underfunding and a surge in immigration, which strains resources. According to government data, Canada’s health system faced significant challenges as it accommodated millions of new immigrants.
George Carson, an approved Medical Assistance in Dying doctor, confirmed that he assessed Van Alstine and provided her with his approval. However, Sundeen stressed that “she wants to live.”
Beck has reported contacting elements of the Trump administration to facilitate Van Alstine’s care in the United States, with a high-level official recently stating: “Let’s save her life. We’ll get it done.” Beck plans to fly Van Alstine to the United States and arrange for medical treatment.
“If it was me, I think I would have had a gun to my head long ago,” Sundeen said, emphasizing his wife’s resilience despite eight years of suffering. “She’s a strong girl.”
By Joseph MacKinnon
