Patients and families tied to potential mystery brain disease speak out about neurologist Dr. Marrero
I recently travelled to my hometown of Moncton, N.B., to report on a potentially mysterious brain disease that has people talking and very concerned.
I spent some time with Bonnie Vautour. Her mom Sylvia died this spring and had been part of a cluster of 48 diagnosed with an unknown neurological syndrome. Vautour remembered her mom as being a real spitfire, telling me, 鈥淪he was so full of life, full of laughter and loved her grandkids. She played baseball almost her entire life and did a lot of stock car racing.鈥
Vautour鈥檚 mom had a rapid decline, initially showing signs of confusion and memory loss. In just months, she was referred to neurologist Dr. Alier Marrero, who included her in the 鈥渃luster.鈥 I asked Vautour about Dr. Marrero and she said: 鈥淵ou couldn't ask for better bedside manners. Very, very friendly. Just super. You couldn't ask for a better neurologist.鈥
Over the course of our investigation, we spoke to many other patients and families about their experience with Dr. Marrero.
Carol Clark, who is 77 and living with the unknown syndrome, said 鈥渁s far as I鈥檓 concerned, he's really my neurologist and will always be my neurologist.鈥
Steve Ellis, whose 64-year-old father Roger is a patient of Dr. Marrero. He says, 鈥淗e recognized the trends, and he's the one that did the right thing.鈥
Staci whose stepdaughter, Gabrielle Cormier, is one of the youngest patients said, 鈥淚t's really important that we speak for her and we let people know how appreciative she is of Dr. Marrero and his team.鈥
While patients and their families spoke highly of Dr. Marrero, the government has distanced themselves. Dr. Marrero was not included in briefings by the province on June 3 and again on Oct. 27.
This weeks鈥 briefing came as neuropathology reports tied to those who died in the cluster were made public.
W5 spoke exclusively to the neuropathologist who wrote those reports, Dr. Gerard Jansen. He told me 鈥渙ur work is to give a diagnosis with as much certainty as we can. And to also say what is not there if we don't find something .鈥
Dr. Jansen found that all of those he investigated died of normal brain diseases.
He wanted to express this to the families: 鈥淚'm not saying that people do not suffer or there is no disease. Absolutely not. These people, all of these eight people, had a disease. It is just that misclassifying them as having a new mysterious disease was not right.鈥
We asked Dr. Marrero if he had seen the reports and he said, 鈥淚 have seen some results and would not like to comment on them. They were reviewing their autopsies; so I don't know exactly what is happening.鈥
For Vautour, she鈥檚 just hoping for some closure, and told us finally she expects to receive it this week from Dr. Marrero.
鈥淢um鈥檚 already passed, it鈥檚 been over five and a half months and we're just getting word of the autopsy results. To me, it was way too long. Way, way, way, way too long.鈥
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.
Kids are inhaling 'Galaxy Gas' to get high. Here鈥檚 what parents should know
For some young people, a popular method for getting a quick high is by misusing laughing gas 鈥 and lately, that鈥檚 in the form of nitrous oxide from products sold by the company Galaxy Gas.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Kamala Harris accepts CNN debate invitation for Oct. 23, challenging Trump to another showdown
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on October 23, challenging her rival to another engagement on a public stage in the final weeks of the campaign.
Is the price of your morning coffee on the rise?
It is not a great time to be a coffee drinker. In general, coffee bean prices are the highest they've been in more than a decade.
Housing support for adult children with severe autism is 'absolutely absurd,' say parents
Looking after an adult with severe autism can be a full-time job. Ask any parent who has a child severely affected by autism spectrum disorder 鈥 it鈥檚 a job that can get more difficult as the child becomes an adult.
Top Hezbollah leader was among the 37 people killed in an Israeli strike on a Beirut apartment block
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire on Saturday as rescue crews in Beirut searched the rubble of an apartment building that was leveled by an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group's senior leaders as well as women and children.
Cards Against Humanity sues Elon Musk's SpaceX over alleged trespassing in Texas
The maker of the popular party game Cards Against Humanity is accusing Elon Musk's SpaceX of trespassing on and damaging a plot of vacant land the company owns in Texas.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year 麻豆影视 reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I鈥檓 grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.