Amy Mathers

Amy was born with Glycogen Storage Disease Type 3A, a rare type of muscular dystrophy. At the age of 5, Amy had a liver transplant. When she was 27, after 5 years of heart failure, she had a heart transplant. This year, she also received a kidney transplant following four years of dialysis. In her late 20s, Amy began needing an electric wheelchair due to mobility challenges.

An advocate about disability and illness issues, Amy is also an expert on Canadian Teen Fiction. In 2014, her Marathon of Books, inspired by Terry Fox & Rick Hansen, raised money to start the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award through the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

As a consultant at Hope for Families Counselling Centre with her psychotherapist sister, Holly, Amy used teen fiction as resources for a group for young adults who had a family member or friend with cancer. Amy and Holly co-wrote and taught a course for Conestoga College entitled Assisting Families Dealing with Chronic Illness for professionals with health care related jobs. They also co-developed an organizer resource called The Phoenix Pages for people dealing with illness to help them manage their illnesses and live their lives.