Support the Biggar Endowment by making a donation online or
call 416-424-3809.
Biggar and Better
When asked just how many bow ties he actually owns, Dr. Doug Biggar’s response is a little sheepish: “Quite a few.” His collection of holiday and kid-themed bow ties is extensive, and the subject of much speculation for the children at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.
“The kids bet on what bow tie I’ll be wearing that day,” says Dr. Biggar who began wearing his trademark accessory 40 years ago when he was a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. Working with children, Dr. Biggar found that conventional ties were too tempting for the kids to grab. A bow tie proved to be a simple solution, and, he reasoned, an effective way to be remembered: “What doctor did you see? The guy with the bow tie.”
Tie or no tie, Dr. Biggar is not easily forgotten. His kindness and upbeat personality stand out.
Vivien Harris, a research nurse, has known Dr. Biggar since 1986 when he began working at Holland Bloorview as its Medical Director. They began working together in the mid 1990s when Dr. Biggar became involved in neuromuscular disorders.
“He’s a very caring person,” she says. “He works collaboratively with the staff and other professionals and takes time with the families, doing all sorts of extra things such as getting tickets for young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy to see sporting events. He has a real bond with the families.”
This bond is evident in his office, which is filled with photos and memorabilia of the children and families he has served for more than 25 years. Outside of Holland Bloorview, through his volunteer work as a board director for various charities, he focuses on helping kids in need and their families. Families come first, and that includes his own. When asked about his greatest milestones, he is quick to tell you of his two sons, Kirk and Nigel who have grown to be happy fathers themselves.
When it comes to his multifaceted career in pediatric care and research, Dr. Biggar says that the secret to his happiness was figuring out when to “pull the cord.”
“Life is a bus ride. You ride the bus and if the bus makes a left hand turn and you want to go straight you have a choice. You can go left and grump about it or you can pull the cord, get off, stand on the corner and wait for another bus to come along. You can’t be afraid to pull the cord.”
Dr. Biggar pulled the cord while he was enjoying a career in consultation and research at Sick Kids. Until then, he was researching how the body defends itself against infections. When his son, Nigel was hit by a drunk driver and received rehabilitation treatment at Holland Bloorview, Dr. Biggar was approached to be its Medical Director.
“I didn’t know anything about the field, but you have to take risks. This was a huge risk. To go from a lab to something as non-measurable as pediatric rehabilitation was a big cord to pull.”
Dr. Biggar pulled the cord again when, after eight years as Medical Director, he wanted to focus more on family and patient care. At that time, Dr. Darcy Fehlings was the neuromuscular program’s physician, and she decided to focus her attention on cerebral palsy. Although he knew very little about neuromuscular diseases, Dr. Biggar was willing to take Dr. Fehlings place and soon became immersed in research to prolong the lives of boys and youth with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
DMD is a genetic disorder that affects one in 3,500 boys. Those who have it exhibit a progressive loss of muscle function. By the time they are around 10, they lose ambulation. When they are teenagers, they begin to lose respiratory and cardiac function. At the time Dr. Biggar began his work on this disorder most boys did not live much past the age of 20.
“The families then as now desperately needed someone with knowledge to discuss changes they saw in their boys, to cope with it and get in touch with other people facing the same disorder,” says Harris. “Dr. Biggar enjoys working with these families. There are so many aspects to it - physical, social and emotional.”
This need led Dr. Biggar to become involved in the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy Network to help develop standards of care on DMD to help parents and kids prepare for the various stages of the disorder, and to educate parents on the use of steroids in its treatment. He has also participated in CINRG, an International Neuromuscular Research Group since its inception to participate in research trials for DMD.
Dr. Biggar was intrigued by a study that Dr. Fehlings led regarding the role of steroids in preserving muscle function for children with DMD. Participants in the study were treated either with prednisone or deflazacort, which are corticosteroids, or nothing at all. It became clear that while both steroids did preserve muscle function, deflazacort’s side effects were not as severe as those of prednisone. Side effects include weight gain, mood swings, delayed puberty and bone deficiencies.
The drug company that sponsored the study withdrew prematurely. Dr. Biggar took it upon himself to devote his attention to the effects of deflazacort on DMD, accumulating a robust database on this steroid over the years. Ten years ago he pushed for this treatment, and since then, Canada has approved it as a special access drug.
Having pioneered the use of deflazacort for DMD, Dr. Biggar’s patients are living into adulthood, with some now in their 30s. This presents a new challenge. How to improve their quality of life as they get older?
Recognizing the importance of developing strong social networks, Dr. Biggar works with the young men to link them to one another through web-based channels.
Many are attending college and university, despite requiring extensive care. Their biggest challenge is in finding jobs after school. Less than one percent actually land work. Dr. Biggar would like to see that number dramatically increase.
Dr. Biggar is getting ready to pull that cord again, but will continue to work with colleagues at Holland Bloorview and around the world to create programs that help children and youth with neuromuscular disorders accomplish their goals and live their dreams.
To assist with this new initiative, friends of Dr. Biggar are creating The Biggar Endowment. Dr. Biggar will be actively involved in the early years of the Endowment through a project called MDLife, which will recruit a Holland Bloorview researcher, who is early in their career, to focus part of their research on developing innovative programs to meet the needs of youth with muscular dystrophy. Holland Bloorview Foundation is helping to raise $1 million to establish the Biggar Endowment.
Dr. Biggar has witnessed tremendous growth in Holland Bloorview over the past 25 years, manifested in its family-centric approach and improvements in measuring what it does. He attributes this growth to the vision and direction of leaders like current President and CEO, Sheila Jarvis. While he advises the next generation of professionals in rehabilitation to be prepared for more change, he knows they can also expect exciting careers.
“Holland Bloorview is a very healthy and a happy place. We are all here for the right reasons and that will bode well for the future. The model is working as it grows.”
Support the Biggar Endowment by making a donation online or
call 416-424-3809.
