Upcoming Conference

Andrew is the son of a burn Survivor, Deborah Ward. Andrew has grown up watching his mother go through surgery after surgery and the pain and suffering she endured. Andrew became a survivor of these incidents by helping his mother both in hospital and at home. Andrew credits the nurses for a lot of his schooling during those times. Today Andrew is a well rounded young man and has used his experience both in his personal and professional life.

Debbie Ward

Burned at the age of 7, Debbie has 60 years of experience to fall back on when talking with other survivors. Debbie became involved with the burn community through her introduction by the Nova Scotia Fire Fighters Burn Treatment Society. Debbie went on to become President of the NS Burn Support Group, Board Member of the Canadian Burn Survivors Community, Affiliate member with Canada Skin and Global Skin. Debbie is the first call to the hospital when a new survivor is ready to see someone and she talks with him/her or just sits and listens. Debbie is active with several other local groups such as Serving Other Souls, a charity for seniors as well as Dying With Dignity.

Dave Collier

Dave was a firefighter with the Department of National Defense retiring after 37 years as a Senior Platoon Chief. Dave has been active with the Nova Scotia Firefighters Burn Treatment Society since 1985. He is also active with the burn community as well as being part of the team that started the local burn camp. Dave has been honoured both locally and nationally for his commitment to helping burn survivors.

James Bosch

James Bosch LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist in the state of California, a childhood burn survivor, and part of the Wellness team at the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors.

James was introduced to the burn community in 1994 as a counselor for Champ Camp and later went on to fill many program related roles at the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. James has been a program chair for the American Burn Association, is one of the original team members, creating the PSOAR program. He is involved in many Burn Foundation and Burn Center aftercare and psychosocial program facilitations and development. His mission is to help survivors break free from the frozen parts of their trauma stories, build community and meaningful lives after traumatic injury.

Heather Lynn Beveridge

Heather Lynn Beveridge is a medical Social Worker. She has worked with burn survivors and their families for over 20 years in a pediatric hospital, pediatric burn camps, and the BC Professional Firefighters’ Burn Fund. She began her career on the burn unit at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and she continues to be the camp social worker at Camp BUCKO (a camp for burn survivors in Ontario). In 2009, she relocated to British Columbia to pursue a PhD at the University of British Columbia. Her doctoral research was conducted in Uganda, exploring cultural beliefs and stigma around people living with facial differences. She is a member of the board of directors for the Canadian Burn Survivors Community, and a member of the emotional support team at the annual meeting for the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors.

Open Mic

Everyone's story is unique and important. You can make a difference to others by sharing your trials and triumphs.

Our open mic is an opportunity to share your unique experiences as you navigate your healing journey. We know that others can benefit from hearing your story! This is an important way we are always together, never alone.