MRKH Canada is a not-for-profit that aims to support, educate and empower those born with, or affect
23/12/2024
MRKH Canada Team Shout Out! 🗣️ A big thank you to Sandra as she steps down from her role as treasurer. As a proud MRKH Mom, Sandra has been part of the MRKH Canada team from the beginning, acting as treasurer alongside her daughter, the founder of MRKH Canada, Ashley. Though she’s dedicated the past three years to MRKH Canada, she has dedicated the last 12 to helping Ashley through her MRKH diagnosis. She may be stepping down from her role as treasurer, but Sandra plans to continue playing an active role in MRKH Canada’s efforts in other ways. Check out our last post to meet our incoming treasurer!
21/12/2024
You may remember Lillian as the person who raised the most donations during this year’s annual 5000 Metres for MRKH Fundraiser, or as one of the speakers at our 2024 MRKH Conference. Well, now we are excited to welcome her on board, literally. Lillian will be joining our Board of Directors as treasurer.
Lillian recently discovered MRKH Canada, 32 years after she was first diagnosed with MRKH. Ashley was the first person with MRKH Lillian spoke to since her diagnosis - and was instantly inspired to support MRKH Canada. Drawing on the strength of her diagnosis, Lillian is ready to share her story and is looking forward to being part of the MRKH Canada Board to support the efforts of the organization - having participated in the 5000 Meters for MRKH and spoken at the annual conference. When not participating in volunteering activities - Lillian is the SVP Retail Operations with Cadillac Fairview and has oversight of the Canadian portfolio of shopping centres. She has been in property management for over 29 years – with over 25 of those years at Cadillac Fairview – working in various roles, beginning in accounting, moving on to leasing and General Manager roles. In 2021 she moved into the VP Office Operations role overseeing Western Canada before moving into the national role in January 2024, relocating from her hometown of Vancouver to Toronto - where she currently resides with her husband Fred and her beloved golden retriever, Daisy.
Welcome, Lillian! ☺️
14/12/2024
Exciting research update! Our first collaborative research project, The Bloom Study, partnered with Queen’s University, has officially been published in the Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology. Read our article, “Don’t give up, advocate for yourself”: A pilot study examining healthcare experiences of people with Mayer Rokitansky Küster Hauser syndrome (MRKH) here: https://www.jpagonline.org/article/S1083-3188(24)00350-4/fulltext
(Link in bio)
10/12/2024
We’re so sorry we had to cancel our November support group, but are happy to be back on December 18th with another. This virtual chat is only for those who have MRKH Syndrome. Join to connect with each other, make friends, ask questions and share each others’ stories.
Register on our website, MRKHcanada.ca
28/11/2024
MRKH Canada has officially hit a huge milestone since incorporating back in 2021… registered charity status! Becoming a registered charity in Canada is no small task, and it’s taken years to finally achieve, which makes it that much more exciting to announce!
What does this mean for MRKH Canada?
⁃ Being recognized as an official charity brings more credibility to our organization and the work we do
⁃ We can now provide tax receipts for donations
⁃ We can apply for grants and fundraise in more ways, which will allow us to do even more for the Canadian MRKH community! 💜
07/11/2024
Give the gift of MRKH awareness this Holiday season... Cozy hoodies, toques, T-Shirts, Bags, Mugs and More! MRKH Canada receives 10% of the proceeds from the online store, which was created for us by Specialty Trophies.
Want to connect with others who have MRKH? We’re officially launching monthly online support chats! Join us for the first of many, starting Wednesday, October 23rd at 7PM EST. These chats will take place as video calls on Google Meet.
Note: This chat will be monitored/moderated by a mental health expert to ensure the safety of those involved. This person may not have MRKH Syndrome, but does have an understanding of the condition.
Thank you to everyone who attended our first Toronto MRKH Conference on Saturday, September 28th. It was a great event with even greater company. We hope to see you all again next year!
15/09/2024
Get excited! The conference is fast approaching. Here is the agenda for the day. If you are planning to attend, please register soon, as we need to order the food! 😋
Are you planning to attend the Toronto MRKH Conference on September 28 and looking for a hotel room? We have a special group rate with Chelsea Hotel, just 5 minutes from the venue. Click the link below, or call the hotel directly, toll free, at 1-800-CHELSEA (243-5732) or 416-595-1975. Let them know you are booking with MRKH Canada to take advantage of the discounted group rate. The special rates are only available until September 3, so book soon!
26/08/2024
This year’s MRKH Conference is taking place on Saturday, September 28th in Toronto.
There will be multiple informative breakout sessions to attend, including a Fertility Fireside Chat with new Mom, Brianna, and her fertility specialist, Dr. Sharma, to learn more about the IVF/surrogacy journey.
Brianna has MRKH and just recently welcomed her first child - a daughter, into the world with the help of a surrogate.
Brianna is passionate about bringing awareness to surrogacy and normalizing conversations about fertility and different paths to parenthood. She has become a strong advocate amongst the fertility community, and will continue to share her story and use her voice to support others on their journeys to parenthood.
You can follow Brianna on Instagram
Dr. Prati A. Sharma is a trained reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist who has been in practice for over ten years. She is passionate about patient education and advocacy and is active on social media and has made various news and media appearances including Your Morning and CTV. Her interests include elective fertility preservation, IVF in the poor responder, third party reproduction, MRKH and PCOS. She is on the Board of Directors for Fertility Friends Foundation and the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS). She is a medical advisor to Carrot fertility, Bird&Be and Future Fertility.
To register for this year’s MRKH Conference, click the link in our bio or go to mrkhcanada.ca
20/08/2024
Hey you! Yes, you! What’re you doing on Saturday, September 28? Well, if you’re in the Toronto area (or have the means of traveling), consider coming to our annual conference! This year, it will be held at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research & Learning in Toronto, ON from 9am-4pm. Tickets are only $20/person and include a light breakfast and lunch. Register here: https://www.mrkhcanada.ca/event-details/toronto-mrkh-conference-2 (Link also in bio.)
10/08/2024
Down at today! Beautiful day to spread awareness about MRKH Syndrome. 💕
29/07/2024
A very special Happy Birthday goes out to..... us! 🎂That’s right! MRKH Canada is celebrating our 3rd birthday today. 🎉 We’ve accomplished a lot in 3 years... here are the Top 3 initiatives we’re most proud of:
1️⃣ MRKH Specialist Directory (It’s no easy task finding a doctor familiar with MRKH. That’s why we’ve coordinated a list of doctors around the country who DO know what MRKH is.) Check it out here: https://www.mrkhcanada.ca/directory (Link also in bio)
2️⃣ Raising over $23.5 K with our annual 5000 Metres for MRKH Fundraiser over the last three years to help us continue our mission!
3️⃣ Launching an annual in-person Canadian MRKH Conference to bring the MRKH community together for support, connection and education. Reminder: our upcoming Conference is on September 28th in Toronto. You can register here: https://www.mrkhcanada.ca/event-details/toronto-mrkh-conference-2 (Link also in bio)
✨🌸Special mention as well to The Bloom Study, a research collaboration with Queen’s University that explores the impact of MRKH on those with it and is currently being presented at national research conferences. This study will guide us towards what is most needed by the MRKH Community and help us create goals for the future.
What do you want to see from us next❔
26/07/2024
Registration is now open for this year’s MRKH Conference taking place on Saturday, September 28th. This year’s conference is being hosted in Toronto at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning. Registration is $20/person and includes a light breakfast, lunch and full day of conference activities, breakout sessions, speakers and support groups from 9am-4pm. All are welcome. (Those with MRKH, their family members, friends, medical professionals and partners.)
We’d like to inform you it is national ice cream day! Please go out and TREAT YO SELF! Who said self care couldnt come in the form of an ice-cream cone!? 😉🍦🍨
Comment below your favourite flavour!
Photo by Teejay
12/07/2024
Friday MRKH Fact! Did you know MRKH Syndrome occurs within the first few months of developing in the womb? It is a congenital condition, meaning those of us with MRKH Syndrome are born with it.
Want to learn more about the development of MRKH? Check out our video filmed by Sunni Anne Ball in collaboration with Dr. Amy Lossie from the Beautiful You MRKH Foundation: https://youtu.be/HYjoO20HRL8?si=HxNmSeMGx_iBzg_V
09/07/2024
We’re excited to share with you one of our guest speakers for the 2024 MRKH Conference: LILLIAN TUMMONDS!
Lillian will speak about her journey being diagnosed with MRKH Syndrome 32 years ago and how she ended up drawing strength from her diagnosis rather than seeing it as a weakness.
Lillian is just one of the inspiring people who will be at the conference sharing her story.
Come join us for a full day of education, empowerment and support on Saturday, September 28 in Toronto.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when MRKH Canada posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Want your business to be the top-listed Event Planning Service?
Share
Our Story
Hi there!
This event started out as the "First Ever Kingston MRKH Conference" in 2018 and was started by MRKH advocate Ashley Clark (that's me!).
I was sick of travelling the 6-9 hour drive to the closest MRKH conference in Boston for support and networking with others born with MRKH. After receiving my diploma in Public Relations & Event Management, I decided to start my own conference for women in Canada.
After the first one was a success, I decided to make it an annual event. After my second conference, I caught the eye of Sick Kids, who asked if I would hold a conference with them in Toronto. That’s when I realized I couldn't call it the “Kingston MRKH Conference” anymore.
Since I am currently the only one in Canada hosting MRKH meet-ups (that I'm aware of), I’ve decided to brand my advocacy as “Canada’s MRKH Conference”! I hope by creating this name for myself it will expand into more than just my meet-up and that I can provide other MRKH women & specialists resources to supporting and educating one another.
WHAT’S MY STORY?
Hey there! I’m Ashley. I was born and raised in Kingston, ON. I was also born with MRKH Syndrome, just like 1 in 5000 other women in the world. I was diagnosed at the age of 16 and told I would never be able to carry a child or have a period. My MRKH symptoms included an underdeveloped uterus and the absence of a cervix and va**na, but I know many others have additional oddities like missing kidneys or spinal issues.
Through high school, I kept MRKH mostly to myself apart from my close friends and family. But deep down I knew, it wasn’t something I wanted to hide. I discovered the supportive sisterhood of MRKH women online and it changed my life for the better. I decided I wanted to be part of that change for others.
I slowly began telling more people about MRKH, conquering the shame of having the syndrome. It was in my fourth and final year of college when I officially took the plunge and came ‘out’ with it. I graduated from Public Relations and Event Management and immediately put my diploma to use, launching my first MRKH Conference. Now, I am an active advocate of the MRKH Community. On top of organizing my own conference, I have volunteered and spoken at the Boston Children’s Hospital MRKH Conference, held fundraisers for MRKH, raising public awareness and grabbing media attention and even gone as far as educating a high school classroom about my syndrome.
