Believe | Spring/Summer 2014

believe A Canadian Cancer Society PUBLICATION

spring/summer 2014

TOP CHEF

Cooking for the cause

Safe grilling The taste of summer

Dog day afternoon The ultimate dog park experience

special day,

On your

recognize a loved one with a Wedding Tribute.

Make your wedding day even more memorable and meaningful by contributing to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Ask for donations instead of wedding gifts or make a donation in lieu of wedding favours.

For more ideas, visit cancer.ca/weddingtribute.

2 | Spring/Summer 2014

believe contents

on th e cov e r

Prevention An ounce of prevention

Cover photo by Marc J Chalifoux Photography

10

OUR SUPPORTERS

P1 2

Camaraderie, costumes and commitment 15

GOOD FOR YOU Safe grilling – the taste of summer

Ice cream with Papa Sticking it to cancer

P1 8

Cooking for the Cause Top chef shares kitchen secrets

17

20

Turning the rink pink

21

Living off the land

21

ADVOCACY Lean on me

24

Colon cancer check

P2 3

Sweet success

Dog day afternoon The ultimate dog park

26

27

Research

up front 5 From the editor’s desk

ON TRACK Every year during Relay For Life, you’ll

Cancer research breakthroughs

28

Your body's best defence

30

SUPPORT SERVICES AND Information When you need us, we are here 31

6 How cancer changed my life

find Myrna Peets and her team circling

Johnny lived above, beyond, call of duty

the track in Strathcona. She does it in

Practical support

8 Cancer fighters

the good fun of the all-night event.

32

33

honour of her mom’s memory and for

Voices When cancer hits home

LOOK FOR THESE SYMBOLS Read the enhanced online issue of Believe at cancer.ca/believe.

Read more about this topic on another page in this issue of Believe.

Visit our website for further information.

34

GET CONNECTED JOIN THE CONVERSATION.

believe

Thanks to our donors and volunteers, the Canadian Cancer Society has the most impact, against the most cancers, in the most communities in Canada. Building on our progress, we are working with Canadians to change cancer forever. Make your gift at cancer.ca.

Editorial and Creative Director Tiffany Kraus Managing Editor Deanna Kraus Contributors Edward Allen, Jennifer Allford, Joanna Balaski, Marc J Chalifoux, Christine Hopaluk, Mark Kolke, Deanna Kraus, Tiffany Kraus, Jason Stang, Paula Trotter, Calla Turnbull Copyediting and Production Natalie Cormier, Lisa Murphy, Emily Pratt, Paula Trotter

Follow us online and always have the latest information at your fingertips.

Design Jen Little

Mailed under Canadian Publications Agreement number 40065069. Please return undeliverable items to: Canadian Cancer Society, Alberta/NWT Division 200, 325 Manning Road NE Calgary, AB T2E 2P5 Believe is a semi-annual publication of the Canadian Cancer Society, Alberta/NWT Division.

It is distributed free of charge to the people of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, including people living with cancer, Canadian Cancer Society volunteers, donors, researchers and community health partners.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.

If you would like to reach us, please email us at believe@cancer.ab.ca or send your letters to:

Online Development Emily Pratt

Believe Magazine 200, 325 Manning Road NE Calgary, AB T2E 2P5

Printing

Thank you to the Calgary Herald, whose generous support makes Believe possible. If you too would like to become a Believe sponsor, please contact Tiffany Kraus at tiffany.kraus@cancer.ab.ca.

If you would like to be added or removed from our subscription list, please call 1-800-661-2262 or email believe@cancer.ab.ca.

office locations Calgary and District 200, 325 Manning Road NE Calgary, AB T2E 2P5 Phone 403-205-3966 Fax 403-205-3979

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cancer.ca cancer.ca/believe cancer.ca/progressreport cancer.ca/albertaresearch 4 | Fall 2013 • Winter 2014

For information about cancer, our support services or to make a donation, call us at 1-888-939-3333 or visit cancer.ca. We are here to help.

from the

EDITOR's desk

motherless

daughters For the most part, I celebrate the "tier two" holidays. I wear green on St. Patrick's Day, the Easter bunny comes by my house (Milk-Bones, Snausages and rock T-shirts for my dachshund), and I can usually be seen wearing a Hockey Canada shirt on July 1. But the second Sunday in May – I call that day Black Sunday. I hate Mother’s Day. The game changing Mother's Day for me was many moons ago. To give you an idea, my heroes at the time were Carol Burnett, Sonny and Cher and, of course, my beautiful (dying) mother.

To be fair, I had just turned six, and no one told me she was dying, and even if they had, I don't think I would have understood. But I knew she was sick, and I knew she was in the hospital and I knew I was going to make her proud of me that Mother's Day. I wasn’t going to cry.

The hospital ward she was in didn't allow children but an exception had been made, as long as "we were good." When my dad gave this directive to my brother and me, I knew he was talking to me. Last time we’d been allowed to visit, I had unleashed my fiery redheaded temper, and demanded my mom come home. This time, I was determined to be stoic like my nine-year-old brother. (I envied him for the way he instead cried himself to sleep so he wouldn't upset Mom, me or our dad).

Go to relayforlife.ca to find a Relay For Life near you.

On that second Sunday in May, I convinced myself if I was just good enough she would come back home and be my mom again. Six-year-old minds work in funny ways, especially when their hearts are breaking.

She didn't come home. She died three weeks later. For years I thought it was because of my Mother's Day temper tantrum (despite my best efforts, I couldn’t remain stoic like my big brother). My world changed that day, but my need to make her proud remains. A need, I believe, that is a result of having become a motherless daughter so early in life.

But I knew she was sick, and I knew she was in the hospital and I knew I was going to make her proud of me that Mother's Day. I wasn’t going to cry.

And that is one of the reasons I have dedicated my career to fighting cancer with the Canadian Cancer Society. But I am far from alone. I have met so many others – fundraisers, volunteers and staff – who have channelled their pain and loss to make a real difference in the fight against cancer.

In this issue, you will read about Myrna Peets who lost her mom 30 years ago, when Myrna was only 19. Her Strathcona Relay For Life team, called Bright Lights, has raised more than $225,000 in the eight years they’ve been together.

Because of fundraising like Myrna's, we are seeing major advances in the fight against cancer and for some of the over 200 types of cancer, survival rates are on the rise. But the disease is still stealing too many mothers, and breaking too many hearts. If your heart is one of them, this issue of Believe is dedicated to you. ö

Tiffany Kraus Editorial and Creative Director

believe | 5

It’s hard to go out in public without hair. I was extremely self-conscious and I rarely went out.

Having a wig service can be the difference between having somewhat of a normal life and hiding in your home. When I went to the salon to find a wig, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Erin Lynch and her son, Jonathan.

Confidence restored

By Jennifer Allford

E

rin Lynch had always loved her thick hair and when she started losing it after starting chemotherapy for breast cancer, she felt vulnerable. “Not only do you feel sick but you really don’t look like yourself,” she says. “Hair is something that can lift your spirits and when it’s gone it’s very hard to feel good about yourself.”

Erin turned to the Canadian Cancer Society’s Wig Lending Program.

“Having that wig service was a really big deal,” she says. “I sat there and cried as this girl was telling me to take whatever wig I wanted.” When her hair started growing back in, Erin’s stylist – the same woman who shaved her head months earlier – encouraged her to keep the grey. “So I have grey hair, with a five-year-old, but I get compliments all the time.”

6 | Spring/Summer 2014

Q What is one thing cancer showed you?

A

The nurses had prepared me that one of the hardest things chemotherapy patients go through is losing their hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. For two days when my hair started coming out, I just sat with a brush and a garbage can beside me and I just kept brushing and brushing. My hairdresser had given me her cellphone number and said she would shave my head for me when I was ready. It was her day off but I met her at her shop and she shaved it for me and I sat there and cried. I don’t think she ever truly knew how much her kindness meant to me on that day. ö

finding perspective

By Jennifer Allford

I

n 2005, Joanne Alexander had surgery to treat stage 1 cervical cancer. The doctors removed some lymph nodes to see whether the cancer had metastasized and when the results came back: “It was the best news in the world that it hadn’t spread.”

I’m much more aware of how amazing our bodies are and how everything has to function so well for us to be healthy.

Before, I was only vaguely aware of what the lymphatic system was and now I know where it is, how it drains and what it does. I have a richer, deeper understanding of the miracle that we are.

But the surgery compromised her lymphatic system, and years later she was diagnosed with secondary lymphedema in her right leg.

“The fluids that the lymphatic system normally clears won’t clear anymore, they just stay in my leg,” she explains. “To give my leg some help, I will wear compression stockings for the rest of my life.”

Joanne also gets special massages and has to avoid getting any cuts on her leg because they won’t heal, creating the risk of serious infection.

“It’s small compared to actively fighting cancer, but it’s still quite serious and it’s changed my life.” And given her perspective: “It’s so much clearer to me now that life’s everyday things are also life’s greatest joys.” ö Read about how Joanne, part of senior management with Calgary’s Precision Drilling, has joined forces with the Society on page 18.

Q A

What have you learned through your experience with cancer?

From the moment I get up until the time I go to bed, I have to wear a prescription strength stocking that covers my foot all the way up to the top of my leg. It’s changed how I live my life but it’s not going to change what I do with my life. I can still be active and I want people to know it’s okay to wear miniskirts and a compression stocking. I want to get one printed with a tattoo. If I have to wear it, I might as well look hip.

believe | 7

Cancer

Fighters Shelby Mistecki • Age: 27 Hometown: Battleford, Saskatchewan

TOP LEFT PHOTO: Shelby (right) and Krystal Ralph at Relay.

BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO: Shelby (third from left), surrounded by her sisters and friends.

TOP RIGHT PHOTO: Shelby and her surviving grandparents, Grandma Mitchell and Grandpa Thompson.

Relay For Life raised $46.5 million across Canada last year.

8 | Spring/Summer 2014

BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO: Shelby and husband, Jan.

The Canadian Cancer Society has a tremendous army of cancer fighters – people from every walk of life, including young, old and in between. And everyone has their own unique perspective. Meet Cancer Fighter Shelby Mistecki, who now calls Fort McMurray home, and has raised $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society since 2003.

How has cancer touched your life?

I have lost two grandparents to cancer, one in 2008 and the other in 2009.

Why do you choose to fight back at Relay For Life?

Relay For Life gives me the opportunity to join forces with other cancer fighters, survivors, and caregivers to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

What is your favourite thing about Relay?

Each and every year, the Survivors’ Victory Lap is my favourite part of the night. Seeing the sea of yellow (cancer survivors wear yellow T-shirts at Relay) being cheered on by Relay families all over the country is so empowering – it gives you hope and reminds you that we are making a difference.

TOP 3 reasons TO SUPPORT THE SOCIETY

research Our internationally renowned peer-review system chooses only the best, most promising research. With support from our donors, we fund more cancer research, on more types of cancer, than any other national charity.

Turn to pages 28-30 to read more.

What is your favourite Relay memory?

I have a lot of favourite memories, but my favourite has to be meeting my Relay “sister”, Krystal Ralph – I’ve shared my Relay journey with her for the past four years.

If cancer was in the room, what would you say?

Give up already. We have a very big and very strong team fighting against you and it's only a matter of time.

What is the most important thing in your life?

My family.

Who is your hero?

My hero is each and every Relayer who has decided to join the fight against cancer.

Finish this sentence: One day I hope to … say loud and proud we have found a cure for cancer.

PUBLIC POLICY We’re fighting to improve the lives and health of all Canadians through public policy changes – including financial support and job protection for caregivers, equitable access to cancer drugs, and protection from the lethal risks of tobacco.

And our fight to ban underage indoor tanning and the use of cosmetic pesticides continues.

Turn to pages 24-27 to read more.

What is Relay For Life?

Relay For Life is a celebration of survival, a tribute to the lives of loved ones, and a night of fun, friendship and fundraising that will change cancer forever. Participants team up and take turns walking around the track for 12 hours through the night because cancer never sleeps, so neither do Relayers. The money raised at Relay For Life helps the Canadian Cancer Society fund innovative and impactful cancer research, provide crucial support and information to people living with cancer, and advocate for public policies that reduce cancer risk and improve the quality of life for those living with the disease. Join us this year as we celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost to the disease, and to fight back. Find a Relay For Life event near you at relayforlife.ca.

CHANGIN G MORE LIVES No other Canadian cancer charity does as much as we do – from prevention initiatives and support for people living with cancer to end-oflife issues. Turn to pages 31-33 to read more.

Make your gift today at cancer.ca.

believe | 9

prevention

AN Ounce of Prevention Get outside ...

Being active can help you maintain a healthy body weight, helping to decrease your risk of certain cancers. Summer is a perfect time to get outside and move. Here are few ideas, but the options are endless.

Spend a day splashing around AT your favourite lake.

Take your workout outside

Look for outdoor yoga classes and boot camps.

Wheel around town

Take a family hike in the country or mountains.

Bike, inline skate, skateboard – remember your helmet and other protective gear.

10 | Spring/Summer 2014

Put away those shovels, parkas and snowbrushes. It’s finally the season of camping, sandcastle building and barbecuing. Here are a few tips to help you and your family enjoy the long days of summer – without increasing your risk of cancer.

Try something new like standup paddle boarding or bouldering.

prevention

... just be sure to practice SunSense.

If you can, plan your outdoor activities before 11 a.m. or after 4 p.m., when the sun is not at its strongest. Here are some other tips to protect yourself from cancer-causing ultraviolet (UV) rays while you play outside.

Cover up

Create your own shade

Wear a wide-brim hat that covers your head, face, ears and neck (baseball caps don’t give you enough protection), and your sunglasses.

Bring an umbrella to the beach or park.

Playing in or near the water?

Consider wearing a long sleeve rash guard in the water, and swimsuit cover on the beach or in a boat.

Vitamin D You likely know you can get vitamin D from the sun. But a little sunlight goes a long way – and you don’t need a tan to

Use sunscreen properly

get benefits from the sun. Even with the benefits of vitamin D (it is needed for healthy bones and muscles, and it may also reduce the risk of some cancers), the Society recommends you continue to practice SunSense.

Safer ways to get vitamin D are from your diet – including fortified foods – and supplements.

Learn more at cancer.ca.

Choose your sunscreen wisely

Use a minimum SPF of 30 if you’re planning to spend most of the day outside. Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen, so you’re protected from both UVA and UVB rays.

Apply a generous amount of sunscreen at least 20 minutes before you go outside – don’t forget your ears, nose, neck, any bald spots and the top of your feet. Your motto for the summer should be: reapply, reapply, reapply.

believe | 11

prevention

ood For you Who doesn’t love a summer barbecue? But if recent headlines that link barbecuing to cancer have you worried, just know there’s no need to give up your grill this summer.

Growing evidence does show cooking meats at high temperatures – barbecuing, pan-frying, broiling – creates chemical compounds that can be carcinogenic. But follow our grilling tips to safely enjoy your barbecue favourites this summer.

COOKING TIPS Barbecue slowly and keep the food away from the hot coals. Don’t char your meat.

Pre-cook your meat before throwing it on the grill. The less your food is on the grill, the less it will be exposed to chemicals.

Use an oil-free marinade that contains a strong acid, like lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, on your meat, poultry and fish before cooking. Studies have shown such marinades can prevent the formation of cancer-causing chemicals.

MEATS & Veggies Choose lean cuts of meat, poultry and seafood over higher-fat meats, and trim off any visible fat. Smoke created by burning fat carries harmful chemicals.

Grill veggies and fruit slices. Most experts agree plant-based foods do not form cancer-causing substances when cooked at high heat.

12 | Spring/Summer 2014

prevention

3T 2T 1T 1t 2 2

1 2 oz 2 oz 1

Grilled vegetables on focaccia Go online for more healthy barbecue recipes at cancer.ca/believe.

balsamic vinegar or wine vinegar water olive oil dried oregano, crushed large red and/or orange sweet peppers medium zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, halved crosswise and sliced thinly lengthwise medium eggplant, cut crosswise into half-inch slices soft goat cheese (chevre) fat-free cream cheese ready-made focaccia (approx 12-inch) Fresh oregano (optional)

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, water, oil and dried oregano. Cut sweet peppers in quarters, removing stems and seeds. Arrange all vegetables on grill; brush with vinegar mixture. Grill directly over medium heat, turning occasionally (8-10 minutes for peppers and eggplant; 5-6 minutes for squash). Cut peppers into strips.

In a small bowl, combine goat cheese and cream cheese. Cut focaccia in half crosswise. Split halves into 2 layers horizontally to form 4 pieces total.

Spread goat cheese mixture over bottom layers of focaccia. Top with grilled vegetables and cover with top halves of focaccia. To serve, cut into wedges. If desired, garnish with fresh oregano.

believe | 13

Planning for your future can be daunting.

Let us help. With the right plan, you can create a lasting legacy that will change cancer forever while ensuring that you and your family’s needs are well taken care of in your golden years.

For more information, visit cancer.ca or call 1-800-661-2262.

For confidential advice specific to your needs, please contact one of our volunteer gift planning financial advisors. Find a list of our advisors and how to contact them in the online issue of Believe at cancer.ca/believe.

 Send me the Personal Estate and Will Relay For Life needs Planning Guide.

 Mrs

 Ms

 Mr

 Other __________________________________

you! Be part of the biggest cancer Name __________________________________________________________ fundraiser and make the biggest impact in the fight against cancer.

 Alert me to upcoming estate planning and tax reduction seminars.

Address _________________________________________________________

Celebrate survivors, remember and honour loved ones, and fight City ____________________________________________________________  Contact me directly about estate and back against cancer.

Join your community and make a difference.

Province _______________________ Postal Code ______________________

will planning.

Home Phone ____________________________________________________ Register. Volunteer.

Donate.

Business Phone __________________________________________________ Find out more at relayforlife.ca.

Email ___________________________________________________________

 Keep me updated on the progress being made in cancer research. Email me the Society’s research newsletter.

200, 325 Manning Road NE • Calgary, Alberta T2E 2P5 Phone 1-800-661-2262 • Fax 403-205-3979 • cancer.ca

our supporters

Camaraderie, costumes commitment

Myrna Peets (right), decked out for Relay For Life with her mother-in-law, Marlene, a cancer survivor.

Why Relay For Life brings her back every year

By Jennifer Allford

M

yrna Peets traded in her door-to-door pen for an orange wig long ago, but she still needs a good pair of walking shoes.

Myrna, who helps organize the Relay For Life in Strathcona, started her fundraising career as a kid when her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her mom gathered dozens of canvassers, including her children, to hit the streets of Stony Plain, west of Edmonton, to knock on doors to raise money to fight cancer.

After her mom died in 1986, Myrna – who was only 19 – moved away from Stony Plain and, years later, on a visit back to her hometown, she saw that the canvassing efforts her mom had started had waned, so she got a crew together to get out

door knocking again. “My mom had spent so much time organizing this campaign that I came back and took it on even though I didn’t live out there anymore,” Myrna says. “I did that for seven years before I passed it on.”

Her canvassing days were behind her, but she still wanted to help. And that’s when Myrna’s nieces asked her to join them in a Relay For Life event in Edmonton. It was 2005 and she didn’t know anything about Relay, a global event in which teams spend 12 hours from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. walking or running around a local track or sports arena to raise money and show their support to people who are fighting cancer – efforts that continue day and night. believe | 15

JOIN THE FUN The Strathcona Relay For Life is June 6 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day, held at Broadmoor Lake in Sherwood Park. As well as the spectacle of team costumes, participants will be entertained by a variety of games and events throughout the night including Zumba, karaoke, yoga, movies, crafts and music. The team that raises the most money in pledges before the event are treated to an RV to use over the course of the night.

To find a Relay For Life event near you, visit relayforlife.ca.

Photo by Edward Allen

In 2013, more than 16,000 Relay For Life teams across Canada raised $46.5 million.

Photo by Christine Hopaluk

It’s a little challenging to stay up all night but we like to pride ourselves on that. We parade around the track all night sharing those 12 hours and having that time together, with both laughs and tears.

By about 3 a.m. and with plenty of trips around the track behind her, Myrna was hooked. The following year, and every year since, she has brought together family and friends to form a team, called the Bright Lights. “It’s a little challenging to stay up all night but we like to pride ourselves on that,” she says.“ We parade around the track all night sharing those 12 hours and having that time together, with both laughs and tears.”

Team Captain Myrna Peets (in the orange wig) with a few of her Bright Lights

Over the eight years Bright Lights has been together, they’ve raised more than $225,700. And Myrna says the team will be adding to that total at this year’s event, in early June. About eight weeks before the event, Myrna starts working her emails and working her teammates. “We have a few friendly competitions within our team,” she says.

“I am always emailing my girls and saying, ‘So and so is ahead of you, you’d better get it together.’ And when they get a few more donations, I email the other one and say, ‘Look who’s ahead of you…’”

The Bright Lights team has had as few as 12 members – and as many as 32 – and each and every one of them has been affected by cancer, either through a loved one or their own experience with the disease. As Myrna takes her shifts walking

16 | Spring/Summer 2014

teammates at Relay For Life in Strathcona County.

around the track, she thinks about her mom who died almost 30 years ago, and she thinks about her brother, who is being treated for cancer now. “It’s up and down, it’s very emotional,” Myrna says as she fights back tears. "My family and my friends – this is our thing that we do every year.”

They like the costumes, the neon wigs, colourful outfits and yes, the bright lights they string around their campsite – but they also enjoy the commitment it takes to stay up all night walking. “This is not a quick walk in the park,” she says. “It’s a little bit more of a commitment than that.”

The commitment and the blisters that can come from walking all night are part of what makes the experience so rewarding for Myrna and the thousands of other Canadians who take part every year. It’s exhausting, to be sure, but it’s also exhilarating. “When everyone comes together, it’s exciting.” And perhaps most of all she says: “It’s fun.” ö

our supporters

ICE CREAM

By Calla Turnbull

Hayley, in her younger days, fishing and clowning around with her beloved grandfather, Rodney.

W

ho else but your grandfather could get away with taking you out for ice cream for breakfast? It was just one of many good times that made Hayley Christensen’s relationship with her ‘Papa’ so special. The two loved spending time together – spending hours boating, watching hockey, making Christmas shortbread together, and playing pranks on people. Hayley’s grandfather, a wonderful storyteller, also entertained his granddaughter with stories of his childhood and his days as a commercial fisherman on Vancouver Island.

Become a cancer fighter like Hayley – you can find everything you need to get started at cancer.ca.

sweat it

So it was a tremendous blow when Hayley’s grandfather was diagnosed with lymphoma. After an eight-month battle, her beloved papa passed away. A month later, the 12-year-old Calgarian asked her guests to bring donations for the Canadian Cancer Society instead of presents to her birthday party – she raised $765. This success served as a catalyst for the next two years of fundraising she would undertake.

Whether it’s running, swimming, paddling or hiking, physical activity can be more than just a workout.

It can also be a great way to raise funds for the fight against cancer.

On Father’s Day that same year, Hayley held a bake and book sale on the family’s front lawn. She made cookies and handmade posters, while friends and family donated their books to the cause – all of which helped raise more than $600 for the Society.

But Hayley wasn't done yet.

More recently, Hayley used social media to run a hugely successful bottle drive – exceeding her goal of $800. By the end of her six-week fundraiser, Hayley had hit nearly $1,300.

Independent teams and individuals throughout Alberta and the Northwest Territories raised over $1.5 million for the Society last year.

One of Hayley’s favorite quotes is, “Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down and let us know they are happy.” If this is true, Hayley’s attitude and efforts for the Canadian Cancer Society are creating a lasting legacy for her grandfather, one which certainly would make him shine with pride. ö

Hold your own hair-raising event! Cut it, shave it, dye it, grow it or braid it.

CUT IT BAKE IT

GOLF it

PHOTOS ABOVE:

“After seeing her papa go through what he had to and seeing how it affected other family members and friends, she doesn't want other people to experience what we went through and still struggles with it to this very day,” says Hayley’s mom, Alena.

believe | 17

our supporters

Chef Nicole Gomes, (left) and cancer researcher Dr Christine Friedenreich shared their must-have ingredients at a recent event in Calgary.

There will be no solution without research. ~ Chef Gomes

Cooking

up a cause

By Paula Trotter

our supporters

W

hile she sautéed, stirred and served a delectable mushroom risotto at a recent event, Calgary chef Nicole Gomes was also cooking up a recipe to help change cancer forever. The Top Chef Canada season 3 finalist partnered with the Canadian Cancer Society in January to unveil the mystery of cancer research for a small group of influential Calgarians.

It’s a cause she’s passionate about, having watched her mother, aunts and uncle all battle cancer – her mother multiple times." There will be no solution without research,” Nicole says.

While Nicole offered tips on how to master a creamy risotto (hint: adding cream is cheating), one of Canada’s top cancer researchers, Dr Christine Friedenreich of the University of Calgary whose work the Society partially funds, informed the crowd of the best ingredients for impactful cancer research: Curiosity: Researchers are a curious bunch, determined to solve unanswered questions. Dr Friedenreich, for example, is investigating the amount of physical activity needed to reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer.

While there are activity recommendations for heart health, there are currently no research-based guidelines specifically for cancer prevention.

Competition: While researchers are on the same team that’s fighting against cancer, they also have to compete for the limited research funding available.

Hundreds of researchers from across the country apply to the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute for funding every year. Dr Friedenreich praised the Society’s rigorous, national scientific review panel that determines which grants to fund, allocating on average $45 million to the most-promising cancer research in Canada every year.

From left, Dr Christine Friedenreich, Joanne Alexander of Precision Drilling, Calgary Chef Nicole Gomes, and Jason Holowachuk, past board chair of the Canadian Cancer Society, Alberta/NWT Division.

Get Chef Gomes' risotto recipe at cancer.ca/believe.

Support: This is why researchers need your support. Despite the fact that millions of dollars are invested in research every year, a significant number of worthy research projects go unfunded simply because more money isn’t available. Dr Friedenreich appealed to donors, explaining that their contributions go much further when earmarked for Canadian cancer research.

Your donations, she explained, directly support the research, not the scientists’ wages or other administrative costs as it can in other countries.

Joanne Alexander, another strong champion of the Society, also contributed to this unique event. Having survived cervical cancer, the senior vice president and general counsel of Precision Drilling, shared her story to help raise awareness of the importance of cancer research.

“It’s groups like the Canadian Cancer Society that are here to help,” Joanne says. “Because of them, we’ve learned so much about cancer since I was diagnosed with it (in 2005).” ö Read more about Joanne’s personal story on page 7. believe | 19

our supporters

STICKING it to cancer

By Deanna Kraus

J

ust try keeping a hockey player away from their favourite sport. Demanding career, marriage, and most recently – his first child with wife, Andrea – none of these is enough to keep Brent Osmond from the ice.

The CFO and finance VP of Mountainview Energy also manages to squeeze in time as a leadership volunteer for Face Off Against Cancer, an annual hockey tournament that raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

“I’ve been playing hockey since I was four years old,” says Brent, who grew up in Newfoundland but also called upstate New York home for several years while playing hockey during prep school and college.

Nine years ago he relocated to Calgary, where he eventually took up coaching hockey outside of work hours – something he’s had to give up since the baby came along last fall. “Yes, she’s changed a lot of things,” says the new dad, with a laugh.

But he’s committed to making time for the annual tournament, a weekend event that brought in nearly $300,000 last year for cancer research and local support programs for cancer patients and their families affected by Calgary’s flood.

Although he became involved with Face Off Against Cancer because some friends were short players for their team, it has become a personal commitment. Brent’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago and his wife’s family has felt the impact of cancer too – spurring him on to get involved at a greater degree. Besides

taking on a leadership volunteer role, Brent also created his own team – called The Pat’s – named after his mom, with a nod to the WHL team in Regina.

One of the perks of this tournament – the top fundraising teams have their pick of professional hockey alumni and local celebrities to add to their roster, making ice time even more exciting.

And, this year, the tournament will be held at the Markin MacPhail Centre, a four-rink ice complex at WinSport, the world-class sports facility in northwest Calgary.

“We want to keep the venue family-friendly and user-friendly,” says Brent, who is clearly enthused about playing at the new, larger complex that will better accommodate the growing number of teams that play in the tournament. This year, Face Off Against Cancer will include 24 teams of Calgary’s movers and shakers, up from 19 teams last year.

The tournament, founded in 2007 by hockey enthusiast Lyall Marshall in memory of his late wife who died of cancer in her early 30s, has expanded throughout Alberta and beyond. This year in Alberta, Face Off Against Cancer will also take place in Lethbridge and Grande Prairie.

Are you a hockey fan? Find out how you can get involved in your community at cancer.ca/ faceoffagainstcancer.

“This is a great group to work with,” says Brent.

“They give up their time, they open the door for sponsorship, and everyone has their heart in the right place.” ö

Photo by Jason Stang 20 | Spring/Summer 2014

TEAM PLAYERS

By Deanna Kraus

Turning the rink p ink Since 2006, the Grande Prairie Storm – the local Alberta Junior Hockey League team – has gone pink once a year to fight cancer.

Called Shoot For The Cure, the annual game fills the Canada Games Arena while top-notch hockey players compete wearing pink jerseys and armed with pink sticks. The pink jerseys are auctioned off, and fans who buy $5 pink Frisbees are eligible to win a trip for two anywhere WestJet flies, courtesy of the generous airline, just one of the event sponsors.

The Frisbee toss that won the trip at the most recent Shoot For The Cure game? The father of Brysen Head – a six-year-old boy who just happened to be the Storm’s honourary captain of the game, who had raised $4,000 for the cause with bottle drives, Popsicle sales and asking for donations instead of birthday presents. Because Brysen and his family were in town for the game from Grande Cache, the Podollan Inn in Grande Prairie took care of them by putting them up in the presidential suite.

Living off the land When Sayer Energy Advisors threw its hat in the ring to help the Canadian Cancer Society bring in some much-needed revenue, the Calgary-based company knew it would be contributing its services pro bono. “We donate to a number of charities,” says Tom Pavic, Sayer’s vice president. “And cancer is one of those things that affects everyone. This was a way of contributing our abilities to the Canadian Cancer Society.”

Sayer Energy, an oil and natural gas industry expert on mergers and acquisitions with 27 years of experience, took on the marketing and sales of petroleum and natural gas leases that had been donated to the Society over a number of years. While it’s not the kind of contribution that the Society actively solicits, the leases that Sayer sold on behalf of the organization certainly added up. The successful bid for 26 properties came in at $130,000, with the deal closing in January 2014. The buyer asked to remain anonymous.

believe | 21

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22 | Spring/Summer 2014

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dog day afternoon

our supporters

By Jennifer Allford

Top: Jason Laliberte and Alisa Neuman ham it up with their dog Bentley.

Left: Warm in their costumes, Julie Tara Hodgson and her pals,

Barrie and David Bryant with their

Bailey and Harley.

dogs, Zoey and Parker.

Above: A Bark For Life fundraiser stays warm with her pooch.

F

or dog lovers, it can feel weird going for a long walk without your pooch, or in Tara Hodgson’s case, pooches. So, that’s why the teacher from Morinville, near Edmonton, loved the idea of Bark For Life – a two-hour walk around the park with your dogs which, just like Relay For Life, raises money to fight cancer.

“After doing Relay For Life where I’d walk all night, I’d get home and my dogs would be ready to go and I was beat,” Tara says. “Every year I thought, I wish I could bring my dogs because they’d be exhausted too.”

Her dogs, Bailey, a West Highland terrier, and Harley – an “orphan abandoned on the side of the road” – enjoyed Edmonton’s first Bark For Life event last fall at Buena Vista Park. “It was a little chilly but it was fun – it was nice to get the dogs walking,” Tara says.

“There was lots of music and all the dogs were getting along,” she says. “It was kind of fun to see them run around and do laps.”

People kept their dogs on leash as they walked around the perimeter of the park. And inside the loop, there was an added challenge – a canine obstacle course, courtesy of local sponsor, K9 Corruption. Further entertainment was provided by sponsor It’s a Dog’s Life in the form of a flyball demonstration – a sport created just for four-legged athletes.

The event was held near Halloween so lots of people – and dogs – wore costumes. Tara's dogs wore sweaters because “it was really cold and windy and they’re wusses” and she wore a tutu, the same outfit she wears when she walks in Relay For Life.

The money raised by the dogs and the animals at the other end of the leashes helps the Society fund promising cancer research and other initiatives to support people living with cancer – the same as Relay For Life.

Tara is still planning to don her tutu and get her team together for Relay For Life this June – it will be her fifth time participating. Her team, “Tiny Dancer,” is named in honour of her best friend, who answers to that nickname. “He was 27 when he was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma,” Tara says. “He’s fine, and doing Relay is just a little action I can take to show my support.”

And she’s also looking forward to the next Bark For Life in the fall. “It’s a really good incentive for people to walk,” she says. “Some people don’t want to walk for a long period of time without their dogs.” ö

Want to make your pooch happy? Watch for your chance to sign up for the ultimate walk on cancer.ca/barkforlife – coming soon! believe | 23

advocacy

Lean on me

By Paula Trotter

24 | Spring/Summer 2014

Tara (left) and Amy were the best of friends, sharing more of a sisterly bond. So Amy never hesitated to be a caregiver to Tara after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

advocacy

T

elling someone they’re having a bad hair day will rarely win you friends. Tara Pichurski still didn’t hold back her criticism when Amy Foggin walked into her hair salon nearly 20 years ago.

Amy didn’t take offense to the comments. But she did take an immediate liking to Tara, a spunky hairdresser who was honest but also unwaveringly caring. The two became fast friends and formed more of a sisterly bond over the years.

Their bond brought them full circle earlier this year, this time with Amy tending to Tara’s hair, washing it for her friend who was rapidly becoming weaker near the end of her life. Amy was Tara’s caregiver.

There was never any question in my mind, I knew I wanted to be there for her.

Having saved up all of her available vacation time, Amy was able to take time off work to provide 24/7 care for Tara in the end. She’s also incredibly grateful that her employer was understanding and accommodating, allowing Amy to take time off as needed throughout her rollercoaster year as a caregiver.

“I couldn’t have asked for better support,” she says of her employer and co-workers. Amy knows she’s fortunate. She didn’t have to choose between her career and being a caregiver – a choice that other Albertans have had to grapple with.

But Albertans now have the job security they deserve when taking time off work to care for a severely ill loved one. Earlier this year the Canadian Cancer Society successfully advocated for changes to Alberta’s Employment Standards Code to include compassionate care leave, a law that came into effect February 1.

She was there when the doctor delivered the bad news to Tara: she had terminal pancreatic cancer and, at the age of 40, had only three to four months to live, slightly longer if she had chemotherapy.

Amy didn’t hesitate in that moment. She would be Tara’s primary caregiver.

Tara, centre, had a lovely personality that people gravitated towards, Amy says.

“There was never any question in my mind,” Amy says. “I knew I wanted to be there for her.” The two had already been roommates for two-and-a-half years at that point and Tara didn’t want to move back to die in Victoria, where her family lives.

Eligible Albertans can now take up to eight weeks off work to care for a gravely ill family member. Their job – or an equivalent position – will be protected, much like those on maternity leave.

Amy went to all of Tara’s oncology appointments, taking scrupulous notes so they could refer back to what the doctor had said.

The province’s definition of “family member” is very broad and includes many relationships, including a non-relative caring for someone they consider family – just like Amy.

She cooked and cleaned, kept track of Tara’s medications and, in the end, worked with the palliative homecare team to ensure Tara got her wish to die peacefully at home.

Amy is glad to see this law take effect as it will offer caregivers job security and additional time off beyond vacation allotments. “It was pretty stressful to try and decide when to use my holiday time,” Amy admits.

Tara passed away in January of this year, about 10 months after she was diagnosed and started chemotherapy.

improving

quality of life at end of life

Compassionate care leave, she believes, will help to reduce one of the worries that caregivers face – the fear that they’ll be trading in their limited time off work at the wrong time. ö To learn more about compassionate care leave, please visit cancer.ca.

The Canadian Cancer Society funds the entire spectrum of cancer research – including studies focused on improving palliative care.

Last year, a Society-funded study determined the one question that caregivers must ask to build greater empathy with their patients: What do I need to know about you as a person to give you the best possible care? This question better connects caregivers and patients, and helps patients maintain their dignity – a fundamental principle of palliative care.

Turn to page 28 to see the top research projects that the Society funded in 2013. believe | 25

advocacy

Colon cancer check

By Paula Trotter

D

oes the thought of preparing for a colonoscopy make you squeamish to the point of avoiding being screened for colorectal cancer? Well, you’re in luck.

Earlier this year Alberta Health Services introduced a new, simple tool that will now be the primary colorectal cancer screening test for average-risk Albertans.

The Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) is an effective stool test that doesn’t demand any dietary restrictions and is done in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

The Canadian Cancer Society recommends that men and women between the age of 50 and 74 who are at average risk of colorectal cancer (for example, someone who doesn’t have a family history of colorectal cancer or a personal history of benign polyps in the colon) be screened for the disease every two years with the FIT test.

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada and is the second leading cause of cancer death in the country.

26 | Spring/Summer 2014

Roughly 1,900 Albertans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer every year and 600 die of the disease.

But regular screening with FIT can detect colorectal cancer in its earliest stages, when it is more likely to be treated successfully.

Colorectal cancer can also grow without showing any symptoms – another important reason why you should be screened regularly. Early detection of pre-cancerous polyps in the colon and colorectal cancer could save upwards of 1,000 Canadian lives every year. ö Learn more about our cancer screening recommendations at cancer.ca.

Screening saves lives Cancer screening and early detection are two of the most powerful tools you have to fight back against cancer. In most cases, catching cancer in its early stages is key to successfully beating it.

The Society believes everyone has the right to equal and timely access to cancer screening.

That’s why we work with government to improve access to screening and educate Canadians on their screening options.

sweet

advocacy

By Paula Trotter

A

lberta may have been one of the last provinces to ban smoking in public spaces and workplaces, but the province has now set a precedent in the fight against flavoured tobacco in Canada.

In November 2013, the Alberta Legislative Assembly passed some of the toughest anti-smoking legislation in North America – including banning the sale of flavoured tobacco in the province.

Prior to the passing of Bill 206, nearly 26,000 Alberta kids and teens were using cigarillos, little cigars, waterpipe tobacco, spit tobacco and cigarettes sweetened with candy and fruit flavours, among others – flavours that mask the harshness of tobacco, making the products more palatable for younger users.

More than 80% of new tobacco users are under the age of 18.

Of all the young tobacco users in Alberta (those in Grades 6 to 12), nearly half of them were using flavoured tobacco products. This legislation will go a long way in protecting youth from the dangers of tobacco. ö

Ban the tan Just 10 indoor tanning sessions can double a person’s risk of developing melanoma – the most dangerous of all skin cancers and the most common cancer among youth.

Join us in calling on the Alberta government to ban underage indoor tanning.

takeaction.cancer.ca believe | 27

research

Cancer research

BREAKTHROUGHS Donor-funded research is changing cancer. It’s changing cancer prevention, diagnosis, screening and treatment. Research breakthroughs save lives – that’s why the Canadian Cancer Society is the largest funder of cancer research across the country, putting donations to work funding the very best research across Canada. Here are the Society's research highlights of 2013.

Tracking prostate cancer

Dr John Lewis in Edmonton has discovered that a specific protein can serve as a biomarker – a molecule indicating disease – for prostate cancer. Since the protein is involved in the movement of cancer cells around the body, tests that specifically measure it could predict the spread of prostate cancer and help doctors determine the right treatment for patients.

28 | Spring/Summer 2014

Brain cancer detectives Up to half of lung cancer patients develop cancers that spread to the brain but little is known about what promotes this spread. Dr Sheila Singh has identified a group of cells – along with a set of genes in patient samples – that could predict survival outcomes. This discovery could have a powerful impact on the treatment and prognosis of cancer patients.

A sharper image In Vancouver, Dr David Perrin has made PET scanning faster and more accurate at detecting cancers. PET – or positron emission tomography – scanning is an important imaging technique for diagnosing cancer and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment.

TARGET:

Breast Cancer

Killing cancer cells with designer viruses Researchers in Ottawa have designed two cancer-fighting viruses with great potential. By blocking anti-viral proteins in cancer cells, these viruses are better able to attack cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.

The right dose for liver cancer New techniques that deliver a precise and high dose of radiation are emerging as safe, non-invasive methods to treat liver tumours.

Dr Eugene Wong has determined the amount of radiation required to control liver cancer – both primary incidence and when it’s the result of colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver.

Boosting the immune system to stop the spread of cancer Natural killer cells are part of the immune system that play an important role in eliminating cancer cells from the body. But these killer cells lose their fighting ability after a patient has cancer surgery, leading Dr Rebecca Auer to find a vaccine that can boost those cells.

A clinical trial will test this novel approach to reducing the spread of cancer in patients requiring surgery.

Hard-to-treat breast cancer Triple-negative breast cancer can be extremely hard to treat and has a poor prognosis.

Researchers have discovered that a particular cell interaction impacts the suppression of tumour growth. This complex cellular pathway could explain why chemotherapy is ineffective against some cancers and could provide a strategy to reverse chemo-resistance.

Stop breast cancer from spreading Researchers have shown there’s a particular protein that plays a key role in the spread of breast cancer. They found that removing that protein significantly decreased the spread, and that higher levels were found in breast cancer patients with a poorer prognosis or recurrence of the disease. This discovery will lead to more targeted breast cancer treatments.

Learn more about each of these breakthroughs by reading the enhanced online issue of Believe at cancer.ca/believe.

believe | 29

research

Your body’s best defence

By Paula Trotter

I

n each and every one of us is a tool that defends our body against illness. “The immune system is there to fight disease and infection – it naturally fights cancer as well,” says Canadian Cancer Society-funded researcher Dr Hanne Ostergaard of the University of Alberta.

Responsible for distinguishing and terminating disease-producing agents, the immune system has the power to destroy cancer cells. But the immune system sometimes doesn’t go on the attack because it does not differentiate cancer cells from healthy ones. Why? It’s a question that researchers like Dr Ostergaard are determined to answer – answers that will help develop new treatments that harness the immune system to fight back. This is known as cancer immunotherapy, which Science Magazine declared the breakthrough scientific achievement of 2013. While the magazine acknowledges that immunotherapy is still in its infancy, it couldn’t overlook the promise it showed in 2013.

Immunotherapy clinical trials, the article notes, extended the lives of some of those who seemed most unlikely to survive. It’s also a progressive shift in cancer treatment, moving towards empowering

the immune system to do its job instead of trying to treat the tumour itself.

After watching her grandmother – who fought breast and uterine cancers – experience the “ravages of chemotherapy”, Dr Ostergaard thought immunotherapy offered great potential as a cancer treatment.

One of the greatest benefits, she says, is that the immune system destroys only foreign agents – like cancer cells – while sparing healthy ones. This results in significantly fewer side effects compared to the standard treatments today.

The Society has provided nearly $1.7 million to Dr Ostergaard’s research since 1999.

Chemotherapy, for example, kills both cancerous and healthy cells, resulting in common side effects like hair loss, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and more. It also weakens the immune system, making it harder for it to fight back naturally.

The field of cancer immunotherapy has been advancing rapidly, with numerous discoveries being made since Dr Ostergaard first started her studies in the early 1980s.

She believes it has now reached a tipping point.

Cancer immunotherapy, she says, will progress quickly and be applied to the clinical setting within the next couple of decades. ö

The Canadian Cancer Society invested more than $1 million in immunotherapy research across the country in 2013.

30 | Spring/Summer 2014

support services It was tough enough going through cancer treatment. But I couldn’t talk to my family about it because I didn’t want to make them worry even more. Finding Cheryl through CancerConnection

no need

was awesome – she had already gone through

CancerConnection | 1-800-263-6750 This telephone peer support program matches patients and caregivers with trained volunteers who have experienced cancer themselves or as caregivers, offering support, understanding and hope.

what I was going through. We laughed together, we cried together, she was a lifesaver. ~ Anna

to go it

A •L •O •N •E

Inspiring Hope Support Group Series cancer.ca/inspiringhope Together with community partner organizations, the Canadian Cancer Society provides group support led by trained facilitators and survivors throughout Alberta, and can make an incredible difference for recently diagnosed patients.

Online community | CancerConnection.ca A trusted online community for cancer patients and caregivers that offers a wide variety of discussions, blogs and groups. Find caring, supportive people who want to share and talk about what they’re going through.

When you need us

we are here

Cancer Information Service 1-888-939-3333 The Cancer Information Service is a national, tollfree service offering comprehensive information about cancer and community resources. The freeof-charge service is available to cancer patients, their caregivers, family and friends, or any member of the general public.

Online support | cancer.ca Finding the answers you need about cancer might be easier and more comfortable at your own computer, and cancer.ca is always there, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

arm

yourself with the

f •a •c •t •s

Help is all around you Log on to cancer.ca to use the Canadian Cancer Society’s Community Services Locator to find even more community services and programs for cancer patients and their families. If you can’t find what you need, call an information specialist at 1-888-939-3333. believe | 31

support services

Volunteer driver extraordinaire, John Hearn, with family and friends through the years.

Johnny lived above, beyond, J call of duty Honouring an incomparable volunteer

By Mark Kolke

For those who had the privilege of knowing him, John Hearn was many things – a committed and generous volunteer, a wonderful father and uncle, a good friend and inspiration to many. Calgary writer Mark Kolke never had the opportunity to meet John; instead, he sat down with John’s brother Joe and a good friend of John to learn more about his story.

32 | Spring/Summer 2014

ohnny survived 43 years after triple-bypass, angioplasty, pacemaker, too. Heart grown large as his Impala, Johnny’s biggest heartproblem: losing his wife.

He worked hard, focused on family, and his heartache. He never remarried. Brother Joe Hearn said, “He was never the same after Verna died. She was 59 – diabetic, died of a heart attack.”

Verna died in 1986, just shy of their 40th wedding anniversary.

Everyone at Foothills Hospital knew him. Joe often hears, “Hi, Johnny’s brother.” Joe, also a volunteer driver, believes Johnny wouldn’t have lived as long if not for his 16 years as a Canadian Cancer Society volunteer driver.

As de-facto handicapped parking spot policeman and unofficial take-charge wheelchair organizer at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Johnny filled an important need, his own emptiness. Every day he could – often five patients a day – except Friday.

Friday was bowling day.

support services

support practical

Financial Assistance Program Providing financial assistance to Albertans who need help covering transportation and accommodation expenses when travelling to cancer treatment facilities in other cities.

Compassionate Financial Assistance Program From John Hearn’s online Guest Book, Calgary Herald:

Johnny will always be remembered for his incredible generosity of his time and dedication to all those who came to know him through the volunteer drivers group … I will miss the many stories of his years in the army. He was one special guy. ~ Don Davis, Canadian Cancer Society volunteer driver

Johnny was born second of 14 on the family farm, Uno Park, in northern Ontario. At 17, he joined Canada’s Infantry, fought in Holland and France, then the Battle of Normandy from D-Day till war’s end in 1944. He escaped injury except a shell fragment grazed his very hard forehead. Military man to the end – farming wasn’t his thing – Master Warrant Officer Hearn retired after 27 years. Making Calgary their home since 1971, Johnny and Verna raised six children and one foster child.

He didn’t like it when the Canadian Cancer Society offices closed over Christmas – there was nobody needing a ride. In Johnny’s own words: “Driving cancer patients to treatment has really filled a void in my lonesome life since I lost my lovely wife of 40 years. I hope I can carry this on for a

few more years; we work with the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I think all volunteer drivers will feel let down when they come to the end of their driving. I know I will miss it very much.”

His last volunteer drive, early December 2013. He got stuck, needed a push. Lost his confidence.

Doctor said, “No more driving.”

For end-of-life costs, the Canadian Cancer Society provides modest support to those who have been diagnosed as palliative and have exhausted all other means of financial support.

Patient Care Kit Providing just the right combination of practical items and information to help recently diagnosed patients.

Volunteer Driver Program Trained volunteers provide safe and reliable transportation to patients, ensuring they get to and from their cancer appointments. For rides in Calgary and Lethbridge, call 1-800-263-6750; in Edmonton and the Red Deer area, call 1-855-477-8998.

Wig Lending Program Wigs go a long way in restoring confidence in patients who have lost their hair after chemotherapy, but are a luxury that many cannot afford. Society volunteers maintain wig banks in Calgary and Red Deer.

Full of heart, until it failed. Johnny died January 28, 2014. He was 88.

Seven condolence pages on his online obituary guest book, an indication of how well – and how many – people admired this incredible Canadian Cancer Society volunteer driver. ö

For more information about these programs go to cancer.ca.

believe | 33

VOICES

Joanna Balaski and her grandchildren, Marek (left) and Alexandra.

Although we were apart for a good many years, I always felt a special bond with my dad. No words can describe what it feels like to witness the decline of a beloved parent.

when cancer hits HOME

By Joanna Balaski

The statistics didn’t hold much significance for cancer survivor Joanna Balaski until it hit her and her family.

First her mom, who today at 86 is also a survivor, then her aunt, and then her dad.

Joanna’s mom suffered immensely through the loss of her sister, having lost her greatest supporter and confidante. Here, Joanna recounts her experience of losing her beloved dad.

M

y mom had called one day to say, not to worry but that Dad had been admitted to the hospital.

He had a skin ailment and was being treated by a dermatologist. Further tests however, revealed a malignancy on the liver and pancreas. Mom called again and said that I had better make my way back home to see Dad while he was still with us. I took a leave from work and flew back home to be with him and my family.

from side to side in a moment of realization, but soon would be asking again why he was in the hospital.

Although we were apart for a good many years, I always felt a special bond with my dad. No words can describe what it feels like to witness the decline of a beloved parent. Because of short-term memory loss, he was not able to understand why he was at the hospital and not able to go home. He missed Mom, his comfortable chair, his home. It was difficult to answer repeatedly as to when his next meal would be coming and why he was in the hospital. I still feel guilty now when I think back to one particular visit when I had asked him how he was feeling. He told me that he was lonely.

On the eve of my dad’s transfer to a palliative care facility and my departure back home (my work leave had ended), I paid a final visit to my dad and said my goodbye. I was not to see him alive again.

We were honest with dad and told him that he was terminally ill. He would close his eyes, lower his head and gently shake it

As a further consequence to his cancer, my dad also developed diabetes. He would need his blood tested repeatedly and required insulin injections. I cannot forget watching him in pain, his confusion, and leaving him at the hospital knowing he was lonely.

Shortly after my father’s passing, I participated in a Relay For Life. I walked Relay again this year, raising over $1,000 to support the Canadian Cancer Society. I know that I will not be the person who discovers the cure for cancer but the least I can do is offer my assistance in whatever way I can to fight this disease. My hope is that my grandchildren will not know the fear, the heartache, the pain and loss from cancer; that one day cancer will be beaten. ö Joanna Balaski participates in Relay For Life in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

34 | Spring/Summer 2014

Tell cancer it barked up the wrong tree

Bark For Life is a celebration of our fight against cancer and the furry four-legged friends supporting us along the way. Come together with other dog lovers and their canine companions for a day of fun, friendship, and fundraising to help the Canadian Cancer Society change cancer forever. Watch for your chance to sign up on cancer.ca/barkforlife – coming soon!

cancer.ca/barkforlife

CELEBRATE

REMEMBER

Relay For Life needs you! Be part of the biggest cancer fundraiser and make the biggest impact in the fight against cancer.

Celebrate survivors, remember and honour loved ones, and fight back against cancer.

Join your community and make a difference.

Register. Volunteer. Donate.

Find out more at relayforlife.ca.

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