April Hubbard, a 40-year-old Halifax-based arts administrator and performer, postponed her medically assisted death to attend the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards gala in Ottawa, where she received the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts.
Initially planning to undergo medical assistance in dying (MAID) before the event, Hubbard instead chose to rewrite her acceptance speech and make the journey in person, describing the surreal experience of preparing for an event she never thought she’d live to see.
Hubbard lives with tethered cord syndrome, a painful degenerative condition linked to spina bifida, which forced her to use a wheelchair by age 17. Her condition ended her acting career prematurely, but she redirected her passion into arts administration and accessibility advocacy, particularly within Halifax’s theatre scene.
Over the years, she has worked to make venues more inclusive, from the Halifax Fringe Festival to the Bus Stop Theatre. She also returned to performing in 2019 through LEGacy Circus, embracing her body’s uniqueness on stage, and later developed her drag persona, Crip Tease, during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Despite her declining health and ongoing severe pain, Hubbard remains determined to leave behind a legacy of inclusion and visibility for disabled artists. Her award recognizes decades of dedication to reshaping the arts landscape in Nova Scotia and beyond.
Swifteradio.com
