When I was in my 20s I was experiencing extreme gastrointestinal issues to the point that my GP felt it necessary to refer me to a gastroenterologist.

I remember being nervous but hopeful in 2013 when I stepped into Dr. Cochrams office in Saint John, little did I know my entire life, sense of safety and fragile mental health were about to be turned on its head. I was directed to an exam room and told to put on a Johnny shirt and sit on the table. 

Dr Cochram comes in and immediately notices the scars on my legs and scoffs, asking; “why do you have those”? I explained that I had a very rough childhood and had resorted to self-injury. Immediately he starts in on why would you do that? Didn’t it hurt? Why would you do that?

After some awkward silence, he has me lay down on the table and starts to palpate my stomach asking if it hurts and asking more about my symptoms. While he is doing this he starts to have his hands creep up, he palpates my upper stomach, and bottom of my ribcage, and then starts to fondle my breasts. I was in shock and in complete disbelief at what had happened. Dr Cochram had acted like nothing had happened and so I went on autopilot and just coasted through the rest of the appointment. 

It wasn’t until I went home and had time to absorb what had happened that I realized that what had happened was sexual assault. I called the College of Physicians and Surgeons and spoke to the registrar Dr. Ed Schollenburg about what had happened. Dr. Schollenburg after hearing my concerns, told me if I was still upset, to ‘write a letter to get it out of my system’ and ‘if he got ten more complaints he would start to investigate’. Well. That didn’t sit well with me, so I hung up looked up the non-emergency phone number and called the police.

Taking this step came with significant financial and emotional costs. I had to take time off work for medical appointments, the police investigation, and therapy sessions to cope with the trauma. The expenses for anxiety and depression medications added to the strain, and the time spent pursuing justice meant lost income and increased stress over managing bills.

The police were very compassionate and took my statement and took it to the crown prosecutor. What happened next was shocking to me, my story hit the newspaper, then another woman reported, and another, and another and the next thing I knew, there were 23 women all reporting and some of these reports were of assaults that had occurred before I was even born. They went back as far as 1987.

The Saint John Regional Hospital took this very seriously and immediately restricted his privileges to work on female patients. The college did nothing. The police kept investigating. The college did nothing. The college publicly denied that they had received any complaints and were shocked to find out about it in the paper with police action being taken. They allowed Dr. Cochram to continue his private practice on women. It wasn’t until it was splashed all over the papers that the college made a token of actual responsibility and restricted him from women for three years and to have some education on appropriate behaviour.

Ultimately the crown decided to not go ahead with the charges, they were uncertain of it being a slam dunk case and therefore decided not to mess up their win-loss ratio. But I still feel like I won. I spoke up. I got others to speak up and address their trauma. I protected other women and did not allow a predator to go unchecked. Now any woman who is referred to Dr. Cockram can Google him and be aware that they need to be careful around this man, they will know even though he escaped a jail sentence he is not to be trusted and not to be alone with.

Beyond the emotional toll, this experience forced me to reassess my financial priorities. Therapy sessions, legal consultations, and the time spent fighting for justice meant reallocating funds from other areas of my life. However, these investments in my mental health and advocacy were crucial for my recovery and for creating change.

The college failed me and so many others. The courts failed us. But I did not fail, I did not take this lying down. I did not allow this man in a position of trust and authority to continue to prey on those who trust him. By now Dr. Cochram has likely retired, but I still can hold my head up and say that I stood up and did not allow the cycle of abuse to continue, he has been outed and now he is never going to be able to hide in the shadows and abuse others.

This story highlights the intersection of resilience, financial planning, and advocacy. While the costs were high, they were essential in achieving justice and ensuring the safety of others. It’s a reminder that financial literacy and resilience extend beyond numbers—they’re tools for empowering change and overcoming adversity.