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‘Sex is spoken here’: 50 years of life-changing impact
When Ed Bell received a life-changing injury, he was told that his dreams of having children were unlikely.
At the time, Ed had just celebrated his first anniversary with his wife Nancy, and they were planning to start a family in their new home.
Ed's physical rehabilitation after his injury was supported by physiotherapist Christine Carpenter, who later shifted to working with Dr. George Szasz at VCH's Sexual Health Rehabilitation Service (SHRS) and would become a key part of Ed and Nancy's journey to parenthood.
“Christine called me years later to ask, 'Are you still married? Are you still interested in having kids? We have some new stuff going on [at SHRS] you might be interested in,'" Ed recalls.
Ed became one of the first patients to test a new procedure at SHRS, and several months later, Nancy was pregnant. Their first child, Shannon, was born in 1990, followed by Celina in 1994.
SHRS was founded by Dr. Szasz in 1975 and remains the only comprehensive sexual health and reproductive service of its kind in Canada. The team has provided care for more than 6,500 clients and their partners over the last 18 years, and, in partnership with the Vancouver Sperm Retrieval Clinic, helped more than 125 babies come into the world—including Ed's children.
Even after 50 years, the program continues its innovative work to support patients' sexual health needs. SHRS has created a new micro credential in Sexual Health Rehabilitation in partnership with BCIT, which is open to all health-care professionals. The course reiterates the importance of sexual health as a key piece of overall health and well-being. It empowers health-care providers to improve their patient care by effectively promoting their patients' sexual health.
To find out more about the micro credential program, sign up for the virtual information session on Feb. 27, 2025.