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‘Teen zone’ for Cancer Patients

“It’s a dream come true for a young Winnipeg woman, although sadly, she’s not here to see it.

Teenage cancer patient Kendra McBain struggled not only with the deadly disease, she also vowed to make the awful experience a little more comfortable for other teens living the same reality.

With bright colors, comfy furniture and a big screen TV, it’s the ultimate teenage hangout.

But it’s a room in the most unlikely of places with meaning beyond what the eye can see.

“She chose to be treated as a pediatric patient but she recognized in the course of three years that she went through treatment, that she really wasn’t one or the other. She wasn’t a child & she wasn’t an adult,” explains Tammy McBain.”

To read the full story on Kendra’s dream and the new ‘Teen Zone’ in Winnipeg please click here.

Posted on May 31, 2010 - 10:03 AM by Lesley

Cancer Connections Finale in Ottawa

PhotoSensitive, in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society has been hosting the travelling Cancer Connections photo exhibition to increase awareness of cancer and engage Canadians in a conversation about the cancer experience.

The finale of this project is taking place on Tuesday, June 1st at Major’s Hill Park, Ottawa

(close to the Chateau Laurier Hotel) at 12 noon

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This will be a wonderful way to celebrate an amazing two years in which the exhibition has visited every province in Canada.

The Cancer Connections group wanted to send a note to the subjects of the show: As the show travelled across the country, it did experience some damage due in part to freak weather conditions and other external reasons. Sadly, due to space constraints, some of those damaged panels were not replaced.

The vast majority of the photos that appeared in the travelling show will be on display in Ottawa (around 530). They will also have a touch screen unit for the duration of the opening, which will be displaying every single one of the 1,000 Cancer Connections images.

If you are planning on coming to Ottawa and concerned that your photo may be among the damaged panels, please email the Project Coordinator (James Burns, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) and he will confirm with you whether it is still in the show.

Congratulations to the whole PhotoSensitive team! It has been a successful two years and we hope they have a great turnout at their finale!

For more information on the project please visit the Cancer Connections Site by clicking here.

Posted on May 28, 2010 - 09:54 AM by Lesley

Having a Baby After Cancer

By Kimberly Goad, Woman’s Health

“Side effects of cancer treatments can include early menpoapuse, but there are new medical advances to help female cancer patients preserve their ability to have a baby. Why aren’t doctors talking about this with their patients before treating them?

Shortly before her surgery, Alice found out that an old friend from high school, Patty Bernardo, then 34 and a senior consultant for an I.T. firm in Fairfax, Virginia, had been diagnosed with breast cancer too. Their cases were similar. Like Alice, Patty’s course of treatment included a bilateral mastectomy, breast reconstruction, and chemotherapy, followed by a year on the antiestrogen drug Tamoxifen. Unlike Alice, Patty was married, though she and her husband of 11 years hadn’t yet started a family. When her team of doctors asked her if she had kids, she answered each of them the same way: “Not yet. Maybe someday.” Her breast surgeon said he hated that she wouldn’t be able to breast-feed her future children. Her oncologist was hopeful: Chemo could throw her into premature menopause, he said, but the chances of getting her period back should be high.

Patty says neither doctor talked to her about fertility preservation. Just the opposite, in fact. By the time her original cancer treatment was behind her, her medical team concurred, she’d be 37—still young enough to have a baby. It wasn’t until Alice mentioned her frozen eggs and embryos that Patty even knew of the possibilities. But by then, she had completed chemo. It was too late.”

To read this full article on having a baby after cancer click here.

Posted on May 26, 2010 - 11:15 AM by Lesley

Overcoming Age Limits in Cancer Clinical Trials

Although this article has an American focus, the issue still exists for young adult cancer survivors in Canada and around the world.

“More than 90 percent of children diagnosed with cancer participate in clinical trials. Perhaps not surprisingly, the greatest improvements in cancer therapeutics in the past 2 decades have been in pediatric oncology. Meanwhile, two groups—adolescents and young adults(AYA) between the ages of 15 and 39 and the elderly (see the sidebar)—continue to lag far behind when it comes to clinical trials participation.

AYAs are far less likely to enroll in trials than children and middle-aged adults. The reasons include inadequate health insurance, lack of access and referrals to specialized cancer treatment centers, and the fact that clinicians don’t know of trials for people who fall outside of the age groups for which trials and treatments have traditionally focused. Nonetheless, AYA participation in clinical trials is crucial to the advancement of effective therapies for that age group.

“Twenty-five-year-olds need to participate in clinical trials if we are going to make progress for 25-year-olds,” said Dr. Karen Albritton, director of AYA Oncology at the University of North Texas and Cook Children’s Hospital. “

Click here to read this full article on young adults and cancer clinical trials.

Posted on May 24, 2010 - 05:44 PM by Lesley

Working with cancer: For many Canadians, it’s not always a choice

When New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton revealed last week that he had prostate cancer, many in the national press corps expressed surprise that he was not stepping down. Political allies and opponents alike lauded his courage and determination in austere terms that left the impression the NDP boss had one foot in the grave.

Mr. Layton was much more sanguine. He made himself the butt of a few jokes and was soon back to his regular work, staging a press conference to denounce unacceptable levels of poverty among women and children in Canada and internationally.

And so it should be.

Virtually everyone diagnosed with cancer continues with their daily activities – including paid work, volunteering, recreational outings and care-giving duties – during their treatment and beyond.
Many keep working out of necessity because they do not have good insurance plans, job security or money tucked away for a rainy day.
Others, like Mr. Layton, do so to keep a sense of normalcy because they do not want a pesky tumour dictating how they live.
Cancer treatment has changed a lot over the years. There are still three basic forms – surgery, radiation and chemotherapy – but it is far less debilitating than in the past.

A man with prostate cancer can be in surgery on Thursday and be back to work on Monday. He can get radiation treatment in the morning and keep a lunch appointment. Or he can get chemotherapy then head out on a business trip and, in many cases now, not lose his hair either.

But let’s not sugar-coat reality. Treatment can also be hard: physically, emotionally and financially.

To read the full article Work and Cancer

Posted on May 21, 2010 - 05:34 AM by Karine

Tips for talking with your children about cancer

By Sheryl M. Ness, Mayo Clinic

“It’s never easy to talk with your family and friends about your cancer diagnosis, but when you have children it’s even more difficult. Over the years, I’ve worked with many parents who have wanted to know the best way to approach the subject with their children.”

Click here to read this full article about tips for talking to your children about cancer.

Posted on May 20, 2010 - 11:42 AM by Lesley

Halifax Info Session: ‘Cancer & Emotional Distress’

Cancer Care Nova Scotia (CCNS) is presenting “Cancer and Emotional Distress - Coping Strategies” with speaker Dr. Janice Howes, Psychologist at Capital Health and Psychosocial Oncology Clinical Leader at Cancer Care Nova Scotia will be held on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 from 7- 8:30 pm. 

The speaker will be at the Royal Bank Theatre in the Halifax Infirmary and 20 communities in Nova Scotia will participate via telehealth.  Amherst, Antigonish,  Baddeck, Bridgewater, Canso, Chester, Dartmouth, Eskasoni, Evanston, Guysborough, Kentville, Middle Musquodoboit, New Glasgow, Shelburne, Sherbrooke, Sydney, Tatamagouche, Truro, Windsor and Yarmouth will host sessions.  Please click here to access more information on this event.

Posted on May 19, 2010 - 05:48 PM by Lesley