A look at childhood spent on a surgical wait list

Plus, mysterious burns in Gaza and Ontario's 2SLGBTQ+ students [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on children’s struggles in Ontario’s pediatric health system, mysterious burns in Gaza and the experiences of 2SLGBTQ students in Ontario schools. DON’T MISS Richard Lautens/The Star the kids aren't all right [She needed life-changing surgery on her leg, but waited months — then years]( When Bahar was nine, her surgeon determined that she would soon need a complex surgery to lengthen her right leg and shorten her left — the third of four procedures to correct the difference. By the time she was 11, the surgery was still overdue, Megan Ogilvie reports. Like Bahar, thousands of Ontario children are forced to wait months or years to undergo much-needed surgeries, experiencing pain, daily challenges and long-term setbacks as a result. Most crucially, they risk having their surgeries outside the safe medical window. [Here’s how Ontario’s underfunded and undersized pediatric health system got here](. - By the numbers: Roughly 6,500 children are waiting for surgery at SickKids, up from 5,600 in the spring of 2022. More than two-thirds — most of whom are under 10 years old — won’t have their surgery within the appropriate time frame. - Edward Keenan’s take: You can tell where a city is headed by how well its children are doing. [Our kids should be a wake-up call]( Abed Khaled/AP Photo Israel-Hamas war [Doctors in Gaza say they’re seeing intense, unusual burns after Israeli airstrikes]( Palestinian doctors say they’re seeing burns that are melting straight through to bone in an alarming number of patients — unlike anything they’ve seen before. It’s unclear what weapon Israel is using to cause the wounds, but Gaza Strip health officials are appealing for information, Allan Woods reports. [Take a look at doctors’ efforts to treat the mysterious burns as they face dangerously low supplies](. - More: Israel launched a brief ground raid into Gaza, which the Israeli military said was to [“prepare the battlefield” ahead of expected wider incursion](. - Go deeper: The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 6,546 Palestinians have died and more than 17,439 have been injured. On Wednesday, an Israeli strike killed the wife, son and daughter of Wael Dahdouh, a veteran Al-Jazeera correspondent in Gaza. - On the home front: MPP Sarah Jama’s removal is dividing the Ontario NDP. [Here’s what New Democrats — and party leader Marit Stiles — are saying](. Steve Russell/The Star education [2SLGBTQ+ students are speaking out about how rising backlash is playing out in schools]( A month has passed since nationwide demonstrations saw anti-2SLGBTQ rights protesters face off against counter protestors, but the push for “parental rights” in schools continues, Emily Fagan reports. Last week, Saskatchewan passed a bill to require students under the age of 16 to get parental consent before changing their pronouns in school. New Brunswick passed a similar policy three months prior. In August, Ontario’s education minister said “parents must be fully involved” if their child uses different pronouns at school, though he didn’t say the province would pursue a bill. [Here’s how 2SLGBTQ+ students described their hardships at school — and at home](. - Context: Many 2SLGBTQ+ students feel the adults supporting “parental rights” bills haven’t taken the time to understand their perspectives over their personal rights to privacy and autonomy, or considered the danger the debates have put them in. - Go deeper: According to recent studies, transgender and gender-nonconforming students face higher rates of homelessness and suicidal ideation than their cisgender peers. WHAT ELSE Sources say Doug Ford’s housing minister is scrambling to clean up the Greenbelt mess. [These are the steps he’s taken](. At least 16 people have died in a mass killing in Maine. [Police are searching for the shooter as residents take shelter](. Breaking up is hard to do. [Here’s why BlackBerry must be put out of its misery and sold for parts](. A video of a cat being snatched by coyotes shocked a family. [But sightings are actually declining in Toronto](. The majority of Canadian homeowners are worried about mortgage renewals — [even as interest rates hold](. [Toronto police have recovered $60 million in stolen vehicles]( and charged more than 200 people. It seems like everyone’s sick. [Here’s what to know as COVID-19 booster and flu shot bookings open in Toronto](. “You can’t bottle up demand forever.” [GTA home sales back on the rise after three-month lows](. [This is why you’re seeing so many “Halloween beetles” in Toronto]( even in your home. Spooky season has arrived. [Here’s what to do in Toronto this Halloweekend](. POV Steve Russell/The Star [Ranking the Ontario Liberal leadership candidates: Who’s No. 1?]( CLOSE-UP Canadian Press/Nathan Denette LAKE ONTARIO: A man paddleboards during sunrise as the sun sparkles the water on a clear fall morning in Mississauga on Tuesday. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_202559). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](