14.05.2014 Views

Network News - Winter/Spring 2010 - Canadian Breast Cancer ...

Network News - Winter/Spring 2010 - Canadian Breast Cancer ...

Network News - Winter/Spring 2010 - Canadian Breast Cancer ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

<strong>Network</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />

Volume 14, Number 1, <strong>Winter</strong>/<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2010</strong><br />

ISSN: 1481-0999 Circulation: 6,500<br />

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40028655<br />

RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO<br />

CANADIAN BREAST CANCER NETWORK<br />

331 COOPER ST, SUITE 300, OTTAWA ON K2P 0G5<br />

E-mail: cbcn@cbcn.ca<br />

<strong>Network</strong> <strong>News</strong> is published by the <strong>Canadian</strong><br />

<strong>Breast</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> <strong>Network</strong> (CBCN) to provide<br />

the breast cancer community with up-to-date<br />

and understandable information on issues at<br />

the national level, to promote education and<br />

awareness, and to highlight the concerns of<br />

<strong>Canadian</strong>s affected by breast cancer.<br />

We would like to thank the individuals who<br />

wrote articles and the breast and ovarian cancer<br />

support groups that provided information. We<br />

welcome your ideas, contributions and letters,<br />

subject to editing and available space. The<br />

articles in this issue do not necessarily represent<br />

the views of CBCN but are the opinions of the<br />

authors. CBCN gives permission to copy with<br />

attribution.<br />

<strong>Canadian</strong> <strong>Breast</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> <strong>Network</strong>,<br />

331 Cooper Street, Suite 300,<br />

Ottawa, ON K2P 0G5. Tel.: (613) 230-3044.<br />

1-800-685-8820. Fax: (613) 230-4424.<br />

E-mail: cbcn@cbcn.ca. Website: www.cbcn.ca.<br />

Editor: Jackie Manthorne<br />

Editorial Committee: Mona Forrest,<br />

Jackie Manthorne<br />

Guest Editor: Colleen Lyle<br />

Contributors: Cathy Ammendolea; Jackie<br />

Manthorne; Kelly Metcalfe, RN, PhD; Lorna<br />

Marshall; Dawna M. Gilchrist, MD, FRCPC,<br />

FCCMG, DHMSA; Hereditary <strong>Breast</strong> and Ovarian<br />

<strong>Cancer</strong> Foundation; Jodi Wilkie, B.Sc. Pharm.;<br />

Jane Jancovic; Hereditary <strong>Breast</strong> & Ovarian<br />

<strong>Cancer</strong> Society of Alberta; Susan Armel, MS,<br />

CGC Genetic Counsellor; Rochelle Demsky, MS,<br />

CGC Genetic Counsellor; Fran Turner; Mary Jane<br />

Esplen, PhD, RN; Lynda McHenry; Melissa A.<br />

Vloet, PhD Candidate; Mario Capelli, PhD, C.<br />

Psych.; Steph H.; Jillian Alston, MD Candidate;<br />

Willow <strong>Breast</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> Support Canada; Colleen<br />

Young<br />

Translation: Martin Dufresne; Francine Lanoix;<br />

Jeanne Duhaime; Reine Daas; Véronique Lacroix<br />

Cover Photo: Lynda McHenry, contributor,<br />

enjoying time with her three daughters. Clockwise<br />

Lynda, Leah, Sara, Lana<br />

Staff: Jackie Manthorne, Executive Director,<br />

jmanthorne@cbcn.ca; Mona Forrest, Director<br />

of Development, mforrest@cbcn.ca; Jenn<br />

McNeil, Project Coordinator, jmcneil@cbcn.<br />

ca; Tiffany Glover, Public Relations and<br />

Government Relations Manager, tglover@cbcn.<br />

ca; Colleen Lyle, Communications Manager,<br />

clyle@cbcn.ca (on leave); Heather Sullivan,<br />

Communications and Information Coordinator,<br />

hsullivan@cbcn.ca; Sparrow McGowan, Web<br />

Coordinator, smcgowan@cbcn.ca; Maureen Kelly,<br />

Receptionist, maureen@cbcnc.ca; Judy Proulx,<br />

Receptionist, jproulx@cbcn.ca; Sandie Lessard,<br />

Bookkeeper, sandie@cbcn.ca<br />

President’s Report<br />

By Cathy Ammendolea<br />

I<br />

am very proud to serve as the president of <strong>Canadian</strong><br />

<strong>Breast</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> <strong>Network</strong> (CBCN). I am also proud<br />

to dedicate my first President’s Report to the<br />

memory of “Vi,” a woman who introduced me to the<br />

issue of breast cancer. In 1980, I began working as an<br />

administrator for a small medical office. I was 23 years Cathy Ammendolea,<br />

President of <strong>Canadian</strong> <strong>Breast</strong><br />

old and a young mother of a three-year-old daughter. <strong>Cancer</strong> <strong>Network</strong><br />

During my first day on the job I was welcomed by all<br />

the members of the office. Vi introduced herself, greeted<br />

me with a cheery smile and said, “Hi, my name is Vi, short for Violet. I am the nurse<br />

practitioner. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Then she added, “Oh, by the way, I’m<br />

wearing a wig because I am currently on chemo treatment for breast cancer.”<br />

My heart skipped a beat. Vi had just spoken a language that was unfamiliar to<br />

me. Nobody in my family had ever talked about cancer so openly. <strong>Cancer</strong> was<br />

discussed in a soft whisper and in very brief conversation. I was saddened to<br />

meet such a warm, gentle and bright lady who was in fact dying of breast cancer.<br />

I couldn’t grasp the idea of how her children would go on without her.<br />

Vi’s experience with breast cancer was the beginning of a journey which led me<br />

to where I am today. In 2000, I myself was faced with a breast cancer diagnosis.<br />

However, somehow I felt that I had been through this before. Suddenly it came to<br />

me: The gentle reminder of a woman who was ahead of her time in discussing her<br />

disease with such ease. Not even realizing it at the moment, I adopted her style<br />

and courage. I utilized my personal experience with Vi to educate myself about<br />

cancer. Immediately after my treatments, I became a peer mentor to other women<br />

who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer. I became an advocate, attended<br />

continuing education conferences, and worked as a psychosocial volunteer. So<br />

many doors have opened since my diagnosis: Education, awareness, advocacy,<br />

support groups and much more. Now, CBCN has given me the opportunity to<br />

In this issue:<br />

Executive Director’s Report ................4<br />

Defining BRCA Genes ...................6<br />

My Story ............................8<br />

View CBCN Webinars Online .............10<br />

What is BRCA? .......................11<br />

In Edmonton, How to Obtain Referral to<br />

the Edmonton <strong>Cancer</strong> Genetics Clinic .......12<br />

The Hereditary <strong>Breast</strong> and Ovarian <strong>Cancer</strong><br />

Foundation Third International Symposium<br />

on BRCA in Montreal in October 2009 ......14<br />

Hormone Therapy After Risk Reducing<br />

Oophorectomy – Helpful or Harmful? .......15<br />

Knowledge is Power ...................17<br />

Hereditary <strong>Breast</strong> & Ovarian <strong>Cancer</strong> Society<br />

of Alberta 8th Annual Fall 2009 Conference ...18<br />

Informing Women of the Risks and Benefits<br />

of Genetic Testing for Hereditary <strong>Breast</strong> and<br />

Ovarian <strong>Cancer</strong> .......................19<br />

About Ovarian <strong>Cancer</strong> Canada ............21<br />

A Rose Grows: Fighting <strong>Cancer</strong>, Finding Me ...22<br />

Obituary – Marg Campbell ...............22<br />

BRCA1/2 Testing:<br />

Navigating Through the Various Reactions:<br />

All Parts of the Proces ..................23<br />

Scarred, Single and Sexy ................26<br />

The Psychobiological Risk and Resilience<br />

of Young Families Affected by Maternal<br />

<strong>Breast</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> ........................28<br />

Top 10 Things Young Previvors (Probably)<br />

Don’t Want to Hear ....................30<br />

Familial <strong>Breast</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> and No BRCA1/2<br />

Mutation? ...........................31<br />

Willow’s Program for Hereditary <strong>Breast</strong><br />

and Ovarian <strong>Cancer</strong> ...................32<br />

‘E’ is for Empowered - Are You an e-patient? . .33<br />

CBCN: Here for You ....................34<br />

CBCN’s Website Friends Remembered Pages . .34<br />

Members, Friends, Funding Partners and<br />

Corporate Friends .....................35<br />

<strong>Canadian</strong> <strong>Breast</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> <strong>Network</strong> Partners ....36<br />

2 <strong>Network</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>Winter</strong>/<strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2010</strong>

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!