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K , mm ÏVA. ËÊÊk Wednesday, October 14, 1998 COMMUNITY CALENDAR • LIFESTYLES * SPORTS • COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENCE » TV LISTINGS / M by Jennifer Stone M y mother was not a prime candidate for breast cancer. Or, at least, that's what I thought. I had always sort of associated breast cancer risk with genetic factors - having a close relative who had the disease. disease. But, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, my mother did have the one major risk factor for breast cancer - she's a woman. Breast cancer strikes about one in nine women in Canada each year. This year, about 17,000 Canadian women will learn they have the disease. disease. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With early diagnosis diagnosis being the key to survival, awareness is incredibly important. My mom learned she had the disease almost six years ago, when she was 44. She had gone to our family doctor for her annual physical - the importance of which she had stressed to both of her children, and an event she never missed. The doctor suggested a mammogram. mammogram. It was not because he was particularly particularly concerned -- just because he thought she had reached an appropriate appropriate age to start having the test. The test showed a lump. The lump was biopsied with a needle in the surgeon's office. Mom would have to have surgery, the doctors said, to see whether there was further cause for concern. The lump was removed and biopsied again. It was cancer, they said. But, on the up side, they had "clear margins," meaning the periphery of the removed section had been clean of cancer. Thus began my family's family's experience with a whole new lingo, a language language unlike any we had ever heard before. Lumpectomy - what the heck was that? Lymph node involvement. Liver scans. CAT scans. Bone scans. Treatment Options And Support While we were still struggling with the phraseology, my mother was faced with a number of complicated decisions - complicated even for someone who wasn't facing facing a whole new kind of fear. What did she want to do? Chemotherapy? Radiation? Did she want to go to Toronto or to Kingston to receive her treatment? What other treatments should she be looking at? Not only was she dealing dealing with treatment options, but frankly, though she hid it very well, she was afraid. Christine Shaughnessy, a Bowmanville resident and a volunteer with the Canadian Cancer Society's East Durham Unit, says, at that point in the diagnosis and treat ment process, speaking to someone who has been through it can be very helpful. Shaughnessy is the coordinator of the Society's Reach To Recovery program, which allows women in the early stages of the disease to speak with women who have experience experience with the disease. "It's really specifically to give you the hope that there is hope," says Shaughnessy. A similar service is offered by Willow, the Breast Cancer Support and Resource Service. Willow is a survivor-centred, survivor-centred, community-based centre in Toronto offering information and resources to women across Ontario, and, people people with the centre hope, soon across Canada. Sue Wright, the Community Outreach Coordinator with Willow, says fear is a perfectly natural first reaction. "She's dealing with all this stuff, frightened out of her mind, while trying to allay the fears of those around her," she says, adding women tend to try to protect those around them by behaving as if they are not afraid. Willow offers a toll- free telephone number for women who are experiencing experiencing the disease. The phone is answered by women who have shared the experience. "Our volunteers foster an environment (for the woman) to feel it's okay to acknowledge that fear," Wright explains. Treatment options for breast cancer vary widely, widely, depending on the extent of the disease and other factors. In my mother's case, she had surgery referred to as a lumpectomy, in which the affected tissue, along with several lymph nodes under the arm, was removed. She was then sent to Kingston where follow-up treatment was discussed. On the advice of doctors and with extraordinary extraordinary support from my father, my mother chose both a regimen of radiation, radiation, and mass doses of This year, about 17,000 Canadian women will learn they have breast cancer. . i" . . ■ A:CV- 'XiX ...V r 1 1 ' ( V * j I . f/f , •" $ ■ si - .'."if; ' ; . i 'v, ; a' V! i' v' i iV,j .v . ijL W'Jâ . ' ç M, ; y i : : . :,, ' 1 ' - 1 ' -, .i ' ; " • , . sfim fis \ ù \ • j | y ,$ 1 JUST IN CASE - According to the Canadian Cancer Society, women over the age of 50 should have a mammogram (illustrated above) every two years. The CCS says early detection is the key to saving the lives of women affected by breast can- chemotherapy. The treatment treatment was to begin as soon as the incision from the original surgery had healed. Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre in Oshawa 'offers a number of support services for women with breast cancer. cancer. Andrea Shaw, executive executive director of Hearth Place, says each month seminars are held to discuss discuss how a patient can feel their best during cancer cancer therapy. An oncology (cancer) nurse is on hand, and a volunteer takes the floor to discuss the anecdotal anecdotal side of treatment. As well, the Centre offers wellness programs to help boost the immune system during treatment. Yoga, relaxation and guided imagery therapy, tai chi and journal writing are among the many forms of complementary therapy offered by Hearth Place.. Hearth Place also offers support groups for local women affected by the disease. "Certainly many women come and use the group, but groups aren't for everybody" so Hearth Place also offers one-on- one support systems to help women deal with the disease, says Shaw. After Diagnosis And Treatment Almost exactly six years ago, my mother was given the most frightening news of her life. She was the one-in- nine. She had breast cancer. cancer. Today, my mother's life has returned, for the most part, to normal. She has had scares along the way, the most recent being in the past month. But so far, knock wood, she's fine. She's back to working like a fiend at a job she loves. One Tuesday evening a month, she attends a support support group for women dealing with the disease in the Peterborough area.- She has become active as an advocate for local, compassionate and timely timely cancer care. She discusses discusses the experience openly and candidly with my sister and me, in hopes we will take care of ourselves and be extra vigilant as we grow older. She's well. And the fact she is so well is mostly due to early diagnosis diagnosis and speedy, effective effective treatment, to say nothing of the many avenues of support open to her and the positive attitude she maintained throughout the entire process. My mother was not a prime candidate for breast cancer. But she is a prime candidate candidate for survival. There Is Someone You Can Talk To A Breast cancer diagnosis is usually followed by a wide range of emotions - fear, loneliness and anger to name a lew. But there arc organizations who can help. Here are a lew: Lnkeridgc Health Bowmanville (Formerly Memorial Hospital, Bowmanville) - The hospital offers monthly one-on-one teaching teaching sessions to help women learn how to do breast self-examination. A trained professional shows women how to do the procedure properly, properly, The sessions take between a half and three- quarters of an hour. As well, twice annually, the hospital holds group sessions to teach the procedure. procedure. For more information, call 623-3331. Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre: The Centre is located in Oshawa at 86 Colbournc Street West, and offers a drop-in Breast Cancer Support Group, as well as a number of other resources and services for people dealing with cancer of all forms. Hearth Place relies on various various fund-raisers to keep afloat. The next is a fashion show to be held Oct, 16 at the Oshawa Golf and Country Club. Tickets arc $35, and can be purchased at a number of locations in Durham, Willow - The Breast Cancer Support And Resource Service - Willow serves women diagnosed with breast cancer, along with their families, friends, and health care workers. Its emphasis is on delivering free and accessible information and support, The toll free number to reach Willow is 1-888-778-3100. Reach To Recovery: Reach to Recovery is a one-on-one visiting program for women at any point during diagnosis, treatment or recovery, The program is available in Bowmanville through the Canadian Cancer Society. Cancer Information Service: The Cancer Information Service is another arm of the Canadian Cancer Society. The CIS is staffed by professionals who can provide information on various aspects of cancer, Pamphlets and other information arc available on request: The line is confidential, and can be reached, toll-free, by dialing 1-888-939-3333.