GUIDING NEW PARENTS THROUGH THE PANDEMIC

Once Upon a Pandemic is a picture book inspired by the strength and resilience of parents-to-be during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Written by Dr Sheila Wijayasinghe, this full-colour, illustrated hardcover shares a heartwarming and hopeful account of being pregnant during this challenging time.

“I was on maternity leave with my second child when the global pandemic began,” says Dr Wijayasinghe. “As a parent, I saw first-hand how raising a newborn during a pandemic presented new challenges. As a physician, I knew that this would change how healthcare was delivered and I worried for my patients.”

Out of this realization came her desire to channel her experience and knowledge into something creative.

As a co-founder of the popular Instagram account, @Pandemic PregnancyGuide, which supports families with up-to-date information on how to stay safe and healthy during pregnancy, Dr Wijayasinghe was struck by some of the universal themes coming from some of the 20,000  followers from around the world. When she looked for an illustrator to compliment her words, she was drawn to Anna Despina Koprantzelas, an artist based in Italy, who was also watching her community struggle with similar pandemic challenges. It was important to Dr Wijayasinghe that different types of families from various backgrounds could see themselves on the page.

Of her debut she says, “My hope is that Once Upon a Pandemic provides parents a story to share with their growing child that commemorates this event, not only as a time of fear but as a time that demonstrated their family’s resilience and love.”

Dr Wijayasinghe is a family doctor in Toronto, practising at St. Michael’s Hospital. She is also the Medical Director of Primary Care Outreach at Women’s College Hospital, where she advocates for equitable and accessible healthcare  with a special focus on individuals with mental health and addiction conditions and from BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ communities. She has been the health expert on CTV’s The Social for seven years and has previously contributed to the Globe and Mail and Huffington Post.

She was raised in Edmonton, where she studied medicine at the University of Alberta. She now calls Toronto home.

Follow her at @DrSheilaW or @OnceUponAPandemicBook.

• If you’d like to share the story of your arrival in Canada, please write to desinews@rogers.com or call 416-695-4357.