Living with nutrition support: a real life perspective
June 1, 2026 | 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Panelists:
- Catherine Richardson – Lived experience panelist
- Sharlene Baergen-Fladager – Lived experience panelist
- Brandon Sommert – Lived experience panelist
- Incurably Awesome - Lived experience panelist
- Tammy Thompson - Lived experience panelist
Webinar description:
This webinar brings together individuals with lived experience of home nutrition to share real-world perspectives with healthcare professionals. Through short panel presentations and open discussion, attendees will gain insight into the day-to-day realities, challenges, and successes of living with home nutrition support (including TPN and enteral nutrition).
The session aims to foster meaningful dialogue between patients and providers, highlight practical considerations for care, and provide an opportunity for healthcare professionals to ask questions directly to those with lived experience.
Moderator: Leah Gramlich – MD, FRCP, University of Alberta
About the Panelists:
Catherine Richardson - has been on parenteral nutrition since 2014 due to a GI dysmotility. Managing her chronic health conditions and navigating the healthcare system has been her full time job nearly her entire adult life. Catherine believes not just in the importance of lived experience, but that enough lived experience becomes lived expertise and should be recognized as such. Her goal now is to use her own lived experience to make accessing and navigating healthcare an easier and safer experience for other patients.
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Sharlene Baergen-Fladager - has lived with Crohn’s disease for much of her life, navigating multiple surgeries that resulted in short bowel syndrome. She has been on and off parenteral nutrition support for over 25 years. This journey has shaped how she approaches life and deepened her understanding of what it truly means to live well with a complex medical condition.
For Sharlene, parenteral nutrition has been much more than a medical treatment — it has been a path back to herself, allowing her to return to the activities and parts of life she once feared were no longer possible. She often says that while she can live without nutrition support, she is able to thrive with it.
Sharlene joins this panel with one purpose close to her heart: helping others find their joy again. As a peer co-facilitator with the CPPENA Peer-to-Peer Support Group for individuals receiving nutrition support and their caregivers, she is passionate about sharing hope, encouragement, and the reminder that thriving is within reach.
Incurably Awesome - Bethany has a YouTube channel called "Incurably Awesome" where she shares her journey with hEDS and life with a feeding tube while taking her viewers on fun adventures. Her newest series, launching in June, focuses on car camping while navigating medical complexity.
In addition to content creation, Bethany serves as an international volunteer ambassador for The Oley Foundation and volunteers with CPPENA. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Michael, and her cat, Titus Manximus, who frequently appears in her vlogs.
Tammy Thompson - is a devoted mother, caregiver, and advocate whose greatest accomplishment has been caring for her son, Owen, for the past 18 years. Owen, affectionately known at the Stollery as "the happiest, healthiest sick kid," spent countless days, weeks, and months in hospital, experiences that shaped Tammy's resilience, compassion, and outlook on life. Once Owen was stable enough, Tammy pursued her entrepreneurial dream of owning a bakery and café before later building a career in healthcare. Recently retired, she is adjusting to a slower pace of life and embracing new adventures, including travelling more often.
Tammy remains incredibly proud of Owen's many accomplishments and believes the most meaningful role she has ever had is simply being Owen's mom.
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed by the participants at this session reflect personal experiences and are meant for sharing and to stimulate interactive discussions. As such some of these may not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the Canadian Nutrition Society or CPPENA. This information does not replace guidance from your healthcare provider.