please be kind on election day
Three years ago, I took a job as a Deputy Returning Officer for Elections Ontario. I'd read a post by Zoom about how she worked during one election and it intrigued me. At that time, I was mostly pushing myself to step outside my comfort zone. Fast forward to June 2014. It turns out that while it feels like much too soon for another election, three years is enough to forget - much like childbirth - the agony of 18 hours of pain, anxiety and boredom.So I'm doing it again.Last week I went to the mandatory training session. It turns out that only some of the candidates and the Returning Office have changed. We were given...
Source: Not just about cancer - June 3, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: activism community show and tell Source Type: blogs
not as simple as it would seem
As someone living with metastatic breast cancer, I pay keen attention to the development of new cancer drugs. And of course I pay particular attention to the drugs that are likely to one day benefit me.I have been on Herceptin for 7.5 years. My response was rapid and complete and there is no sign that the drug has stopped working. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't worry about the future and how I will proceed once I come to the end of the line with this miracle drug.Enter trastuzumab emtansine, or TDM-1, as it was more commonly known. Over the last couple of years, I watched with great interest as clinical trials oc...
Source: Not just about cancer - June 2, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: brain metastasis breast cancer cancer blog chemotherapy community fear good stuff health care herceptin lucky show and tell Source Type: blogs
only love
A couple of weekends ago, my family spent the day in Prince Edward County, celebrating my father-in-law's 75 birthday. It was a wonderful day and we were all pretty tired on the long drive home. Since the kids both had there headphones on, I started looking through my ipod for music I hadn't heard in a while. I decided I was in the mood for PEI's Lennie Gallant (did you know that practically every second person on the East side of PEI is named Gallant? It really is the name on every other mailbox).As we listened, Tim and I remembered that one of our first dates was a Lennie Gallant concert at Artspace in Peterborough....
Source: Not just about cancer - May 27, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: community good stuff my kids my love travel Source Type: blogs
drugs are usually > major surgery
Catherine Brunelle, who blogs at Bumpyboobs.ca shared the story of what happened when she was diagonosed with metastatic breast cancer in Ontario:"I would be put (back) on Zoladex, I was told, which is a drug that puts your ovaries to sleep. Zoladex isnot covered by OHIP. The oncologist wasn’t sure if it would help, but he figured we should try that first and foremost before doing anything else. Except. . . except that monthly shot costs about 500 bucks a pop. Or I could pay 1500 a go and get the three month shot.But insurance would pay for it.Right?…Oh wait, you don’t have insurance? Well then, you need to have...
Source: Not just about cancer - May 23, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: breast cancer cancer blog good stuff health care metastatic show and tell Source Type: blogs
wishing you continued good health
As, I mentioned in my last post, I've been working on a campaign called Fair Cancer Care. We're hoping to create awareness, followed by change to how chemotherapy drugs are covered in Ontario. We launched in time for the provincial election campaign, in the hopes that we can get our local candidates to take an interest. You can find out more at FairCancerCare.ca.The people behind the campaign are a group of Ottawa residents who have all been affected by cancer. We've all been promoting the hell out of this campaign as the election date draws nearer. My good friend Andrea is a driving force in our group. Her creativit...
Source: Not just about cancer - May 16, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: breast cancer cancer blog chemotherapy community news pissed off show and tell Source Type: blogs
introducing: #FairCancerCare
In Canada, we tend to think that, should be unlucky enough to get cancer, our health care system will cover the cost. For thousands of Canadians, this is not the case.Ontario is heading into a provincial election. Will you sign our petition to ensure everyone has access to the best care their oncologist prescribes for them? Will you ask the candidates for support when they call you or come to your door?To find out more, please go to FairCancerCare.ca. You can sign our petition or find out some of numbers beside these facts.Please take two minutes out of your day and check out our campaign. The next person to find them...
Source: Not just about cancer - May 8, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: activism cancer blog chemotherapy community good stuff health care news show and tell Source Type: blogs
how far i've come
On Tuesday night, I had the privilege to participate in Blog Out Loud Ottawa. This was my third time attending and my first as a reader. I was very nervous.But it was a wonderful experience. Tim and Sacha (my teenage son) attended as well as several supportive friends (I hope they realize how buoyed I was by their presence). My reading went very well. The crowd was so supportive that they made it easy. It certainly sounded better to me than it ever did in practice.If you're a blogger and you ever get the chance to read in front of a supportive group - do it!I read a post called "learning to breathe'" that resonated with a ...
Source: Not just about cancer - May 2, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: brain metastasis breast cancer cancer blog community good stuff joy lucky metastatic my kids my love show and tell writing Source Type: blogs
national metastatic breast cancer awareness day: my statement
Here is the statement I made at today's press conference (see below for details). Thanks so much to Dr. Hedy Fry for introducing the Private Members' Bill and especially to the Canadian Breast Cancer Network for being a tireless advocate for women living with metastasis."Cate Edwards, daughter of the late Elizabeth Edwards has said, 'Before my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, I assumed breast cancer patients fell into two categories: survivors and those who lost the battle.' Before my own diagnosis, I would have said the same thing.I learned I had breast cancer in 2006, when I was 38 years old, with two little ki...
Source: Not just about cancer - May 1, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: brain metastasis breast cancer cancer blog community good stuff identity news show and tell Source Type: blogs
we are a community. and we need to be heard
I was going to post about Blog Out Loud Ottawa (#boloottawa) but that's going to have to wait because I want to tell you all about something that's happening tomorrow.The text reads:"The Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre and Federal Liberal Health Critic, will be joined by the Canadian Breast Cancer Network to discuss the tabling of her Private Member’s Bill calling for a National Metastatic Breast Cancer Day on October 13th of each year. The Canadian Breast Cancer Network will be represented by Ms. Niya Chari, Government Relations Manager. Ms. Laurie Kingston will re...
Source: Not just about cancer - May 1, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: breast cancer cancer blog community good stuff metastatic news show and tell Source Type: blogs
it's tonight!
If you are reading this post on a site other than Not Just About Cancer (besides Facebook or a feed reader), you are reading stolen content. (Source: Not just about cancer)
Source: Not just about cancer - April 29, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: breast cancer cancer blog community good stuff joy lucky news show and tell writing Source Type: blogs
every three months
Exactly how often should someone living with metastatic breast cancer undergo the tests that monitor our health?These CT scans, ultrasounds and MRIs are inevitably nerve-wracking, expensive (even if we don't pay for them out of pocket) and sometimes come with a risk of cancer inherent in the test itself. Cancer patients waiting for tests results refer to being in a state of "scanxiety." It's impossible to describe what it feels like to wait for test results, unless you've been there.And those of us with metastatic breast cancer go through it over and over again. It's brutal.When you live with metastatic cancer, one of...
Source: Not just about cancer - April 25, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: brain metastasis breast cancer cancer blog chronic illness community CT scan fear good stuff metastatic news things i do for my health Source Type: blogs
out loud
I have some good but also personally nerve-wracking news. I'm going to be reading next week at Blog Out Loud. That means I'm going to be reading a post I wrote on this blog OUT LOUD. In front of people.What was I thinking?Actually, I am very proud of myself for submitting a post to this annual event and prouder still for having been chosen (although this pride is mixed liberally with "why me?"). Blog Out Loud is organized by the fabulous Lynn Jatania and this year the event will be part of Ottawa Writers Festival. So after next Tuesday, I get to say that I've read at Writers Fest. How cool is that?Here are the details:What...
Source: Not just about cancer - April 23, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: community good stuff news show and tell writing Source Type: blogs
that could have been me
Last week, I was very moved by an interview on CBC Radio with Newfoundland actor-comedian Andy Jones and his wife Mary-Lynn Bernard on the radio about the death of their son, Louis who "passed away by his own hand after a lengthy and brave battle with mental illness...age 28 years." (from Louis' obituary)Despite pain that was practically palpable, Ms. Bernard and Mr. Jones have been doing media interviews across the country to shed light on mental illness and the very high toll takes on those affected and their loved ones. I was very, very moved by their story, and the brave decision they have made to share it. I...
Source: Not just about cancer - April 3, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: chronic illness community family fear kids my kids my love show and tell things i do for my health Source Type: blogs
help keep the treatments coming
An open letter to everyone who reads this blog:Did you know that, in Ontario, where I live, public health care pays for drugs administered in the hospital but not (most of the time) for those that are administered orally or at home? I've been extremely fortunate that most of my drugs were covered by OHIP and those few that weren't (mostly for mitigating side effects) were covered by my private insurance.My friend Sue hasn't been that lucky. The chemotherapy drugs she needs for her lymphoma are best administered at home. As Sue points out, this is less expensive (the overhead costs are low and the possibility of her catchin...
Source: Not just about cancer - February 26, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: cancer blog chemo chemotherapy community good stuff health care lucky rants Source Type: blogs
reluctantly gluten free
Last fall, I got tired of feeling crummy all the time. I'm sure the fatigue and the gastrointestinal issues were exacerbated by the round of antibiotics I'd had to go on after my surgery but I just wasn't getting better. I needed to give myself a chance to heal.In the spring, a cousin and her spouse had been on the Brown Rice Diet. Laura also happens to be a naturopathic doctor, so I had asked her about it at the time and got her to send me the info. It's not a diet in the weight loss sense of the word but more of an elimination of all potential allergens. For three weeks, the only grain I ate was brown rice. I ate chicken...
Source: Not just about cancer - February 25, 2014 Category: Cancer Tags: food pissed off things i do for my health Source Type: blogs
