Dr. Sheela Basrur has died: she worked endlessly to save lives in Toronto, when SARS hit us.

"Dr. Sheela Basrur, former Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health dies, family says

Dr. Sheela Basrur, formerly the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health and Assistant Deputy Minister of Public Health, has died, a spokesperson for the family said Monday. She was undergoing treatment for cancer."

From 680 News Alerts.

This is indeed a loss. Dr. Basrur, at one time the City of Toronto's Chief Public Health Officer, was able to bring calm to millions of Torontonians' when the SARS outbreak hit the GTA and made our city, "lepers" to the world [WHO "Do Not Travel" notice to the World].

If not for Dr. Basrur calm and cool efforts and Dr. Donald Low of Mt. Sinai hospital who brought assurance, plus the WHO and CDC in Atlanta, plus, plus, plus the world wide network in the virus research community, and largely and lastly, the valiant nurses who risked getting sick, did get sick, and for some of those nurses a miserable death, without the touch of their loved ones, dying for trying to help their patients, who knows how many selfish people would just carry on and spread this virus all over the place, hospitalizing and killing many more people. The selfish, the many, were stunned into compliance thank goodness by the magnitude of the news media and the grit of the compliant on the non-compliant.

From recollection, we lost 32 people in the GTA to this virus, hundreds in the hospital hanging in, and thousands quarantined at home, including the entire student body of the school opposite York Central Hospital for a period of time.

In my family, we had strict rules on visitors, and going out, and washing hands, etc, etc, etc.

Of course I was living with some kids who thought I was kidding sometimes, but that changed with stern emphasis, and evidence of why they just listen and do, instead of the usual nonsense.

If there is a Heaven, Dr. Sheela Basrur is there now, and many will remember her, for her many good works and the fun and joy she carried with her, everywhere she went.

Thanks Sheela!!!! Remember you for ever!

Ed. Note: We did end up with SARSTOCK as a reward !!!! [driven by Senator Graftstein and Dennis Mills, MP, who went at the idea tirelessly; some would say "virulently" to the Canadian government to help financially with the money for security, staging, general cash flow, yada, yada, yada needed to pull this off]. We had AC/DC from Australia, with the The Rolling Stones (they prep their tours here and must like us), Rush (from North York), The Guess Who (from Manitoba I think), and others. See this link, telling more of the 490,000 people who attended and millions of Canadians who watched on TV [was it broadcast worldwide?? Too bad for you!!!!])