Thanks to a 2015 settlement to compensate the victims of thalidomide, Johanne Hébert was able to get a custom-built walker.Selena Phillips-Boyle/The Globe and Mail

Susan Wagner-White splurged on a high-end Japanese bidet.

Gavin Bamber invested in a chairlift to help him get up the stairs.

Nelson Emond made a down payment on a home without stairs that could accommodate his wheelchair.

Johanne Hébert opted for a custom-built walker that allowed her to brake with her chin.

Alie Vachon now purchases precooked meals to avoid the gymnastics required for food preparation.

On the weekend, The Globe and Mail published a remarkable story highlighting how the lives of the victims of thalidomide have changed in the 10 years since they won a hard-fought battle for compensation.

The anniversary is a bittersweet one.

It is a reminder, once again, of the toll of one of the worst drug disasters in Canadian history.

From the archives: How thalidomide victims fought Ottawa to ease their pain

In the early 1960s, thousands of pregnant women were prescribed thalidomide to treat morning sickness and insomnia. Some of them had children with severe birth defects, like missing and deformed limbs, and many more suffered miscarriages and stillbirths. Many of the children died within the first year of........

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