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THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 2 38 Mill St. E. Acton, ON L7J 1H2 519-853-2244 www.activechoice.ca Dr. Dana Selby BPHE, CK, DC dr.selby@gmail.com Rehabilitation Centre Chiropractic Rehabilitation Acupuncture Kinesiology Custom Orthotics Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celeb ting the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House INDOOR & OUTDOOR FURNITURE Furniture Hut 136 Guelph St. Georgetown 905-873-9791 O P E N 7 D AY S A W E E K Largest Selection of Patio Furniture in Halton Hills Since 1998 FRE E DEL IVER Y! Across the road from Christ the King School Special Education Awards The Halton Board of Educations Special Educa- tion Advisory Committee (SEAC) has established two awards to recognize the valuable service and contributions of individuals in the area of special education. Those eligible for the Support for Special Education Students Award include teachers, parents, educational assistants, and volunteers who contribute understand- ing, compassion and strength in the area of Special Education. An additional Outstanding Achievement Award has been designated to recognize a student with an exceptionality who has demonstrated achieve- ment, through hard work and determination, to reach their potential and beyond. Nomination forms are available on the Board web- site (go to the Boardroom and Trustees tab, click on SEAC Awards Process, the links to the forms are on the right of the screen). Forms must be received by Friday, April 30, 2010. Please include the name of the nominee, the school they attend or are affi liated with, and why they are deserving of this honorary award. Please forward all nominations by Friday April 30, 2010 to: Pamela Cooley Student Services Department New Street Education Centre 3250 New Street Burlington, Ontario L7N 1M8 cooleyp@hdsb.ca Cancer can be beaten By Frances Niblock Cancer can be beaten is not just a smart market- ing slogan; it is reality for many, thanks to on-going research into life saving treatments. During Aprils Cancer Month several local cancer survivors will share their stories in a public cele- bration of life. This week, Doug Gerrard, 37, details his almost 11-year battle with Hodgkins Lymph- oma. Q: I understand that 85 per cent of the people with Hodgkins Lymphoma are successfully treated and go into remission, but that is not the case with you. Tell me about your diagnosis and treatment so far. A: I found a lump in my neck early in 2000, and was told at a walk-in clinic that it was just swol- len glands and not to worry about it. Three months later it was even bigger and I was sent to an on- cologist who determined it was Hodgkins Lymph- oma. They said it was real easy to deal with, that in 99 per cent of cases you get two months of treat- ment and its gone. Q: Here you are almost 11 years later what treat- ments have you had? A: They treated it three different times including with a stem cell transplant and four months later they said they thought theyd got it all because nothing grew back. But they only scanned my head and neck. I felt a small pain in my back, but the doctors assured me that my blood work was clean and six months later they did a CT scan and when they re-tested six months after that they told me that I was right and had another tumor. Q: How do you deal with health care providers who dont appear to listen to you? A Its frustrating. Right now I have three tumors and they want me to wait for three months to see how they go because they arent causing any pain right now. But I think that there is something in me that doesnt belong. They keep saying if they treat me now they wont be able to treat me later and I just need to manage it year-by- year. Q: How do you manage a long-term potentially fatal illness? A: I havent been able to work for seven years because I did siding and eaves trough work and I got dizzy and fell off a roof and my wife insisted I quit. So I do odd jobs for my friends and neigh- bours and try to keep busy and involved with my two daughters who are 11 and 13. Q: How does your family handle your on- going illness? A: I try to just go on with my life and take my treatments. Its always been in my head that Im going to be around until my daughters dont need me. Basically, theyve been dealing with it all their lives and I teach them all about it. Theyve come to treatment with me and the nurses actually let one daughter push all the but- tons when I had radiation treatments. Q: How do you not dwell on your cancer each day when you are in pain and cant do all of the ac- tivities that you want to? A: I look at it like I keep getting the fl u not as insignifi cant as having the flu but something that Ill get over each time and move on. I dont think Ill ever get rid of it, but it wont stop me or kill me or anything. I just keep go- ing and try to be the best cancer patient I can be al- though Im quite stubborn and I fi ght with them (the doctors) all the time. Q: Have you benefited from new treatments? A: Yes, theyre talking about a new treatment right now with a different treat- ment and a different type of drug that fi nds the can- cer cells and marks them so the body sees them as a foreign substance and fi ghts them. I should start treatment in about three months but the problem is that it costs $14,000 and its not covered although my doctor said the gov- ernment will cover about $3,000 and hell deal with the rest he said hell fi nd a way because he wants to have it. Q: How do you not pin all your hopes on some new treatment? A: I just try to not ex- pect too much. I just fi gure that Im going to keep going like this without envisioning any positive or negative outcome. Its hard, but when I get de- pressed I go play with my daughters or go and do some work around the neighbourhood. My family and friends are quite sup- portive and sometimes I go days without even thinking about cancer. (Gerrards wife Jennifer said her husband has bat- tled 15 tumors, six rounds of chemotherapy, 120 radi- ation treatments and one failed stem cell transplant, and has been told his can- cer will never go away, yet he continues to fi ght.) Q: Do you have any advice or information for someone with a new can- cer diagnosis or someone in treatment? A: I tell them my story and say Im still here. Im nothing special so Im sure they can do it too. I believe in my heart that everything is fi ne and I try not to be- lieve that the worst is even possible. Ive convinced myself that this is not go- ing to beat me. Doug Gerrard