A 78-year-old Prince George resident says he felt compelled to speak out after hearing about the growing number of measles cases being reported across Canada.
As of July 14, 2025, there were 3,822 confirmed measles cases nationwide, according to the Government of Canada’s health website.
Barry Bertrand, who had measles as a child, reached out to The Citizen to share how the illness permanently changed the course of his life.
Bertrand was 12, about to turn 13, in 1960. At the time, he lived in Victoria and was enrolled in an advanced placement program at school due to his academic performance. But after contracting measles, everything changed.
“I went from getting great grades to not even being able to recognize the kids I grew up with,” said Bertrand. “My memory was gone — I couldn’t retain anything.”
Bertrand said it all began while he was doing his paper route.
“I caught a really bad cold while I was out collecting money,” he said. “Next thing you know, I ended up in a coma.”
His mother put him to bed, and when she tried to wake him up the next morning, she couldn’t.
“She called the ambulance. I was in a coma for 14 days.”
Doctors diagnosed Bertrand with measles-related encephalitis — a swelling of the brain that can lead to serious, lasting complications.
“You don’t just wake up from a coma and you’re normal again,” he said. “I spent three months in the hospital. I had to learn how to walk again. I don’t think they knew too much about it back then, and there wasn’t much treatment except physio. When I went back to school, I couldn’t remember anything.”
Memory problems continued to affect Bertrand throughout his high school years. Eventually, he made the difficult decision to leave school.
“I remember sitting on the back step reading a book, and when I finished, I realized I had no idea what I just read,” he said. “It was embarrassing. That’s when I decided school wasn’t for me anymore. I couldn’t learn anything. I quit after Grade 10 and went to work logging.”
Bertrand went on to work in mining and returned briefly to high-lead logging before joining the military at age 19. He served for five years.
“I still had memory problems,” he said. “When the commander told me to go left or right, I’d go the opposite way. But for the most part, I managed.”
Bertrand said his memory didn’t begin to improve until his 30s — and even then, he continued to experience lingering effects.
“It affected my life pretty drastically,” he said. “When I was younger, I planned to go to university, but even trade school felt out of reach after measles.”
After his time in the military, Bertrand worked in corrections for the B.C. government, a job that brought him to Prince George more than 50 years ago.
“It was a tough job,” he said. “But I had to feed the kids.”
He believes his life would have looked very different had he not contracted measles, and he encourages people to consider vaccination.
According to the Government of Canada, a single dose of a measles-containing vaccine given after 12 months of age is up to 95 per cent effective. Two doses provide about 99 per cent protection.
“The vaccination is there — why not use it?” Bertrand said. “The chance of losing a loved one — a child — that doesn’t have to happen anymore. And don’t think it can’t happen to you. It happened to me.”
Bertrand credits his wife, Lois, with helping him navigate the challenges that came with the long-term effects of measles.
“I married a great woman,” he said. “Lois helped me through a lot.”
Together, the couple raised two sons. Bertrand said memory issues still persist today.
“Unless I write it down, I’ll go to the store for three things and come back with two — but that just might be a man thing,” he joked.
His message to others is simple:
“Just get vaccinated.”
To view the most recent measles case numbers in Canada, visit: health-infobase.canada.ca/measles-rubella
