Jennifer Brady, 47, boarded a July flight from Halifax to Newark feeling both exhausted and relieved after a six-year fight for treatment.
Brady developed severe lymphedema in her lower left leg after lymph nodes were removed during a 2019 radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer.
Unable to get timely surgery in Nova Scotia, she publicly applied for medical assistance in dying (MAID) last year.
Daily management of the condition left her depressed and struggling to care for her two children.
Last October, Brady won a judicial review against Nova Scotia’s Department of Health and Wellness.
Premier Tim Houston publicly apologized and pledged to fund her future treatment following the ruling.
Brady traveled to New Jersey for lymphedema surgery and says the moment truly hit her only after landing.
She described the relief as the culmination of “years-long buildup” and constant emotional strain.
Having had the procedure, Brady has withdrawn her MAID application and says she is ready to focus on living.
Her case has drawn attention to gaps in provincial health coverage and the lengths patients may go to secure necessary care.