Meritorious Service Medal
Awarded on: 2021-05-03
Invested on: 2024-05-08
Barbara Pasternak, M.S.M.
North York, Ontario
Barbara Pasternak founded the Diabetes Hope Foundation in 1999. Inspired by her two young sons who were both diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she was motivated to help other families cope with the emotional, social and financial impacts of this disease. The foundation helps Canadian youth live successfully within and beyond diabetes by creating and providing scholarships, mentorship and mental health peer-support programs, as well as funding for diabetes supplies and partnerships to improve access to care.