Leap Summer 2014

AN EASY
STRETCH
43
Albertans
hear the words
you have cancer
Find out how
were changing
that Page 18
Your inner yogi is
well within reach
Volunteers pitch in
to drive cancer
awareness
LETS DO
SOMETHING
PLUS:
Best summer
festivals;
Sun exposure 101;
and more
THE CANCER AWARENESS ISSUE
SUMMER 2014
PM#40020055
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000Leap-RideConquer-FP.indd 1 2014-05-15 9:16 AM Leap_Summer14_p02-03.indd 2 2014-05-20 9:11 AM
summer 2014 3
SUMMER 2014 VOL 5 No. 2 CONTENTS
FEATURES
28 HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Wellspring Calgary is expanding its services thanks
to new partnership
32 TOP JOB
Dr. Angeline Letendre helms consultative approaches
to Aboriginal oncology
36 UNDER THE NEEDLE
Tattoo artist offers reconstructive therapy for
breast cancer survivors
39 STRETCH IT OUT
Yoga mastery is closer than you think
42 RESEARCH ROCKSTAR
Dr. Christine Friedenreich is a trailblazer in
the field of cancer research
47 WHY I DONATE
Couple recognizes their familys history of
spectacular care at the Cross Cancer Institute
DEPARTMENTS
4 OUR LEAP
A message from the Alberta Cancer Foundation
6 FOREFRONT
Sun Exposure 101; Down & Dirty 5K;
Pigeon Lake Pedal; Best Summer Festivals;
Volunteers Net National Award
11 NEXT GEN
Fellowship helps fund stem cell research
12 BODY MIND
Finding balance
through tai chi and qigong
13 SMART EATS
Cool alternatives to sugary
drinks for summer thirst
14 ASK THE EXPERT
How do I talk to my friend who has cancer?
PLUS: Sunburns and skin cancer risk; birth control
and cancer links
16 BEYOND CANCER
Meeting practical and psychosocial needs of
cancer survivors
31 CORPORATE GIVING
Lindesfarne Productions turns its lens on
cancer and where research dollars are going
50 MY LEAP
Widower cycles through the ups and downs
of cancer
SUMMER SPOTLIGHT
28
18
32
42
COVER STORY: Dr. Alain Tremblay is leading a directive to
create a provincial screening program for lung cancer.
18 BREATH OF FRESH AIR
New message and screening could change lung cancer
treatment and diagnosis
22 GET ENGAGED
Patients, donors and researchers meet at the
same table
24 LETS DO SOMETHING
Albertan volunteers rally for cancer awareness
Al ber ta Cancer Foundati on
24
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000Leap-RideConquer-FP.indd 1 2014-05-15 9:16 AM Leap_Summer14_p02-03.indd 3 2014-05-21 1:47 PM
4 summer 2014
ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION
message /
TRUSTEES
Angela Boehm, Chair
Calgary
Gary Bugeaud
Calgary
Heather Culbert
Calgary
Steven Dyck
Lethbridge
Paul Grundy
Edmonton (ex-ofcio)
Don Lowry
Edmonton
Katie McLean
Calgary
John J. McDonald
Edmonton
Andrea McManus
Calgary
Brent Saik, Vice Chair
Sherwood Park
Sandy Slator
Edmonton
Greg Tisdale
Calgary
Vern Yu, Vice Chair
Calgary
myl eapmagazi ne. ca
For the rst time in Leaps four-year history, we dont have a person on
our cover. A few months into our Campaign 43, we are reminded of how
important that number is in Alberta a number we are focused on
changing. Forty-three people heard today that they have cancer, 43
Albertans will hear that tomorrow and 43 more the day after that.
We remain committed to those 43 Albertans and in this issue of Leap,
you will read more about our transformative programs the rst mile-
stone in our new investment model. We know these motivated research-
ers will speed the pace of discovery, translating results to better screen-
ing and prevention tools, improved treatment and care.
You will also read about Mary Agnes Radostits, one of those 43
Albertans who faced a cancer diagnosis several years ago and as a result
of the care she received at the Cross Cancer Institute, she and her hus-
band Ivan Radostits wanted to give back. It was important that their
donation generated more answers about this disease. As Ivan says,
without research, we make no progress. It is absolutely essential for
developing new treatments. The generosity of the Radostitses means a
researcher like Dr. Luc Berthiaume can evaluate what may be a potential
new class of anti-drugs for lymphomas. If successful, it will improve
patient care and outcomes and spare patients with unresponsive
tumours the toxic side effects of current therapies.
Thanks to investments in research, we know more
about cancer than we ever did before and that means
more people are living longer with cancer. It also means
we have a greater role to play in easing the cancer jour-
ney for those Albertans.
The Alberta Cancer Foundation nancially supports
the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, the Cross Cancer Institute in
Edmonton and the 15 other centres across the province. We know
patients receive excellent care in all of them. We also know if treatment
is to be successful, its important to allow people to focus on all aspects
of wellbeing and healing not just the physical side of things. Thats why
we have entered into a partnership with Wellspring Calgary, a facility that
will allow patients and families to receive the unconditional support they
need during a difficult time. As you will read in this issue, one visitor
says, Wellspring programs can improve our outcomes. Healing from
the emotional and spiritual aspects of cancer just increases our odds.
While we push for more answers, thats what we like to hear.
Myka Osinchuk, CEO Angela Boehm, Chair
Alberta Cancer Foundation Alberta Cancer Foundation
Increasing the Odds
Without research, we make
no progress. It is absolutely
essential for developing new
treatments.
Leap_Summer14_p04-05.indd 4 2014-05-21 1:48 PM
summer 2014 5
SUMMER 2014 VOL 5 No. 2
Al ber ta Cancer Foundati on
ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION
EDITOR: PHOEBE DEY
CALGARY OFFICE
Suite 300, 1620 - 29 Street NW
Calgary, Alberta T2N 4L7
PROVINCIAL OFFICE
710, 10123 - 99 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3H1
Toll-free: 1-866-412-4222
Tel: 780-643-4400
acfonline@albertacancer.ca
VENTURE PUBLISHING INC.
PUBLISHER: RUTH KELLY
DIRECTOR OF CUSTOM CONTENT: MIFI PURVIS
MANAGING EDITORS: LYNDSIE BOURGON, SHELLEY WILLIAMSON
ART DIRECTOR: CHARLES BURKE
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: COLIN SPENCE
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: ANDREA DEBOER
PRODUCTION MANAGER: BETTY FENIAK SMITH
PRODUCTION TECHNICIANS: BRENT FELZIEN, BRANDON HOOVER
WEB & SYSTEMS ARCHITECT: GUNNAR BLODGETT
DISTRIBUTION: KAREN REILLY
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Colleen Biondi, L. Sara Bysterveld,
Linda E. Carlson, Pat Fream, Janine Giese-Davis, Elizabeth Hames,
Sue LeBreton, Michelle Lindstrom, Noemi LoPinto, Karol Sekulic
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS:
Brian Buchsdruecker, Cooper + OHara, Buffy Goodman,
Ewan Nicholson, Amy Senecal
ABOUT THE ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION
The Alberta Cancer Foundation is Albertas own, established to advance
cancer research, prevention and care and serve as the charitable
foundation for the Cross Cancer Institute, Tom Baker Cancer Centre
and Albertas 15 other cancer centres. At the Alberta Cancer Foundation,
we act on the knowledge that a cancer-free future is achievable.
When we get there depends on the focus and energy we put to it today.
Leap is published for the Alberta Cancer Foundation by
Venture Publishing Inc., 10259-105 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3
Tel: 780-990-0839, Fax: 780-425-4921, Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276
circulation@venturepublishing.ca
The information in this publication is not meant to be a substitute for professional
medical advice. Always seek advice from your physician or other qualied health
provider regarding any medical condition or treatment.
Printed in Canada by Transcontinental LGM.
Leap is printed on Forest Stewardship Council certied paper
Publications Agreement #40020055
ISSN #1923-6131
Content may not be reprinted or reproduced without permission from Alberta Cancer Foundation.
Increasing the Odds
myl eapmagazi ne. ca 6 summer 2014
BY SHELLEY WILLIAMSON
The Pigeon Lake Pedal
celebrates a decade of
pushing for a cure
Ten years ago, Taylor Pedersen was
diagnosed with Ewings sarcoma. He
was just 17, and the rare cancer was
aggressively attacking his connective
tissues. Taylor and his family would
walk away from his successful battle
with cancer convinced of the power of
early-diagnosis, and they went on to
found the Pigeon Lake Pedal as a way
to support this.
It really started with a bang, says
Lauren Pedersen, Taylors sister. Now
going into its 10th year, the Lions Club
of Pigeon Lake-organized event is a
day-long bike ride that raises money
and awareness surrounding cancer
research and early diagnosis. Held at
Pigeon Lake, 105 kilometres southwest
of Edmonton, the funds raised through
the Pigeon Lake Pedals participants,
sponsors and donors benet the
Alberta Cancer Foundation. The day
includes a family barbecue, prizes and
events, and this years festivities will
take place on June 28. The event hosts
long and short rides, family-friendly
activities and the opportunity to walk
the route.
Since it began, the Pedal has raised
almost $400,000, which was donated
towards the purchase of a PET/CT
scanner for the Cross Cancer Institute.
The scanner produces higher-resolution
images that can detect tumours more
accurately, and scans four times as
many people per day. The event
continues to support clinical trial
research at the Institute.
The biggest highlight for me is just
being together with everyone for the
whole day, and feeling so much support
and kindness, says Lauren. Knowing
that, at the end of that day, we have all
made a small difference and are
motivated to continue doing so.
Hats off to these
tips for weathering
powerful summer rays
Not all sunscreens are created equal.
Before you exercise the right to bare arms this
summer, know whats actually on drugstore
shelves, and consider other options for
protecting yourself from the suns harmful rays.
THE ABCS OF SPF: The SPF rates how
effective the sunscreen is in preventing
sunburn caused by UVB rays. If youd
normally burn in 10 minutes, SPF 15
multiplies that by a factor of 15, meaning you
could go 150 minutes before burning.
Dermatologists urge going with an SPF of at
least 30, which blocks 97 per cent of the suns
rays with those carrying higher SPF values
blocking slightly more. No sunscreen can
actually block 100 per cent of the suns rays.
And regardless of what SPF you slather on,
the experts advise re-applying every two
hours for the best protection.
Unfortunately, there is no rating to tell you
how good a sunscreen is at blocking UVA rays,
so when it comes to UVA protection, you need
to read ingredients. Look for a sunscreen that
contains at least one of the following:
ecamsule, avobenzone, oxybenzone, titanium
dioxide, sulisobenzone, or zinc oxide.
NO KIDDING AROUND: Babies under the
age of six months should avoid direct sun
exposure, if possible, and since sunscreens
may affect their sensitive skin adversely,
newborns shouldnt wear it.
Doctors advise keeping babies in the shade,
or if they will be exposed to the sun, dressing
them in long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats,
pants and even sunglasses. And for children
past the six month mark, sunscreens
containing zinc or titanium dioxide are best, as
it they will not absorb into the skin.
One alternative is choosing garments with
UPF labels. UPF, a concept standardized in
Australia in 1996, stands for ultraviolet
protection factor, which quanties piece of
clothings effectiveness in shielding against
Pedal
for the
cause
the sun. A shirt with a UPF of 50 allows 1/50th
of the suns UV radiation to reach your skin,
and would provide excellent sun protection, in
contrast to a thin cotton T-shirt, which has a
UPF of ve, which allows 1/5th of the suns UV
through more when wet. In studies done in
Australia, Lycra/elastane fabrics were most
likely to have UPFs of 50 or higher, followed
by nylon and polyester.
EXPLORE YOUR SHADY SIDE: Science
supports the benets of using sunscreen in
minimizing short- and long-term damage
from time spent in the sun. But the American
Academy of Dermatology suggests that,
along with sporting sunscreen, people should
seek out shade, wear hats, sunglasses and
protective clothing and avoid tanning beds, to
truly reduce the risk of skin cancer.
WHATS YOUR TYPE? Though the pros say
that choosing the right sunscreen is a
personal matter, there are a few guidelines to
keep in mind before reaching for that gel,
stick, cream or spray. Creams are best for dry
areas of skin and the face, while gels work
best on hairy spots like the scalp or a mans
chest, and sticks work well for using around
the eyes. Sprays are also a popular choice,
especially by parents who are tasked with
applying them to their children, or men with a
balding scalp but one downside is its hard
to tell if enough has been applied for
protection to all exposed parts.
BE GENEROUS, BUT CAREFUL: When
applying sunscreen, the experts advocate
being generous, to ensure you achieve the
UV protection dictated on the label of the
product. Never spray products directly into
your face or mouth, but instead spray into
your hand, then apply it to the face. And in
terms of what that right quantity looks like,
the rule of thumb prescribed by
dermatologists for adults is one teaspoon to
the face and scalp and each arm, and two to
the torso and to each leg.
Source: The American Academy of Dermatology
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PREVENT, TREAT, CURE

Al ber ta Cancer Foundati on summer 2014 7
ALBERTAS BEST FESTS
CINEMA UNDER THE STARS, Banff
June 7, July 5 and August 2, 2014
Back for its second year by popular demand, stars twinkle on the screen
and off during this summer event. At dusk, sitting on the grass with a
mountain view behind the screen, theres no more perfect way to
catch a movie.
DINOFEST, Drumheller
June 13-15, 2014
Take part in this Prehistoric weekend in Drumheller, Albertas
dinosaur capital. The weekend celebrates paleontology and
includes outdoor movies and a triathlon event.
PRAIRIE APPRECIATION FESTIVAL, Medicine Hat
June 14, 2014
The Nature Conservancy of Canada and Alberta Prairie Conservation
Forum host this day of ranchland fun and heritage. This is the second-
annual event, which includes a group barbecue and a bug safari.
FLYING BUFFALO FESTIVAL, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
June 25, 2014
Take advantage of Albertas whipping winds and watch this hand-
painted kite festival soar high above Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
this June. The kites reect a buffalo theme, and are all designed by
local artists.
FORT EDMONTON HIGHLAND GAMES, Edmonton
July 12-13, 2014
Celebrate Scottish culture in Edmonton at these annual Celtic games.
The event includes Highland games and bagpipe performances, as
well as traditional dancing and drumming.
CALGARY FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL, Calgary
July 24-27, 2014
The CFMF has something for everyone and certainly brings way
more to the city than acoustic folk music singers, though theres
some of that too. Last year, volunteers teamed up to bring back
Princes Island Park, which the fest takes over for the weekend, after
it was damaged under ood waters. In its 35th year, its bringing
acts like Bruce Cockburn, Jill Barber and Patty Grifn to town.
ZOMBIE SURVIVOR, Calgary
July 26, 2014
Zombie Survivor is a ve-kilometre race that will have you
running for your life literally. Well, maybe not literally, but
youll join a pack of the undead as they compete in the race
and try to make it out alive. Not everyone does, so you better
start training!
SHEEP LEAVING PARADE, Fort Saskatchewan
September 1, 2014
A sure sign that summer is leaving in Fort Saskatchewan is its
annual sheep migration. Watch as the parade weaves through town
and welcome autumn with a picnic lunch and town celebration.
Source: Travel Alberta
Join us on Sunday, August 17, 2014 for the
2nd annual Down & Dirty 5KM Obstacle Course
at Sunridge Ski Hill.
albertacancer.ca/downanddirty2014
(CCIVA) was awarded a Prime Ministers Volunteer Award this year, in the
category of Community Leader on the Prairies. As a not-for-prot
organization, the CCIVA started in the early 1960s as a group of volunteers
who delivered refreshments to patients and their families in waiting rooms.
Since then, volunteers have donated more than 1.3 million hours of time
and well over $4 million. Now, 350 volunteers provide everything from
transportation services to clinic support to a wig salon. By providing
programs and services that would otherwise not be available, the CCIVA
complements the work of medical professionals.
As the comprehensive cancer institute for Edmonton and northern
Alberta, the Cross Cancer Institute sees between 600 and 700 patients per
day. The volunteer resources department is so proud to work with our
volunteers, who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to positively
impact the experience of patients and families at the [Cross Cancer]
institute, says Deborah McTaggart-Baird, volunteer resources manager,
adding that the work of the volunteers helps in ways both large and small.
The CCIVA and partners, including the Alberta Cancer Foundation,
opened the new outdoor Healing Garden on the west side of the facility
in the fall of 2013, which is now available for patients, visitors, staff
and volunteers.
It Takes a Village
Extraordinary work by Cross Cancer Institute volunteers is honoured by the prime minister
After decades of work, hundreds of volunteers in
Edmonton have been honoured for their dedication to
bringing compassion and caring to cancer patients in the
capital region.
The Cross Cancer Institutes Volunteer Association
WAG THE DOG
Try adding walking lunges throughout
your walk. Keep your dog by your side
every time you lunge by pulling up on his
leash, to signal that he should sit. Hold the
lunge for as long as it takes him to sit down!
Add interval training to your walk, by
running a bit for two minute stretches
every once in a while. You can work your way
up to ve minute jogs mix it up by adding
zig-zag motions as you go.
Some well-trained dogs can even join you
in tness class, like run club, or you can
join a pet-friendly exercise group that includes
sit-ups for you and obstacle training for your dog.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large cucumber, diced
250 millilitres (1 cup) grape or cherry
tomatoes, halved
1 can (443 millilitres) black beans,
rinsed and drained
60 millilitres (1 cup) red onion, nely
chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded
and diced
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and minced
(optional)
60 millilitres (1/4 cup) fresh cilantro
leaves, chopped
1 medium lime (grated peel and juiced)
10 millilitres (2 teaspoons) cider vinegar
15 millilitres (1 Tablespoon) canola oil
1 millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine all ingredients in bowl.
2. Toss gently and blend. Serve
immediately or cover and refrigerate
up to four hours.
Cucumber & Black Bean Salad
Healthy Tip: This versatile, healthy salad
contains more than eight grams of bre per serving.
To get your daily orange vegetable serving with this
dish, top the salad with 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) of
grated carrot. Add the salad to a chicken wrap for
lunch, or serve it as a side with dinner.
Serves 4 Size: 375 millilitres (1 cups)
Nutritional information per serving: 132 kcal; 4 grams fat; 0.3 grams saturated fat;
24 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams bre; 6 grams protein
From the Pure Prairie Eating Plan (by Drs. Catherine Chan and Rhonda Bell)
Try these simple ways to switch up
your dog-walking routine
THROUGH MUDDY WATERS
There will be mud. A lot of mud.
On August 17, 2014, brave fundraisers will suffer through mucky
ground in their bid to raise money for the Alberta Cancer
Foundation. The Down & Dirty obstacle course is a ve-kilometre
race set up around the Sunridge Ski Hill in Edmonton. The course
is a challenging route, up and over hills, and includes problem
solving and good luck as much as physical prowess. Its also
super muddy, and includes running, dragging and crawling
through the dirt.
Race founder Dr. Robert Deltombe started fundraising for
cancer research after his grandmother died from brain cancer in
2003. His rst year of the Down & Dirty race was so successful
that theyre doing it again this year. The race includes male and
female branches. The money raised through the fundraiser goes
towards the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Cross Cancer
Institute. At the end, some donated shoes are cleaned and
donated to the Hope Mission.
For more information, visit albertacancer.ca/downanddirty2014
An obstacle course fundraiser has its
participants getting down and dirty
Karin Coles and her brother Warren wanted to
fulfill their fathers wishes and legacy through giving
back in his honour, and their hard work to do so has led
to the influential Fred C. Coles Fellowship, via the
Alberta Cancer Foundation.
He was very involved with the Alberta Cancer
Foundation, particularly the Tom Baker Cancer Centre,
says Karin, of her father Fred. Warren and I made a col-
lective decision that funding a fellowship would be the
best use of that legacy and the best use of the dona-
tions that were made in his name, so that there would
be an ongoing piece to contribute to cancer research.
While Karin and Warren did not specify what research
the fellowship should support after Freds death of can-
cer in 2008, the Coles mandated that it fund Alberta-
based breakthrough information in cancer identica-
tion and treatment.
It only takes a conversation with Yulia Shulga, the fel-
lowships beneciary, to realize she is doing impressive
things with it. The post-doctoral fellow in the depart-
ment of oncology at the University of Calgary is working
with breast cancer stem cells to better understand how
they form tumours, a continuation of work that was initi-
ated by Dr. Derrick Rancourt. Now Shulga works under
Rancourt, in hopes that their efforts will one day lead to
a cure for cancer. A Canadian Institutes of Health
Research fellowship further supports her research.
We are interested to know if we can make a model of
a tumour in vitro, so in a dish, says Shulga, 32, adding
its for the purpose of studying cells as close to human
as possible. What I am also trying to do is reprogram
the cells into IPS cells. Shinya Yamanaka from Japan
just got a Nobel Prize for doing this from a regular
broblast. You take a regular cell and reprogram them
to pluripotent stem cells and they became the same as
embryonic stem cells. So we are trying to do the same
and see if this cancer potential can be erased during
the programming or it will stay there.
Since induced pluripotent stem cells can be derived
directly from adult tissues, they not only eliminate the
need for embryos, but can also be made in a patient-
matched manner, which means that each individual
could have their own pluripotent stem cell line. It also
means not having to test on animals.
I think its important because its going to open up
new ways of looking at cancer biology, says Rancourt.
Were kind of limited by having to do transplantations
in animals.
Shulga came to stem cell research in Canada late in
her academic career. After earning an undergrad degree from Novosibirsk State
University in her native Russia, she did her PhD in biochemistry at McMaster
University. It was then that she decided to turn her attention to stem cell research,
which she hopes to continue past the August 2016 end date of her fellowship.
Ideally, I would like to nd a faculty position to become a professor and continue
my research, says Shulga. I am really interested in the eld of cancer and would be
interested to see how we can ght cancer using cancer stem cells or any other aspect
of cancer. There are still so many types of cancers, and people have been trying to
cure. It for so long, and there are still very few available drugs for any cancer. I think
some of them can be cured, but many of them are so progressive and hard to cure,
its very unfortunate and I want to change something about that.
Karin says she and Warren have met Shulga and Rancourt, and that their father
would appreciate their dedication. One of the things Dad had said to me, even in the
last week of his life when we were talking about cancer and his experiences, was
maybe what I am doing right now isnt going to help me, but if it can help the next
person, then I am going to do it, she says. Knowing that in Alberta we can contrib-
ute to having some of the best science minds come together and tackle some of the
most difcult medical problems, being a small part of that and contributing to the
work that can be done in that area is pretty signicant.
LEGACY FUNDS
Fellowship funded as fathers last wish helps
researchers study stem cells and cancer
INHERITANCE: Yulia Shulga is using
the Fred C. Coles Fellowship to study how
breast cancer stem cells form tumours.
SUPPORTING YOUNG MINDS
Next Gen

Ive talked about a wide
range of complementary
therapies in this column
over the years from
meditation and yoga to
acupuncture, creative
therapies and natural
heal th products l i ke
herbs and vitamins. But
what about those more
esoteric martial arts you
occasionally see people
practising in movies or
out in the park? The two
most common are tai chi
and qigong, both derived
from traditional Chinese
medicine. Increasingly,
they have been studied
as potentially helpful
practices for people liv-
ing with cancer.
Tai chi is a shortened name, from tai chi chuan, a
form of martial art derived from traditional Chinese
medicine. It is actually a sub-set or adaptation of the
older qigong practices, and involves a series of slow,
specic movements or forms, done in a meditative
fashion. It is purported that focusing the mind solely
on the movements of the form helps to bring about
a state of mental calm and clarity. Over the years,
the practice itself has been separated from its mar-
tial arts roots, and is now widely taught as a gentle
practice and exercise.
A number of studies have even considered its use-
fulness for cancer patients. A review of seven con-
trolled trials in breast cancer concluded tai chi may
help to improve psychological and physical health
factors, like mood, quality of life and anxiety. In el-
derly people, a larger body of research supports its
efcacy for improving balance, preventing falls and
improving overall psychological well-being.
Similarly, a growing body of research suggests
the efcacy of qigong, a practice of aligning breath,
movement, and awareness for exercise, healing,
and meditation. Qigong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and
balance qi (chi) or intrinsic life energy. Qigong practices are often simpler
and more repetitive than tai chi forms, which can take many months to learn,
and exercises generally have three components: a posture (whether moving or
stationary), breathing techniques, and mental focus on guiding qi through
the body. While not as common in Western societies as tai chi, qigong is very
common in the East, and medical qigong is widely used as a health practice
throughout China. A review of the literature, including Chinese and Korean
databases, found 23 studies in cancer care. The most consistent benets were
seen on immune system function (reduced inflammation), improved mood,
quality of life and fatigue.
So where can you go to try some of this? Unfortunately at the moment we do
not offer classes through AHS Cancer Control, though we are planning some
clinical trials of medical qigong in the future.
In the meantime, to nd a local class, try the Western Canada Taoist Tai Chi
society. Medical qigong is available through Dr. Stephen Aung in Edmonton, and
through practice groups around the province. Additionally, Wellspring Calgary
offers both tai chi and qigong to cancer patients and survivors for no charge.
Read more about the facility on page 28.
Dr. Linda Carlson (lindacarlson.ca) is the Enbridge Chair in Psychosocial Oncology at
the University of Calgary and a clinical psychologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.
Slow and Steady
BY LINDA E. CARLSON
How tai chi and qigong can help cancer
patients and survivors nd balance
MAKING POSITIVE CONNECTIONS
Body Mind
Leap_Summer14_p12-13.indd 12 2014-05-20 9:16 AM

How do you do this?
Read the ingredient list to see if what you are about to drink has added sugar. Sugar
is listed many different ways on an ingredient list. For example, it can be appear as:
dextrose, fructose, glucose, syrup or fruit juice concentrate.
Then, on the next hot day or at your next summer function, take steps to cut back
on sugar sweetened drinks:
Drink water, soda water or avoured waters with little or no added sugar.
Add lemon, lime, orange or cucumber slices or sprigs of mint to make water
extra tasty.
Choose plain brewed coffee or tea. Iced coffees and teas or frozen slushy ones
often have added syrups.
If sugar-sweetened beverages are the only option, ask to have it made with half
the syrup or choose the smallest size possible.
With summer here, many of us will be looking for
ways to keep cool. Often that involves having a refresh-
ing drink on a hot day, but to keep cool with drink in
hand and health in mind, consider whats in your cup.
It is surprising to see how much added sugar and cal-
ories are in some summer drinks. And research shows
that the sugar and calories we consume in drinks do
not help us to feel full, making it is easy to drink large
quantities without realizing it.
Why is that a problem?
Sugar-sweetened drinks have been linked to weight
gain and more recently, heart disease. Sugar is added
to many drinks including sugar-sweetened pop, tonic
water, energy drinks, sports drinks, lemonade, iced tea,
vitamin-enhanced waters, coconut water, avoured cof-
fees and slushy drinks. With so many varieties of sugary
drinks at our ngertips, the amount we drink can add
up quickly. The global Food, Nutrition and the Preven-
tion of Cancer report goes so far as to include a recom-
mendation to avoid sugary drinks altogether.
How much is too much?
The current recommendation from the World Health
Organization is to consume no more than 10 per cent
of your daily calories as added sugar. Added sugar is
the extra sugar put into food or drink when it is being
made or processed. You can nd out if sugar has been
added to your food by looking at the ingredient list.
When you look for it on the label, you may be surprised
how many food and beverages contain added sugar.
How much added sugar does this mean?
This amount depends on your age and gender. For
example, for an adult female who needs about 1,800
calories a day, the maximum amount of calories from
added sugar is about 180 calories. This would equal 11
teaspoons of added sugar per day.
When you consider that this 10 per cent includes the
sugar in drinks, it is very easy to reach or exceed that
amount. For example, drinking one bottle (591 milli-
litres) of sweetened iced tea in your day gives you 13
teaspoons of added sugar.
Thus, a good way to reduce the amount of sugar you
consume is by reducing the sugar in your drinks.
Karol Sekulic is a registered dietitian with Alberta Health Services who has expertise and interest
in the areas of weight management and nutrition communications.
BY KAROL SEKULIC
Sweet Nothings
Sugary summer drinks are nothing but empty calories.
Check out these cool options for beating the summer heat
FOOD FOR LIFE
Smart Eats

Finding out that a friend or a relative has cancer
can be quite shocking. In such circumstances,
being a good listener and a good helper can be
challenging, says Guy Pelletier, clinical psycholo-
gist in the Department of Psychosocial Resources
at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary.
He gives these helpful pointers as you help your
friend navigate his or her treatment and care.
First, dont assume that your friend feels and
thinks the way you do, Pelletier says. As best as
possible, express the feelings that you feel and
make offers you can manage. In terms of what to
say, he says its OK to be honest about not knowing
the best next steps to take.
It is OK to say something like, I dont know what
to say right now, but I care for you and I want to
help you. Pelletier explains. Other acceptable
responses may include I am sorry this is happen-
ing to you or What are you feeling at this time?
he says, noting these are more direct and clear
than a blanket How are you feeling?
If your friend opens up the conversation about
cancer, it is safe to assume he/she wants to talk
about it, Pelletier says. Try to help the conversa-
tion by encouraging the person to talk freely and
tell his or her story. Avoid shutting the person
down by saying something like: I know how you
feel (because you dont), my aunt had that kind of
cancer too and it was horrible, or I know you will
be all right.
Sometimes a person may not feel like talking
much, so in such case its OK to just touch or hug, or
be good company. Finally, its a good time to be
practical. Make direct and specific offers of help
such as driving, cooking, cleaning, rather than say-
ing tell me how I can help? Pelletier concludes.
A friend of mine has cancer.
What can I say or do?
Taking the birth control pill may slightly increase your risk of
developing breast cancer, but the good news is that the risk is small and
tends to return to normal after youve stopped taking it for 10 years or
more, says Dr. Huiming Yang, Medical Director, Screening Programs, for
Alberta Health Services.
Yang notes that most women taking hormonal birth control are younger, and
generally at an age when breast cancer is rare. But, he says, For women who
have had a past breast cancer, hormones in the pill might have an effect on
the cancer. If youre worried about your risk of breast cancer, you can consider
switching to a non-hormonal form of birth control and finding out whether
screening is right for you.
Yang says that screening mammography is still the best method for
detecting cancer early. For more information about breast cancer and screening
mammograms, he suggests talking to your healthcare provider or visiting
www.screeningforlife.ca/breastcancer.
Other good resources on the subject include the National Cancer Institutes
(2014) Genetics of Breast and Ovarian Cancer (www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/
factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives), Yang advises.
Ive heard that there is some connection
between birth control and breast cancer.
What do I need to know?
YOUR QUESTIONS
ANSWERED
We polled the pros on your concerns about talking to you
friend about his or her cancer, sun exposure and burns,
and possible birth control pills and breast cancer links
A RESOURCE FOR YOU
Ask the Expert

Al berta Cancer Foundati on summer 2014 15
Ask our experts questions about general health, cancer
prevention and treatment. Please submit them via email to
letters@myleapmagazine.ca. Remember, this advice is never a
substitute for talking directly to your family doctor.
Skin cancer is one of the most frequently
diagnosed cancers, says Allison Fyfe, nurse practi-
tioner in surgical oncology with Alberta Health
Services. The most common types of skin cancers
include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carci-
nomas and melanoma. In 2012, an estimated 81,
300 Canadians were diagnosed with non-melanoma
skin cancer such as basal or squamous cell carcino-
ma, Fyfe adds, noting melanoma is one of the most
devastating types of cancer, and its incidence is on
the rise. In 2012, an estimated 5,800 Canadians
were diagnosed with melanoma, resulting in an esti-
mated 970 deaths.
Fyfe says the good news amidst the staggering
statistics is most skin cancers are preventable
essentially by avoiding excessive Ultraviolet (UV)
radiation exposure from the sun and artificial
sources. And for those who are facing a skin cancer
diagnosis, the earlier a diagnosis is made, the better
overall outcome for patients, she says.
Having worked for many years in the Cutaneous
Clinic at the Tom Baker Centre in Calgary, when it
comes to skin cancer, Fyfe has nearly seen it all.
New patients often come to the clinic after having a
concerning skin lesion or changing mole. This lesion
is usually detected by themselves, a family member
or friend, doctor, hair dresser or massage therapist,
she explains. They often describe a new mole or
long term mole that has changed in size, shape,
colour or has become raised, oozing, bleeding, not
healing or itchy. They will go on to have a biopsy of
this lesion and a diagnosis is made. When its a diag-
nosis of cancer, it is understandably very difcult for
patients and their families.
Melanomas detected early can be lower-risk and
have better outcomes, says Fyfe, adding: A high-risk
melanoma has a greater chance of spreading within
t he body l eadi ng t o i ntensi ve t reat ment s.
Unfortunately, in some cases, this is incurable, she
notes. It is heart breaking to see both younger and
older people dying of melanoma.
The Alberta Provincial Cutaneous Tumor Team
developed a list of guidelines (summarized at right)
for skin cancer prevention, which Fyfe stresses
following:
I have heard skin cancer is
relatively rare these days.
Is this true?
Limit sun exposure in the midday sun (usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.)
as UV rays are reected on snow, water and concrete.
Seek shade whenever possible.
Wear protective clothing when in the sun, including a wide-brim hat,
sunglasses and tightly woven, loose tting clothes that cover as much of the
body as possible.
Use broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and protective lip
balm even on cloudy days. Apply both liberally to ensure adequate protection.
Reapply often, every two hours and immediately after swimming or excessive
sweating.
Avoid indoor tanning.
Protect children and teens with the tips listed above. Use sunscreen on
children six months of age or older.
Babies younger than six months should be kept out of direct sunlight and
protected from the sun using hats and protective clothing.
Regularly examine your skin and report to your doctor any skin lesion that
looks unusual, is not healing or has changed in size, shape, colour, is itchy
or bleeding.
Other resources for more detailed information include:
www.albertapreventscancer.ca for UV radiation information,
including The Big Burn and Be Sunsible
Dermatology.ca
albertahealthservices.ca/poph/hi-poph-surv-phids-snapshot-
skin-cancer.pdf
Forty-three people will be diagnosed with cancer
in Alberta today, and roughly 27 of them, or 63 per
cent, will live at least five years depending on their
cancer type and stage. Because people are living lon-
ger with cancer, its more important than ever to iden-
tify their needs once they have finished treatment
and head back to their everyday lives.
Over the last few years, the CancerBridges research
team, in collaboration with Sharon Campbell, author
of the Survivor Unmet Needs survey, has asked can-
cer survivors to talk about what theyve been lacking.
Overall, more than 800 survivors of both adult and
childhood cancers in Alberta were surveyed.
The survey was divided into practical and psycho-
social unmet needs practical needs include
getting the information you need, getting what you
need to return to work, help with financial issues,
access to care when you need it and feeling like you
know where to go to get that care. Patient concerns
ranged from knowing which sources of information
to trust, to getting test results quickly.
Psychosocial needs include aspects of recovery
such as feeling able to cope with strains and stress-
es, dealing with relationships and coping with feel-
ing like you are different from the person you were
before cancer. Some concerns that the survivors
conveyed included strains on relationships, goal
setting and long-term planning, and dealing with
feelings of isolation.
The research team did find some good news, as
well: 15-20 per cent of all cancer survivors did not
have any unmet needs. However, roughly 45 per
cent of people had at least one concern for which
they required a high level of assistance that they
were unable to find. On balance, the respondents
reported greater psychosocial than practical needs.
In particular, minorities reported greater unmet
needs, and their most pressing needs were different
from Caucasian cancer survivors. For survivors still
within one to five years after treatment, minority
members practical needs were just as high as their
psychosocial needs. Minority survivors top unmet
needs included having to pay non-medical costs
related to their cancer (travel, accommodation,
special foods), making sure they had choices about
which hospital or clinic they could go to and nding
information about all their treatment choices including no treatment at all.
Both minority and Caucasian survivors reported difculties dealing with feel-
ing tired, stressed and worried, and with fears that their cancer had spread.
The good news is that many of these needs are tied to receiving the right kind
of information at the right time. Survivors needed to know where to look for
help, and who to go to receive help coping with their practical and psychosocial
needs. Over the past two years, CancerBridges has provided half-day symposi-
ums where they deliver this type of information (they have spoken to 1,600 sur-
vivors, so far). CancerBridges has also published this information on
CancerBridges.ca, so survivors had a one-stop shop to get connected. In the
future, another one-stop shop may be the myhealthalberta.ca website, where
Albertans will be able to access their own medical records.
Many people are working to improve the quality of information and access to
care for Albertan cancer survivors. Right now we are conducting another survey
of adult survivors of childhood cancers. If you were diagnosed as a child in
Alberta, and you would like to participate, call Yvonne at 1-888-998-8148.
BY JANINE GIESE-DAVIS
COPING MECHANISMS
A new survey identies the practical and
psychosocial needs of cancer survivors
STORIES OF SURVIVORSHIP
Beyond Cancer

18 BREATH OF FRESH AIR
A new screening message could change the way
we diagnose and treat lung cancer
22 GET ENGAGED
Two new programs gather patients, donors and
researchers at the same table
24 LETS DO SOMETHING
When it comes to cancer awareness, Albertan
volunteers show that we can all pitch in
O
SPECIAL REPORT:
CANCER AWARENESS
n any given day in Alberta, 43 people are told: You have cancer.
In this issue, we focus on some of the researchers looking to change that number
by creating a provincial screening program for lung cancer, and meet one of the
43
Albertans who could have benetted from it.
We also catch up with some busy volunteers who show what getting involved can mean
for those facing cancer, and learn how cancer care providers are making a concerted eort
to meet the needs and wants of the people they serve the
43
Albertans who hear those
fateful words every day by getting patients involved in care.
CANCER awareness
TRAILBLAZER: Dr. Alain Tremblay, researcher and
associate professor of respiratory medicine at the
University of Calgary, and his team are hoping to develop
a provincially funded screening program for lung cancer.
A new screening message could
change the way we diagnose
and treat lung cancer
rian Wyllie of Stavely, Alberta, comes from a
family of smokers. The retiree is the oldest of
eight children; all smoked but one. Both of their
parents smoked and died of lung cancer. Wyllie, 69, has
smoked since the age of 15, and was up to a pack a day
when he did something back in the summer of 2010 a
simple something which, quite literally, saved his life.
B
BY COLLEEN BIONDI / PHOTOGRAPHY BY EWAN NICHOLSON
Breath of
Fresh Air
One day, while reading the newspaper, he noticed that the organizers of
the Pan-Canadian Early Detection of Lung Cancer Study were looking
for long-term smokers. Wyllie who was healthy, except for smokers
cough t the bill, so he phoned to register as a candidate in the study.
Through the study he met Dr. Alain
Tremblay, the respirologist in charge
of the Calgary site (there are seven
of them across Canada), and went
through the introductory protocol
gathering family history, blood and
urine samples, weight and height in-
formation, blood pressure readings
and undergoing an X-ray, CT scan and a bronchoscopy (which scopes the
lungs and clips sample cells for biopsy). The results were all-clear.
But six months later, a follow-up CT scan found a change in a spot
on his right lung. Wyllie had now entered an exclusive club which no
one wants to be a part of he was one of 43 Albertans that day to be
told he had cancer.
Hearing you have lung cancer is a particularly daunting
message. It is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and wom-
en in Canada; only 15 per cent of people diagnosed with lung cancer
remain alive after ve years because, by the time symptoms typically
appear, the condition is advanced and treatment is mainly palliative.
Smoking is the major cause of lung cancer, followed by radon exposure
(this gas comes out of the ground into all our homes) and, to a smaller
degree, by asbestos (people in the plumbing, construction and electri-
cian industries are particularly vul-
nerable). The risk is also higher for
people with chronic obstructive pul-
monary disease (COPD).
Currently there is no national
screening program for lung cancer.
But Tremblay and his colleagues are
out to change that. It is estimated that
with screening, 80 per cent of lung cancers can be found at an early stage
and will be highly susceptible to treatment. In Wyllies case, for example,
his lesion was very small (less than one centimetre in diameter), so the
thoracic surgeon did a wedge resection, which clips out the malignant
bit and a small amount of surrounding healthy tissue. There was minimal
pain and minor discomfort, says Wyllie. There were a few days in hospital
and no radiation or chemotherapy required.
That national study, which began in 2008 and will wrap up this fall,
looked at the best ways to do lung cancer screening, says Montreal-
born-and-raised Tremblay, 43, who is also an associate professor of respi-
ratory medicine at the University of Calgary. Overall, 2,700 people across
CANCER awareness
It is estimated that with screening,
80 per cent of lung cancers can be
found at an early stage and will be
highly susceptible to treatment.
STUDY SUBJECTS: It is estimated that 150,000 people
in the province would meet high-risk criteria for lung cancer,
and about half of those are expected to participate in a
provincially-funded screening program which will follow up
on existing national research, led by Dr. Alain Tremblay.
the country were examined, 250 of them from the Calgary region.
There were two key goals for the study. One was the testing of a risk
calculator, which assesses an individuals risk of developing lung can-
cer based on factors like age, gender, education and smoking status. The
second was to develop new ways of inter-
preting ndings to determine whether to
treat or to monitor a patient. With scans,
you see lots of benign stu, says Trem-
blay, noting if you are not careful, it could
result in unnecessary and invasive testing
and anxiety. And, although a sizeable lesion is signicant, its location and
shape is equally critical. Perhaps it is a slow-growing spot (estimated to
be the case in up to 15 per cent of lung tumours), and re-scanning at three-
month intervals might be the best recommendation. A lung nodule
calculator was also developed, to determine the risk of a nodule being
malignant. It is a much more accurate way of deciding what is a positive
scan and what is not, says Tremblay. Using this calculator we can re-
duce false positives from 25 per cent to ve per cent.
Although the national work is ending for Tremblay, he wont be with-
out opportunity. The ACF recently announced $2.3 million in funding for
a ve-year provincial initiative to follow up on the work done national-
ly. Tremblay, one of the 14 professionals and the team lead for this next
phase of research, is very pleased. We dont want to lose our expertise or
momentum, he says.
The ultimate goal for the next phase of research is to develop a pro-
vincially-funded screening program (it is estimated there are 150,000
people in the province who would meet high-risk criteria for lung can-
cer, and about half of them are likely to participate), similar to mammo-
grams for breast cancer detection hopefully beginning in year three or
four of the program. Until then, approximately 800 high-risk Albertans
will contribute to research by receiving X-rays or low-dose CT scanning
(with six to eight times less radiation than traditional CT scanners) over
the study timeframe.
In the rst few years, the initiatives emphasis will be on learning how
to build a screening program on a large scale. Information technolo-
gy infrastructure will be built to manage activity (screening bookings)
and correspondence, such as sending scanning results and requests
for follow-ups to patients and doctors automatically. Currently, this is
managed on an ad-hoc basis. The team will draw on the already-existing
framework for breast cancer screening for modelling opportunities.
Theyll also look at resource implications, like how many CT scanners,
lung-function testing labs, nurse practitioners and thoracic surgeons
will be needed. If we have a screening program, well need twice as many
[surgeons] in Alberta, Tremblay says.
The lung nodule calculator, developed in the national study, has al-
ready proven its worth on previous studies, but its ecacy will continue
to be tested going forward over the next ve years.
A sub-study will look at people who have been exposed to asbestos and
are at risk for cancer of the lung lining (mesothelioma), especially if they
smoke. In this case, the emphasis will be on assuring individuals that they
dont have the condition, a dierent approach to screening. High-risk in-
dividuals will likely be subject to CT scanning, and low-risk individuals,
to a blood test which has been found to be promising in detecting this
type of cancer.
Since half the people who have come for screening to date are still
smoking, it is also critical that we help them quit, says Tremblay.
What is even better than detecting lung cancer early is when it nev-
er occurs. There will be a program, in conjunction with Alberta Quits,
to assist study participants who are still smoking, with cessation.
They will be provided with nicotine patches, pragmatic strategies
FIND OUT MORE: For more information about the
provincial study, email lung.screening@ucalgary.ca
Dont smoke. Then we wont need
this program. Ill be out of a job,
says Dr. Alain Tremblay.
While its possible to develop lung cancer and not
show any signs, or display these warning signs as a result
of another medical condition, its a good idea to seek
medical advice if youre experiencing any or all of the
following symptoms. They could be indicators of possible
lung cancer.
Fatigue
Cough
Shortness of breath
Chest pain, if a tumor spreads to the lining of the lung or
other parts of the body near the lungs
Loss of appetite
Coughing up phlegm or mucus
Coughing up blood
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
OF LUNG CANCER
and counselling, all with the hope that theyll butt out once they
are determined to be at risk. The screening environment might just
provide the perfect opportunity to quit, once and for all. With a
targeted screening program, there will be more people hearing you
have cancer, Tremblay says. But, with
an eective screening program, that
message will come much earlier on and
yield a much more positive result. The
Alberta Cancer Foundation (ACF) has
recently launched Campaign 43 to in-
crease awareness and to encourage Albertans to embrace cancer pre-
vention strategies and healthy lifestyles.
Tremblays message to Albertans: Dont smoke. Then we wont need
this program. Ill be out of a job.
Wyllie echoes that message. In fact, he quit smoking in
November 2013. That was after the national study follow-up screening
protocol found yet another suspicious lesion, this time in his left lung.
Again, he had the wedge retraction procedure and spent a few days in hos-
pital. Upon his return home, he used a breathing machine, called an incen-
tive spirometer, to prevent pneumonia and strengthen his lung capacity.
Wyllie is scheduled for an X-ray in May 2014 and, if everything is ne,
hell have annual X-rays (his doctors are not recommending more CT
scans, unless something else looks concerning, as he has been exposed to
considerable radiation to date).
In the meantime, he is celebrating making that initial phone call,
participating in a ground-breaking study, nding his cancer early and
getting good treatment. He is back to puttering with his antique cars
and inventions. And now that he is no longer smoking, he is also able to
savour that basil in his meat sauce. It is wonderful. Ive got my sense
of smell back.
BY MICHELLE LINDSTROM
Get
ENGAGED
Two Alberta Cancer Foundation-supported programs
gather patients, donors and researchers at the same table
CANCER awareness
ost industries cater to the customer,
relying on feedback and suggestions
to stay on top of trends, preferences
and improve services oered. But that
often isnt the case in health care, where research can
happen away from the patient experience. In a bid to
change this, Albertas cancer care providers are making
a concerted eort to meet the needs and wants of the
people they serve the 43 Albertans who hear: You
have cancer every day by asking patients how their
care can be improved.
In any other industry you would always go to the
customer to nd out what they are looking for, but
in health care we have always made the assumption
that we know best, says Theresa Radwell, the Alberta
Cancer Foundations vice-president of program in-
vestment. As we move forward, we want to partner
with patients more within the foundations invest-
ment process.
In 2013, the Foundation invested more than $7 million
into four Transformative Programs (one by Dr. Alain
Tremblay described further in this issue of Leap). That
was really our rst foray into this area, Radwell says. We
learned a lot from the process and will be building on how
to better partner with patients going forward.
The Foundation is planning to engage patients in the
development and program investment decisions for
care enhancement initiatives, such as the ones Linda
Watson leads. Watson, the leader for Interdisciplinary
Practice for CancerControl Alberta and Alberta Health
Services, oversees several operational programs,
including the provincial Cancer Patient Navigation
Program in community oncology, and the provincial
Integrated Cancer Survivorship Program. Patient en-
gagement is a core feature in both.
The two programs really focus on a system of
care delivery that can meet a range of patient and
family needs at dierent points across their cancer
journey, Watson says. Who is better situated to tell
us what needs exist and if the programs are meeting
those needs than patients and families who are living
the experience.
The Navigation program has a primary goal of im-
proving rural patient and family access to supportive
care, information and services. Patients and families
have played an important evaluator role regarding the
impact of this relatively new program through focus
groups and surveys. Their feedback has led to strategies
to increase awareness of the program.
In contrast, the Survivorship program is in the early
stages of development and planning. Although it aims
to support the well-being of patients across their entire
journey as well, Watson says, it will have a particular
focus on improving the transition experience for pa-
tients and families once treatment is nished and their
care is transferred back to primary care.
Funding from the Alberta Cancer Foundation en-
abled the Survivorship team to engage with patients
and families from the beginning of program planning,
bringing a dierent perspective to discussions. Includ-
ing patient and family advisors in the program planning
ensures that concerns and experiences of cancer survi-
vors are at the heart of the programs development.
We developed role descriptions for our patient and
family advisors, Watson says, adding that structure
was necessary to clarify the goals and expectations of
everyone. It can be intimidating for patients to speak
up in a conversation with stakeholders, community
agencies and medical professionals also at the table. It
is important for everyone to feel equal and heard for the
idea of patient engagement to work.
M
With patients as partners, Radwell says the Alberta
Cancer Foundation will be more intent on engaging
patients and family suggestions about future priority
setting, putting knowledge into practice and program
development and investment. The patient is the
one element that is constant from beginning to end
through the cancer journey, she says. Why would you
not include them?
The Foundation based its goal of more engaged
patients on evidence of successful research around
the world. For example, in the U.S., Patient-Centered
Outcomes Research Institute (www.pcori.org) invites
patients and professionals to weigh in on research ap-
plications, attend workshops and sit on advisory panels
with the mission of all voices helping make more-
informed health-care decisions. Also, the Alzheimers
Society (www.alzheimers.org.uk) supports families
throughout the United Kingdom by gathering expe-
riences of caregivers, health professionals and even
those with dementia to better-inform their work as a
leading support and research charity.
Today, Radwell says donors are more informed and
question the Foundation about where funds are going.
They also want regular updates about the impact of
their donations. Therefore, its only natural to include
them in the conversation to hear things rst-hand.
Its not to say that patients have all the answers but
without including them in those components, youre
missing a key piece of understanding about what things
need to be addressed, Radwell says. Its a big shift and
its something than you cant make overnight.
There is no one right way to engage patients but
the important thing is that patients and families are
involved and become co-creators of system redesign,
Watson adds. Patient engagement is changing
how health system redesign is happening, and the
Survivorship and Navigation programs are tangible
examples.
The patient is the one element that is
constant from beginning to end through
the cancer journey. Why would you not
include them? says Theresa Radwell.
Two Alberta Cancer Foundation-supported programs
gather patients, donors and researchers at the same table
algarian Kathie Geleta was a t 44-year-old when
she found a small, painful lump the size of a pea in her left
breast. Nevertheless, she was not overly concerned. She had
recently had a clear mammogram and there was no history of
breast cancer in her family. In fact, she was so condent it was nothing
that during routine physical with her doctor a week later, she forgot to
mention it.
I never thought cancer was a possibility, she says. I am super ac-
tive, I was a dancer my whole life, I never smoked, I dont drink. Im just a
clean living kind of person.
But when she came home, her husband hit the roof. He insisted she go
back and tell the doctor about the lump. At rst I ignored him, but two or
three days later, I thought it felt bigger.
That was in February of 2005. One month later, Geleta was diagnosed
with a grade three, stage one malignant form of breast cancer. Stages of
cancer describe the size and spread of the disease; grades describe the de-
When it comes to cancer
awareness, Albertan volunteers
show that we can all pitch in
BY NOEMI LOPINTO
C
Lets Do
Something
CANCER awareness
TEAM TATAS: Kathie Gelata (centre) takes a rest
during the 2007 Weekend to End Breast Cancer
with daughters Kaitlyn (left) and Nichole.
gree of abnormality of cells and tissue. In stage one, the cancer is evident but contained
to a main area. In grades three and four, tumours tend to be growing and spreading faster.
Which is why, on April 22, 2005, Geleta and her husband of 20 years found themselves
driving to the hospital for an emergency bilateral, or double, mastectomy.
It was a very tough morning, she says. Richard was so emotional. He is pretty stoic
usually, a strong little Ukrainian guy, and he is
usually so positive. It was like his world was
falling apart. I kept telling him: dont worry,
everything is going to be ne, which is not re-
ally how I was feeling.
After the surgery, Geleta was informed that
while her right breast had been cancer-free,
her left breast had developed two more grade
three tumours, and the rest of the breast was
already pre-cancerous. The surgeons also removed 21 lymph nodes from her left side and
some of her chest muscle. She began chemotherapy treatments two months later, at the
Bow Valley Cancer Centre in Canmore. During her eight months of cancer treatment,
she continued to work part-time and play golf. Despite terrible moments of fear and anx-
iety, she says she mostly tried to focus on the future.
You have to believe youre going to beat it, she says. I refused to believe it was going
to get me. My rst oncologist said my prognosis was not great, and I just said: you dont
know me. I am going to beat this. Ill show you. I really believe that my recovery had a lot
to do with that.
Geleta initially knew very little about a disease that aects tens of thousands of
Canadians every year. Now she is practically an expert. Approximately 65 Canadian
mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and grandmothers are diagnosed with breast can-
cer every day. One in nine Canadian women will develop the disease during an aver-
age lifetime. Further, breast cancer aects men as well: in 2013, approximately 200
men were diagnosed with breast cancer. Just over
30 per cent of these men will not survive.
In her journey, Geleta says she met warriors of all
kinds from the medical sta who deal with cancer every-
day, to survivors that mentor the sick, to the loved ones
who give back by fundrais-
ing. By 2007, Geleta was
well again and decided she
needed to join their ranks.
With her family and friends,
she set to work to raise
money for the Alberta Can-
cer Foundations Weekend
to End Breast Cancer. Her
fundraising group, Team Ta Tas, has organized an annual
gala, sold everything from Easter baskets to lobster din-
ners, and has walked hundreds of kilometres to raise mon-
ey for cancer research. Over the past eight years, Team
Ta Tas has raised more than $357,000. Geleta is not done
yet she says her ultimate goal is to surpass $500,000.
For survivors like Geleta, fundraising is a way of
giving back to the people who saved their lives and a way
of preventing their suering from being passed on to oth-
ers. For Barbara Lambert, Sherry Guenette and Danielle
Murray, fundraising is a way of showing solidarity with a
loved one. Their cousin Andrea Lambert has a rare form
of breast cancer that grows quickly and persistently in
I refused to believe it was going to get me.
My rst oncologist said my prognosis was not
great, and I just said: you dont know me. I am
going to beat this. Ill show you. I really believe
that my recovery had a lot to do with that,
says Kathie Geleta.
Something
classes at the Santosa Hot Yoga and Wellness Center in
Whitecourt to fundraising for the Alberta Cancer Founda-
tion. The center agreed to waive their studio fees, and Mur-
ray has begun travelling
to neighbouring com-
munities to teach and
collect more donations.
By April, the Lambert
women had raised more
than $16,000. All three
generations embraced
the cause and contributed in their own way, most recent-
ly with a head shave event. Like Geleta, Murray says she
cant stop. With the nal head shave event, they have raised
more than $27,000 and she wants to continue. As Andy is
continuing her battle, were going to keep going, she says.
The Foundation supports every single clinical trial
that takes place in Alberta, and more than 200,000 do-
nors allow the Foundation to invest in programs and
research, launch more than 50 new research projects,
the connective tissue of the breast, rather than the ducts.
The young mother of two has undergone over 25 surgeries
since she was diagnosed, and has recently begun another
round of chemother-
apy. In January, An-
drea put up a post on
Facebook saying her
cancer had returned
and she was going to
kick cancers ass.
That was Murrays in-
spiration. Their teams rallying cry, Do Something was
actually her mothers idea, says Murray, a yoga instructor
and mom of two.
I learned from Andrea to be courageous, no matter
what, and embrace life, says Murray. She has such a
spirit and joy about her, no matter what happens. It is so
inspiring. How many times you just sit there wondering
what you can do? But everybody can do something.
Murray began directing all the proceeds from her
Cancer screening, awareness campaigns and
excellent medical care have contributed to
decreasing rates of one per cent until from
2002 to 2010, with mortality rates falling by
2.8 per cent every year from 2004 to 2010.
CANCER awareness
FAMILY AFFAIR: From left, Danielle Murray,
Barb Lambert and Sherry Guenette. The grand-
mother, mother and daughter trio took the head
shave challenge for a family member at a
fundraising event in Whitecourt.
P
H
O
T
O
S

B
Y

D
E
Z

I
L
E
S

and support hundreds of existing programs with ongo-
ing funding. And it wasnt that hard, says Murray. I was
just giving my time. If that can save someone an ounce of
pain or help them through what they are going through,
what we are doing is so small compared to the heroes
that you meet every day.
Many volunteers join the movement in honour of
someone. Some, like volunteers Breanne Kraus and
Kirsten Borle, just want to do what they can for future
generations. Borle was one of hundreds of volunteers at
Edmontons Bust a Move for Breast Health event this past
March, a six-hour tness and dance extravaganza that
kept participants moving, sweating and dancing to raise
funds for the Alberta Cancer Foundation in support of
Cross Cancer Institute. Participants came in tutus, span-
dex and boas to jump around in a step class, or breathe
deeply with a yoga master or capitalize on a free massage.
In order to participate, teams needed to fundraise an av-
erage $1,000 per person.
Both women say the drive, energy and love shared
among the participants was awe-inspiring. Best of all,
Bust a Move raised more than $400,000 this year. Its a
wonderful way to give back, says Kraus. The disease is
so common it touches so many dierent lives. Its also a
wonderful event; it just felt so great to be a part of it.
Thanks in part to advances in research and early
diagnosis, the rate of cancer deaths and diagnosis for
Albertans continues to fall. Cancer screening, aware-
ness campaigns and excellent medical care have con-
tributed to decreasing death rates by one per cent until
from 2002 to 2010, with mortality rates falling by 2.8 per
cent every year from 2004 to 2010. But breast, prostate,
lung and colorectal cancers still account for 53 per cent
of new diagnoses, and one in four Albertans will succumb
to the disease. If something does turn up, Kathie Geletas
advice is to take it one day at a time:
Stay positive, she says. Dont cross bridges that hav-
ent been built, become knowledgeable but not excessive-
ly. Be your own health advocate in any situation. Do not let
what you cant do interfere with what you can do.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: This years Bust a Move for
Breast Health raised more than $400,000, thanks to volunteers
like Kirsten Borle (bottom left) and Breanne Kraus (centre).
COMFORTING WORDS: Sue Witcher has
found solace in attending Wellspring Calgary
two or three times a week for programs, or to
just curl up and read in the facilitys library.
Wellspring Calgary is
expanding its services
to better support those
living with cancer
HOME
HOME
A
cancer diagnosis is a time of fear, uncertainty and isolation for
both the person diagnosed and his or her loved ones. But thanks to
Wellspring Calgary and its educational and supportive programs, no one
needs to face this experience alone.
As more people survive cancer, demand for services like Wellspring is increasing.
Each week, 20-25 new members walk through the doors at Wellspring Calgary to access
the comprehensive programs that are free thanks to donors and successful fundraising
eorts. According to Wellsprings executive director, Patti Morris, the facility is some-
times oversubscribed, and they must rent community space to oer programs. Despite
the demand, Wellspring has never had to turn anyone away. We are always considering
the best way to meet the outstanding needs we know are out there, Morris says.
Recognizing both the value and the need for these
services, the Alberta Cancer Foundation has invested
$213,000 to help Wellspring Calgary expand its programs
and services over the next year. We are overwhelmed by
their interest in this strategic partnership, says Morris.
Although treatment centres provide valuable psycho
social services, these needs continue after a person leaves
the hospital, and that is where Wellspring Calgary steps
in. Careful not to duplicate services, Wellspring Calgary oers more than 20,000 hours
of programming each year, making it the busiest Wellspring centre in Canada. Well-
spring Calgarys programs focus on education, exercise, movement and expressive arts.
They also oer a speaker series featuring experts who share the latest knowledge on a
wide variety of topics.
Joining Wellspring is as easy as arriving at Wellspring Calgarys Carma House and
taking a tour of the two-storey house nestled in a retreat-like setting. Membership
does not require a referral. Wellspring Calgary supports members from the day of
diagnosis through treatment and post treatment, when they are picking up the pieces
of their lives.
Members come from a variety of age groups, including young adults (between the
ages of 18 and 39) like Donna Rasmussen, who was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive
cancer, Mediastinal large B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at age 36. She says that at rst
she felt a bit out of place due to her age. Once I started to get to know them it didnt
matter, the shared experience supersedes the age dierence. The benets far outweigh
any uncomfortable feelings at the beginning.
Although she did not meet anyone else with the same diagnosis, Rasmussen says that
wasnt necessary to feel a connection. In addition to the
connection at Wellspring Calgary she felt, just having
something in my schedule was helpful.
During treatment, Rasmussen attended Wellspring
whenever she felt able to go. She accessed programs
such as Reiki, Healing Touch and Healing Journey. I felt
safe at Wellspring because everyone is so involved with
people with cancer, they were sensitive to our physical
comfort and the place was so clean, which is an issue
when people have immune system issues. Now in full
remission and back working full-time, Rasmussen says
she would continue to at-
tend if Wellspring was open
on Sundays.
For members like Sue
Witcher, the cancer jour-
ney is ongoing. Diagnosed
with Multiple Myeloma, an
incurable blood cancer, she
will always require treatment. Witcher began attending
Wellspring almost immediately. I met people who had
the same thing. I loved the place, this beautiful home that
is so welcoming.
At rst, Witcher believed she could not attend The
Healing Journey Program because her cancer is incur-
able. The program, a popular and practical one at Well-
spring, provides tools to calm the mind and promote
health for both people with cancer and caregivers. It is
just one of many programs Witcher has attended. She
visits Wellspring two or three times a week and says it
helps her deal with the fear and uncertainty of living with
cancer. When I come home I feel empowered, inspired
and hopeful.
Witcher has sampled most of the programs oered
at Wellspring. There is not a class I havent enjoyed,
she says. For anyone not feeling up to participating in
I never thought of doing these things
for myself before cancer. The centre is
a gift, a place to go and heal. Its upbeat
and anyone who has been touched by
cancer is welcome, says Sue Witcher.
Away From
BY SUE LEBRETON / PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN BUCHSDREUCKER
programs, there are other options as well. Sometimes,
Witcher curls up in the well-stocked library and reads, or
just sits peacefully and enjoys the beautiful views of na-
ture enveloping the space.
Although no one would choose a cancer diagnosis,
Witcher has found a gift in the experience. I never
thought of doing these things for myself before cancer,
she says. She describes Wellspring as a happy place. The
centre is a gift, a place to go and heal. Its upbeat and any-
one who has been touched by cancer is welcome.
Cancer touches caregivers as well, and they can attend
any Wellspring Calgary program. The Caregivers Only
program provides respite education and helps loved ones
recognize and accept the challenging nature of their role.
Christina Poniecki has attended the caregivers session
and several programs with her mom, for whom she has
taken on a caregiving role since her mom was diagnosed
with breast cancer. She appreciates the atmosphere. It
feels like a home thanks to the sta focusing on us so per-
sonally. It is like being welcomed at a relatives house,
she says.
Poniecki attends programs with her mom, who isnt
physically able to go alone. The programs have strength-
ened their bond. She also feels that assuming the caregiv-
ing role has allowed her to give back to her mother. Our
relationship feels more balanced. She was dicult to
give to and shes been giving to us all her life. Im glad to
be part of her learning. To be truly whole we to need to be
able to do both give and receive.
Echoing the sentiments of many, Poniecki says, It
helps to know you are not the only one who feels pain,
fear and grief. Being together in this vulnerable way is
heart nourishment for us all.
This heart-and-soul nourishment was key to Daryl
Moldenhauers success. Diagnosed in 2008 with esoph-
ageal cancer, Moldenhauers prognosis was dismal. But
I just had my ve-year check-up, he says. I attribute
much of my success to Wellspring.
Moldenhauer joined Wellspring soon after diagnosis.
I needed every edge I could get, he says. I could see
there was a lot more to recovering from cancer than the
physical aspect. I had a lot of fear and anxiety but I felt
this was a safe place as soon as I walked in. He had several healing touch treatments but
due to complications after his surgery Moldenhauer was in the intensive care unit (ICU)
for months. Two healing touch practitioners came into the ICU to do more treat-
ments. I cannot say enough about their commitment and dedication to the members of
Wellspring.
As a man, Moldenhauer was a minority at Wellspring Calgary. It was a bit uncom-
fortable in the beginning but that has left me, he says. Now, Im just part of the group.
That group has supported him as he eased back into the workforce with the help of Well-
springs Return to Work program.
Now an active member post-treatment, Moldenhauer visits Wellspring two or three
times a week. His advice to others: Wellspring programs can improve our outcomes.
Healing from the emotional and spiritual aspects of cancer just increases our odds.
CARING COUNSELLOR: Wellsprings
executive director, Patti Morris speaks with
a member at Carma House.
GOOD CARMA: Joining Wellspring is
as easy as arriving at Carma House.
Lindisfarne Productions and the Alberta Cancer Foundation turn a
lens on cancer, capturing how research dollars make a difference
MOVING PICTURES
Those who have participated in Bust a Move for
Breast Health (BaM) the six-hour tness fundraiser
that sees hundreds sweat it out in the name of raising
money for the Alberta Cancer Foundation and cancer
research have witnessed the creative genius of Lindis-
farne Productions at work.
We started working with the Alberta Cancer Foun-
dation before Bust a Move was even in Edmonton, and
once Bust a Move came around, we really started doing
a lot of work, says Sheena Moore, whose expertise is
behind the planning, interviewing, shooting and pro-
duction of dozens of sponsor videos for Bust a Move.
Lindisfarne also donates the nal product. Ranging
from hard-hitting to whimsical, the 20-plus videos
made over the past three years are as much a part of
Bust a Move as the Zumba, yoga and tness classes held
throughout the day-long annual March event.
Lindisfarne also features a video of themselves of
each year and consistently pushes the envelope from
lip syncing Video Killed the Radiostar, to a comedic
yoga skit. They also participated on the dance and exer-
cise oor in two out of the three years Bust a Move has
been in existence and their whole team sweated it out
on the oor this year.
Moore says getting involved as a volunteer partner
several years back, alongside Lindisfarnes owner Si-
mon Morgan, just seemed like the right thing to do. For
me, it was just a really good t for us to work with Bust a
Move, says Moore. We do get to be really creative with
these videos and have some fun.
With PCL, for example, we are dealing with a serious
company with senior level managers and theyre wear-
ing tutus [in their video], adds Moore. It gives us a
dierent relationship with local businesses, and I think
they have a lot of fun working with us, too. So it is a two-
way street. Yes, we are donating our time, but we enjoy
it. Our sta members love working on Bust a Move.
Morgan agrees: I think most people have been
touched by cancer in some way, he says. I have had a
lot of family and friends personally aected by cancer.
At Lindisfarne, we all feel very blessed to work with the
Alberta Cancer Foundation [to] help share the stories of
people who have been touched by them.
Lindisfarne was also the machine behind the Bust
a Move lip-dub video. The video features sta, re-
searchers, doctors and patients at the Cross Cancer In-
stitute mixing it up to the sound of rapper Young MCs
hit song, to raise awareness for the rst Edmonton Bust a Move in 2012. Working on
the lip dub video was really amazing. They involved the researchers and oncologists
everybody from the team, explains Moore. I dont think the Cross Cancer Institute
has ever done anything like that before. Its not often that they get to do fun things in
that building; seeing them all let loose was pretty exciting for us. And then the buzz
that created for the event was wicked. It was neat to see the video help with that.
Lindisfarne is also the Alberta Cancer Foundations go-to production company for
its Report to Donor videos, which typically feature an Albertan living with cancer
whose life and the lives of family members have been impacted by the Alberta Cancer
Foundations work. Morgan says that aspect of his paid work, though at times dicult,
is also rewarding. It makes us feel great to think that anything we are doing may help
raise awareness about cancer, Morgan says. We have very few projects that enable
us to give back to such a worthy cause. Working with the Alberta Cancer Foundation
over the past few years has really given us a new perspective on things and we look
forward to every new project that comes up.
With the way the partnership has worked out so far, both with BaM and the Report
to Donor videos, Lindisfarne and the Alberta Cancer Foundation are keen to keep
working together, says Moore. For us its worthwhile because we get to share all of
those stories, and if we can be a small part of it this is the only way we know how. We
are happy to do that.
BY SHELLEY WILLIAMSON / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BARON
WORKING FOR A CAUSE
Corporate Giving

FREEZE FRAME: For more information about Lindisfarne Productions
or its work with the Alberta Cancer Foundation, visit showtellmove.com,
or to watch its Bust a Move lip dub video, click on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTfQHJStpF0
ON THE MOVE: Sheena Moore and Brittany Black (foreground)
of Lindisfarne Productions, the company behind Bust a Moves
sponsor videos, edit some footage.
ABORIGINAL ADVOCATE: Dr. Angeline Letendre is
leading the way in Aboriginal cancer care in Alberta.
Top Job
BY ELIZABETH HAMES / PHOTO BY BRIAN BUCHSDRUECKER
Dr. Angeline Letendre is heading the way in consultative
approaches to Aboriginal oncology research
B
efore she became one of Albertas top
Aboriginal cancer care researchers, before
she became the rst Aboriginal person to
graduate from her PhD nursing program, Dr.
Angeline Letendre was a beautician.
As a teenager growing up in Lac St. Anne, 75 kilome-
tres west of Edmonton, she dropped out of high school
at 15. Pulling in a paycheque just
seemed more important than a
diploma. That was in the 70s,
says Letendre. You could get a
job at a really early age. Alberta
was booming at that time.
But in 1989, after more than
a decade spent cutting hair, and
when the economic strain of single motherhood be-
came too taxing, she went back to school. Of Cree-Metis
heritage, Letendre had always wanted to have a job that
would allow her to work with Aboriginal people. So nurs-
ing just seemed like a natural t, she says.
Today, Letendre is leading the way in consultative
approaches to Aboriginal cancer care research in
Alberta. Shirking the helicopter style of research of
her predecessors, Letendre has adopted a model based
on community participation. Her aim is simple: to
improve the health of Aboriginal peoples. And that
means working with communities to develop and
implement strategies for care.
LEADER
A Natural
From Aboriginal cultural perspectives, an individuals
actions, the decisions that they will make, traditionally
would take the collective into consideration, she says.
If you want to work at the community level, you have
to establish those relationships. You have to work from a
place that acknowledges the importance of the commu-
nity and the collective.
Going back to school was
nerve-wracking for Letendre.
She applied to all three nurs-
ing schools in Edmonton at the
time, but she feared her inex-
perience with post-secondary
education would preclude her
from being accepted to any, let
alone her top choice: the University of Alberta. Her anx-
iety proved unfounded. Each school oered her a spot. I
guess my desire to be in that profession must have come
through in my applications, she says.
Mature students often face diculties when returning
to school after so many years without tests or homework.
But for Letendre, the real challenge came not in the aca-
demics, but in social isolation. As one of the only Aborigi-
nal people in her program, Letendre was shocked to hear
the negative ways some of her peers talked about First
Nations, Inuit and Metis people.
We always have conversations about Aboriginal
populations when we talk about FASD (Fetal Alcohol
Theres not an engagement
with a community or an
individual where I do not
learn something. For me its
satisfying and exciting work.
000Leap-Province-FP.indd 1 2014-05-20 8:25 AM
Top Job
We know that as people. If we
create a healthy environment
physically, mentally
emotionally and spiritually,
in our homes, our children
will be healthy as well.
Spectrum Disorder), addictions and social problems,
she says. Whenever the conversation turned to Aborig-
inal peoples, the entire class looked at her expectantly.
How can one individual speak on behalf of an entire
population? You cant, she says. But youre put in
that situation an awful lot.
Letendre responded to isolation among her peers
by seeking out opportunities to work with Aborigi-
nal peoples. In that search, she found work assisting
the health director of the Yellowhead Tribal Council
(YTC) of Alberta as part of one of her rst practicums.
The health director of the YTC was unhappy with a
needs assessment report that looked at cancer care
needs of the ve communities that belong to the YTC.
It just was not reported in the respectful way it should
have been, Letendre says.
But it did oer some valuable insight. So the direc-
tor hired Letendre to consult
with community members and
draft a new report. She spent
her practicum in talking circles
with community members and
local health-care professionals,
listening to their ideas, con-
cerns and stories about cancer.
The experience was just phe-
nomenal, she says. Through
this experience, she came to understand the impor-
tance of seeking out the perspectives of the communi-
ties when research health among Aboriginal peoples,
she says.
Once she began working as a registered nurse in
1991, Letendre found that neither researchers nor
health-care professionals could tell her which health
care programs Aboriginal peoples were most likely, or
able, to access. So she decided to nd out for herself.
Once again, she headed back to school. This time it
was for a masters degree in community health, and
later a PhD, at the University of Alberta.
It was during her graduate work that Dr. Malcolm
King rst noticed Letendres talent for bringing
people together. She had volunteered to organize a
conference on Aboriginal health research funded by
the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, where
King worked.
It was a huge success, he says. It resulted in some
important and long-lasting connections, which are
really important, at a peer level. King would later su-
pervise her doctoral thesis, which focused on cervical
cancer among Aboriginal women. She graduated in
2008, becoming the rst Aboriginal person to earn a
PhD from the University of Alberta.
Around that time, King accepted a position as the
rst scientic director of the CIHRs newly-formed In-
stitute for Aboriginal Peoples, and he was looking for
an associate director. He could think of no one more
qualied than Letendre, who jumped in with both feet,
taking the lead on organizing a series of conferences
that brought together Aboriginal peoples from com-
munities across the country.
Up until that point, researchers rarely consulted
anyone without qualications about how research
could be used to address health issues in Aborigi-
nal communities, says King. So-called helicopter
research was common practice. In this style of re-
search, researchers sometimes literally helicopter
into communities, gather information and are never
heard from again.
So really this is quite dierent, says King. This
is recognizing that people in communities who ar-
ent necessarily equipped with doctorates actually
can come up with the approaches and solutions to re-
search on health issues the community faces.
Through these conferences, Letendre and King
drafted a report that oered a rich sense of the most
signicant health issues facing Aboriginal people in
Canada, and how the institutes future research might
address those issues. But Le-
tendre says it doesnt take a
research paper to realize the
most important tool for im-
proving the health of the indi-
vidual is a healthy community.
We know that as people. If
we create a healthy environ-
ment physically, mentally emo-
tionally and spiritually, in our
homes, our children will be healthy as well, she says.
In 2011, Letendre brought her focus on commu-
nity consultation into her job as the provincial co-
ordinator for Alberta Health Services Community
Oncology program. In that role, she worked to
improve access to cancer care among Aboriginal
people in the province, which required her to estab-
lish trusting relationships with the people who live in
those communities.
While Letendre says her work has had a positive
impact on communities, the community members
have also had an impact on her.
I have a great respect and admiration for the sur-
vival, the resiliency, and the cultures, the diversity
of these peoples, she says. Theres not an engage-
ment with a community or an individual where I do
not learn something. For me its satisfying and excit-
ing work.
Its just the kind of satisfying work Letendre imag-
ined for herself when she left her job as a beautician
to go to nursing school 25 years ago. She says it has
been a whirlwind quarter-century, and shes not ready
to slow down. In March, she accepted a position as
scientic lead for the community innovation team
with the Alberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Fund, a
$25-million annual fund established by the province
of Alberta in 2006 to support prevention, screening
and research.
Letendre will take an arms-length role with
community oncology as she transitions into her new
job helping the fund integrate its research and pre-
vention components. Im pretty excited about that,
she says.
000Leap-Province-FP.indd 1 2014-05-20 8:25 AM Leap_Summer14_p32-35.indd 35 2014-05-20 9:25 AM
Albertan tattoo artist oers
reconstructive therapy for
breast cancer survivors
BY L. SARA BYSTERVELD
Under
t was a turning point in Stacie-Rae Weirs tattooing
career. A traditional tattoo artist by trade, Calgary-based
Weir has made her name reconstructing nipples and
areolae for women who have had mastectomies. After study-
ing the areola reconstruction process for six months, Weirs
rst client was her friend Melanie Hayden-Sparks.
I
I told her, Let me know how is this aecting you? says Weir, of that pivotal mo-
ment. And she told me, I had no idea that such a big part of me was missing. I had no
idea that I was feeling this much of a void in my life. And then as soon as she looked in
the mirror, she said, Right, Im a woman. I have been a woman all along. I forgot. You
become a patient, you know?
Hayden-Sparks response to Weirs work sparked the desire to oer the service
to everyone who wanted it. Bring em all on, Weir says. I want to do this solely. If
this can make that big of a dierence for you, for anybody, then this is all I want to do.
That was almost four years ago.
Since then, Weir has reconstructed
areolae and nipples for many wom-
en, oering an alternative to in-of-
ce tattooing services oered by
surgical teams. She calls her service
Hope Eternal Areola Reconstruc-
tive Tattoo services, or H.E.A.R.T.
for short.
For many women, says Weir, the experience is similar to what Hayden-Sparks de-
scribes as her own: the room is lled by the woman, her loved ones and Weir, and to-
gether they laugh and cry through the process.
I didnt know how much this would mean to me, Hayden-Sparks says. They had
taken away the part (of my body) that makes me feel like a woman, that I fed my chil-
dren with. This was the nal step to putting the cancer behind me.
Weir describes this as a common reaction for many of her clients, and one of the
main reasons she loves her work. One woman called her in tears the day after she had
her tattoos done, she says, to tell her that shed made love to her husband with the
lights on for the rst time.
Feeling good about our sexuality is such a huge thing. A lot of the women who are
coming to me, who are getting mastectomies, are in their 30s. In their 30s! Were just
entering our prime (at that age). Were getting over the self-consciousness of being in
our 20s. Not having had that time with our sexuality is a huge hindrance to the recov-
ery process, I think.
Weir is working to help her H.E.A.R.T. clients tie their tattoo process to their heal-
ing process. I have master level Reiki and use the energy healing modality to not only
calm and relax the client, but to empower the emotional healing that this visual stimu-
lation can provide. Seeing a realistic-looking nipple returns the woman to a time when
her body was whole and healthy, before it was altered by surgeries and treatment. This
helps her to regain a sense of condence, and I nd Reiki energy strengthens this fact
in the subconscious mind.
Weir met Hayden-Sparks as she herself began her
own journey through a mastectomy and breast recon-
struction. Weirs mother had tested positive for the
BRCA1 gene, and died of cancer. Weir describes herself
as my mother through and through, and based on this
knowledge she had herself tested for the gene she test-
ed positive. When it was suggested to her that she may
want to consider a mastectomy, she says she felt like she
had just been handed a Get out of Jail Free card.
Through her own process of breast reconstruction,
Weir came to believe that there was a need for high qual-
ity tattooing services for areola reconstruction.
Areola and nipple tattooing is a service that is some-
times oered by plastic surgeons who perform breast re-
constructive surgery. The process may be performed by
the surgeon, but the cosmetic tattoo training specically
needed for nipple and areola tattooing is also available to
others, like nurses and cosmetic tattoo technicians.
Of the women who have had their breasts surgical-
ly reconstructed following mastectomy, 15-20 per cent
choose to have their nipple and areola reconstructed
and tattooed, according to Dr. John Beveridge, a plastic
surgeon specializing in hand and breast reconstruction
in Calgary.
Women who have their areolae or nipples tattooed in
the clinic setting receive coverage for the service from
Alberta Health Services, but those who choose to have
them done by a private artist such as Weir do not receive
any coverage a fact that both Weir and Hayden-Sparks
consider to be a shame.
I will do whatever I have to do to get
Alberta Health Services to cover highly
trained tattoo artists to do this work,
says Hayden-Sparks. When talking to any
woman who is planning for or considering
a mastectomy, she strongly recommends
taking photos of their own breasts before
the procedure. In these photos, she says
to include close-ups shots and dierent
angles of the nipples.
What is the colour? What is the shape? A gifted artist
can give this back to you, she says.
Currently Weir tattoos two or three clients per week
for H.E.A.R.T., but she says she has the capacity for
more. She continues to serve traditional tattoo clients as
well but hopes to nd a way to work solely in nipple and
areola tattooing in the future.
Though Weir currently charges a very competitive
rate of $300, mainly to support educating people on the
dierence quality can make, she says, she has now made
it her mission to advocate for Alberta Health Services
coverage of areola tattoos by traditional tattoo artists.
When I rst got into tattooing, there was no woman
tattooing in Canada that I had heard of, that had been
to art school like I had, that had done a professional ap-
prenticeship like I had, she says. I kind of blazed that
trail, so I dont mind blazing this one.
There is a need for this. If that need requires a voice,
I have a voice. I dont mind being the one to say, Yeah,
reject me, but theres still a need. We have to do the best
that we can do for these women.
There is a need for this. If that need
requires a voice, I have a voice. I dont mind
being the one to say, Yeah, reject me, but
theres still a need. We have to do the best
that we can do for these women.
ate W. Mak was hooked on yoga from the start so
hooked that she started teaching it. Today, seven years
later, she seems to embody what one would expect of any
yogi: peace, positivity, tness and a friendly, accepting
demeanor. When she rst stepped onto the mat, though, it was for the
same reason many people turn to any tness pursuit to get in shape for
an impending beach vacation.
Mak was working in neurological science at the time, spending hours in
the lab studying the eects of two specic genes on acute T-cell leukemia.
Think yogas too intimidating to start
practising? Think again
K
STRETCH IT
OUT
BY L. SARA BYSTERVELD
Yoga is a community that is very loving
and very accepting. They ultimately want
you to live the very best version of your
life, whatever that means, and just support
you in getting there.
Her rst foray into yoga showed her a sense of peace and serenity, and an opportunity
to let everything go for a period of time while she practised. She also quickly found what
she felt had been missing from her mostly solitary life in the lab.
What kept me coming back was the sense of community. I would come to class and
there would be ve people I had met through the studio, and they now are my friends,
she says of that early time in her yoga practice. She adds, Especially in cities, we be-
come very segregated, and very isolated, and yoga is a way of connecting with others
and with yourself, as well.
Mak describes herself as a social person, and she was realizing that she wasnt hap-
py in the lab where there was so little human interaction. A couple of years later, when
friends opened a yoga studio of their own and oered her a job teaching there, she re-
alized, either I was going to continue
being unhappy, or I could give this a go.
Though yoga has existed for more
than 5,000 years (according to the
American Yoga Association, it predates
written history), it only began to slow-
ly spread across North America a little
over a century ago. Nowadays, its a
well-known staple of the western tness
world, and with that comes not just gen-
eral public knowledge, but also a variety of misconceptions.
Everyone knows someone who practices yoga, and who probably talks about how
great it makes them feel. And yet, many people who would be interested to try the prac-
tice themselves do not do so. Whats holding them back?
Jackie Clark, a yoga teacher in Edmonton, has observed that for some, the reason they
dont brave the yoga studio is a belief that theyre too fat or not exible enough. For
others, as was the case with Clark when she began attend-
ing yoga classes at a studio, its the mystery of the spiri-
tuality. Some people may think yoga is a religion.
Though she had dabbled in yoga at home, letting vid-
eos and DVDs guide her, a friend had asked her to come
along to a studio class. It was 2004 and Clarks father had
recently died. She was feeling lost.
After that rst class, she says, I was hooked. I felt
calm. For those few minutes you have a chance to just
tune everything out. There is a clarity that comes from
connecting with your breath.
She was, however, in-
timidated by the spiritual
aspect of the classes. In the
ashtanga classes she was at-
tending, they would prac-
tise an invocation at the be-
ginning and I didnt know
if that resonated with me.
The conclusion she
eventually reached is the
same advice she oers newcomers who might be feeling
nervous in the same way. You have a choice when you
step into a class or onto the mat. You can Om, or you
can stay silent. You choose which aspects of yoga you
want to take into your life.
Another common worry for yoga newbies is that they
dont t the physical mold of a yogi. Mak points out that peo-
ple in a yoga class arent paying any attention to one anoth-
ers bodies; they are too busy focusing on their own practice.
Yoga is a community that is very loving and very ac-
cepting, says Mak. They ultimately want you to live the
very best version of your life, whatever that means, and
just support you in getting there.
As Clark tells people who are afraid to attend a class
because they believe they arent exible enough, you
cant get more exible unless you come to class.
So where to start, then? Both teachers recommend
learning about yoga rst, and point to online magazine
yogajournal.com as a great starting point. The site contains
a wealth of information, ranging from an index of basic
poses and an advice column for beginners, to tness and
mindfulness challenges, to downloads and feature articles.
Newcomers looking to try yoga should research the dif-
ferent types of yoga, both Mak and Clark agree. Ask your-
self what youre looking to get out of yoga, says Mak. Are
you looking for relaxation? Are you looking for health? Are
you looking for exibility, or strengthening, or something
to complement running or cycling or weight training?
Choosing between heated and non-heated, power
yoga, or a more relaxing style of yoga, will depend largely
on a given persons goals. Clark recommends approach-
ing friends who are already practising yoga. Somebody
in your life probably does yoga. Ask them questions; get
a sense of what their experience was in the beginning. Consider attending a class with
a friend, she says. She encourages people who are just getting started to try a variety of
types of yoga before deciding whether yoga is for them.
Mak advises that most studios now oer an introductory pass which allows the pass
holder to take unlimited classes for a week or a month, and some also oer a registered
beginners class series.
Some of the (non-beginner) classes that I teach can ll up to 50 people, she says.
If youre brand new, and youre one out of 50, its going to be harder for me to keep an
eye on you than if youre part of a much smaller group.
Both instructors recommend calling ahead if you are unsure and asking questions
about the classes, the studio and the teachers. They also agree that beginners are
best-served starting with instruction from a qualied teacher. Getting started in yoga
doesnt present much of a cost a simple yoga mat from any general sporting goods or
outlet store, and some comfortable athletic clothes that you are able to fully stretch in
and its not complicated. But it is best, the two teachers advise, to get started with a
qualied instructor to avoid getting used to practising a pose out of alignment.
When youre practising without somebody thats actually looking at your body, you
may be practising with your hip out of alignment, and then you will get used to practis-
ing in that shape, explains Mak.
Mak adds that anyone with health concerns should consult a doctor before getting
started. Issues such as high blood pressure, low immune function and herniated or
bulging discs may dictate the type of yoga that is best suited to the person who is inter-
ested in starting out. She recommends that people who do not have a yoga studio with-
in a reachable distance practice carefully at home, perhaps following the instruction of
world renowned teachers via the website yogajournal.com.
Err on the side of caution when practising without a teacher, she says. If it hurts,
pinches or feels o ... Stop, try not to force it and back o, if not exit the pose entirely.
Dr. Christine Friedenreich is a woman on a mission.
A trailblazer in the eld of cancer research, she is
making epic strides that prove physical activity can
help reduce the risk of some cancers
Research Rockstar
Research
in
Motion
Research Rockstar
BY PAT FREAM / PHOTOS BY COOPER & OHARA
r. Christine Friedenreich doesnt write
prescriptions but if she did, shed probably
tell you to take a hike. For real.
Barely able to contain her vast invento-
ry of knowledge, and eager to share astonishing results,
the renowned researcher can tell you multiple reasons
why physical activity is good for you. The main benet
the one she has devoted hundreds of thousands of hours
to is cancer prevention.
There have been nearly 100 studies done that look at
physical activity and its eects on breast cancer, says
Friedenreich, scientic leader at Alberta Health Ser-
vices and a professor at the University of Calgary. They
conrm a measurable 25 to 30 per cent decrease in risk
when comparing people who are most active versus
people who are less active.
For nearly three decades, the prominent researcher
has devoted herself to studies targeting cancer preven-
tion. Her goal: to reduce the odds of people developing
cancer by intervening early enough to change some of
the modiable risk factors that inuence the onset or
promotion of cancers.
There are so many risks we cant control genetics,
environmental factors, aging. Im studying modiable
lifestyle risk factors, things you can change things you
have control over, says Friedenreich.
She rst set out to dissect a critical piece of the cancer
puzzle in 1986, by studying the relationship between
smoking and cancer. That study, nearly 30 years ago,
showed that even if you could reduce smoking preva-
lence rates by two to ve per cent per year, you could
increase life expectancy by up to two years.
Next, Friedenreich went on to explore how diet,
lifestyle and environmental factors impact risk of can-
cer and chronic disease, completing her post-doctoral
fellowship at the International Agency for Research on
Cancer (a division of the World Health Organization)
based in Lyon, France. While in France, Friedenreich
helped spearhead the European Prospective Investiga-
tion into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study a massive
cohort study of 522,000 people across 10 European
countries, which has resulted in hundreds of research
papers that have demonstrated the role of diet, lifestyle
and other factors in cancer causation.
After an exhilarating year abroad, Friedenreich and
her husband landed in Calgary, where she met Kerry
Courneya, an exercise psychologist who worked at the
University of Calgary.
We started doing research together and quickly
identied gaps in the literature on how physical activity
is related to the risk of developing cancer, how it can be
used to help people cope with cancer treatments, how it can help rehabilitate after
cancer, and how it can improve the overall rate of survival, says Friedenreich.
Motivated by compelling results which show that physical activity can have a pro-
found eect on various types of cancers, Friedenreich and Courneya embarked on a
mission to develop a set of guidelines indicating the precise dose, nature and timing
of physical activity that oers optimum cancer ghting benets. Furthermore, the
pair set out to explore the measurable benets of physical activity during cancer treat-
ment, and its potential impact on cancer survival.
Friedenreich rst developed and published a questionnaire called the Lifetime
Total Physical Activity Questionnaire a tool the team could use in studies measuring
the relationship between physical activity and cancers of the breast, prostate and
endometrium (uterus).
In their rst case-control study of breast cancer, they studied womens lifetime ac-
tivity levels, and discovered that post-menopausal women who had a lifelong history
of regular exercise had decreased rates of breast cancer of around 42 per cent. Alterna-
D
Research Rockstar
So far our results show that any
amount of activity is better than
none, but more intense activity
more often is better.
PRESTIGIOUS POST: In addition to her roles as professor at the University
of Calgary and scientic leader at Alberta Health Services, Dr. Christine
Friedenreich is also the Alberta Cancer Foundations Weekend to End
Womens Cancers chair in Breast Cancer Research.
tively, women who started exercising later in life (after the onset of menopause) had a
surprisingly-similar decreased risk of 40 per cent.
These were really interesting results, says Friedenreich. The important message
is, physical activity is incredibly benecial to your health and its never too late to start.
Next came the ALPHA Trial (Alberta Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Preven-
tion Trial) that began in 2003, a study of 320 post-menopausal women that examined
how a year-long exercise program could reduce breast cancer risk. The ALPHA Trial
showed that aerobic exercise reduced many biomarkers associated with breast cancer
risk. It also revealed that these biomarkers changed even more with higher levels of
exercise. Subsequently, her BETA trial (Breast Cancer and Exercise Trial in Alberta)
in 2010, studied 400 women to explore how the amount, intensity and frequency of
exercise impact cancer prevention. Partially-funded by the Alberta Cancer Founda-
tion, the BETA Trial results are currently being analyzed and will enable Friedenreich
and her team to devise public health guidelines outlining the optimum prescription of
physical activity to aid in cancer prevention.
So far our results show that any amount of activity is better than none, but more
intense activity more often is better, says Friedenreich.
Friedenreich and her team are now embarking on the nal frontier of their research,
with the AMBER study (Alberta Moving Beyond Breast Cancer). The study involves
1,500 newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients, and examines how physical activity and
physical tness inuences survival after cancer.
All of these studies involve exercise, but we dont like to use the word exercise
because that can put people o. We prefer to call it physical activity encompassing
movement of any kind, she says.
Friedenreich points out that on any given day, aside from eight hours of sleep, and
potentially 30 minutes of exercise, people could nd themselves sedentary for more
than 15 hours. She has joined the call to action, advocating for an even or gradual shift
from sedentary behaviour to light activity. Get up and
unload the dishwasher, go outside and do some garden-
ing, have your meetings while walking, she says. Any
kind of movement is better than none.
Recently, Friedenreich found out she is the recipient
of the 2013 O. Harold Warwick Prize. Named after a
pioneering cancer researcher and presented by the
Canadian Cancer Society, this prestigious award recog-
nizes scientists who have made a major contribution to
cancer control research.
Friedenreich is happy she chose to work in a eld
that has such immediate and direct applications,
with benets that have been so clearly documented
across multiple diseases. She describes her work
as empowering.
Cancer scares people; makes them feel like theyre
losing control over their lives, she says. In my eld we
have the opportunity to give people back some measure
of control; empower them to make choices that can
make measurable dierences in their lives.
The important message is,
physical activity is incredibly
benecial to your health and its
never too late to start!
Register today and help the Alberta Cancer Foundation deliver results
for cancer patients at the Jack Ady Cancer Centre in Lethbridge, faster
July 26, 2014
albertacancer.ca/georgesride2014
Register
Today
Thank you Dierk Rambali Soccer Marathon donors, volunteers,
and participants! You are delivering results for Red Deer cancer
patients at the Central Alberta Cancer Centre. Congratulations
on another successful year!
Research Rockstar
Whats it like to be a leading Alberta researcher?
Ive always said the only thing holding me back is
my own imagination. Ive worked in lots of other
large centres but I feel like here we have the
infrastructure and the opportunities to do some
incredible leading edge work. We are recognized
as leaders in the world for some of the research
weve done right here in Alberta.
Can we have a peek into your personal life?
I met my husband while we were both under-
graduate students at Queens University. We
were married in 1986 and four years later we
moved to France while I worked on my post-
doctoral fellowship. Then he accepted a position
in Calgary that brought us to Alberta. We have
two wonderful daughters, the eldest is away
doing an undergraduate degree at Queens Uni-
versity and my younger daughter is in Grade 11 at
Western High School.
Q AND A WITH DR. CHRISTINE FRIEDENREICH
How does physical activity factor into your busy life?
I have been active all my life. My husband and I have done lots of backpack-
ing and trekking in Nepal and weve taken our girls on some wonderful long
hikes in Switzerland, including the Via Alpina and the Monte Rosa Tour. Hik-
ing in the Swiss and Italian Alps is spectacular!
At this point in your career, what are your priorities?
I think theres a responsibility to mentor young people and help them with
their careers, so Ive done a lot of that and training of graduate students, I see
that as an extremely important part of my role. Also, Im trying to build more
effective alliances with other groups within Alberta Health Services who are
working in cancer epidemiology and prevention areas.
What are your goals for the next ve years?
Im hoping that with the denitive data from the BETA trial and the AMBER
study well be able to provide guidelines for exercise prescriptions for cancer
prevention and for cancer survival outcomes. Im 54 now, I expect by age 60
Ill be thinking about stepping aside. I think its important for investigators
like me to move on and make room for the bright, ambitious young people
coming up behind us.
Charitable Edmonton couple
recognizes their familys
history of spectacular care
at the Cross Cancer Institute
with $100,000 donation for
lymphoma research
BY COLLEEN BIONDI
CLOSE TO HOME
STORIES OF GIVING
why I donate /
ary Agnes and Ivan Radostits of
Edmonton have always been very in-
volved in their community. Mary Agnes,
75, a former physiotherapist, was one of
the founding board members of the Glenrose Hospi-
tal Foundation and volunteered for years at her local
church. Ivan, also 75, and a long-term businessman in
the grocery industry, spent signicant time with the
Jaycees, a worldwide federation of young leaders and
entrepreneurs, as well as the Rotary Club, and was on
the founding boards of the University of Alberta, Miseri-
cordia and St. Josephs Auxiliary hospitals.
The couple, like many others, has also donated money to
various worthy charities. But two years ago, the Radostitses
M
Our satisfaction is not necessarily in
the giving of this donation, but in the
hope it generates that one day there
will be a cure for cancer.
made a particularly hefty donation $50,000 to research at the Cross Cancer Institute.
By then, theyd had a long history with the facility. Ivans father was diagnosed with
prostate cancer when he was 59, and was treated there. Mary Agnes father was also
treated, for mouth cancer, at the facility. The Cross Cancer Institute gives spectacular
care, says Ivan. It is out of this world.
But ve years ago, cancer came to roost very close to home. Mary Agnes found a
lump under her right armpit a biopsy conrmed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This type
of cancer originates in the cells that make the immune system. It is a more common
lymphoma than its counterpart, Hodgkin lymphoma, and has at least 17 dierent
types. More than 69,000 people are diag-
nosed in North America every year with
lymphomas of all varieties.
Immediately after the diagnosis, Mary
Agnes and Ivan went to Palm Desert, Cal-
ifornia, for a holiday. Upon their return,
Mary Agnes had surgery to remove the
tumour and then embarked on a long-term chemotherapy regime every six weeks ini-
tially, then every three months, for four years. The treatment went well and there were
virtually no troubling side eects. The hardest part was getting the needle in my arm,
says Mary Agnes. After that it was clear sailing. Her last session was in the fall of 2013
and she will have a follow-up appointment this summer. The couple hopes to hear the
words in remission at that meeting.
As a result of Mary Agnes diagnosis, the $50,000 went to a research area that could
make the biggest impact on lymphoma research, a donation the Radostitses made
halfway through her treatment. That news was music to the ears of Dr. Luc Berthi-
aume, a researcher in the department of cell biology at the University of Alberta. He
received his PhD at the University of Sherbrooke, and after a post-doctoral fellowship
at the prestigious Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, he stud-
ied signalling mechanisms in normal and cancer cells at University of Alberta, where
he has been for the last 18 years. There is a clear, unmet medical need for answers to
hematological cancers, he says.
Donations, like the one made by the Radostitses, are critical to funding novel ideas
and areas of cancer research identied by the Alberta Cancer Foundations scientic
review panel, including Dr. Berthiaumes work. This donation jump-started the work
on our new personalized treatment strategy for lymphomas, says Dr. Berthiaume,
and provided the seed money needed to obtain a larger
three-year grant from the Alberta Cancer Foundation to
evaluate the new treatment strategy.
Over that term, Dr. Berthiaume and clinical trial-
ists at the Cross Cancer Institute will evaluate the
ecacy of a new drug that has been found to be highly-
selective for the killing of lymphoma tumours. The
use of the drug will be guided by the presence of an un-
der-expressed biomarker that identies molecular
lesions in cancer cells that makes them vulnerable to
the drug. In other words, in this type of intervention,
called personalized medicine, the drug is only given to
people who will benet from it and this therefore spares
patients from unnecessary treatments, he says. It is a
novel way to treat cancer patients.
The overall goal of the grant is to test the viability for
widespread, clinical applications. This involves showing
that the drug treats lymphoma in animals, and proving
that it is safe enough to begin testing in humans, through
a Phase 1 trial. If all goes well, at the end of year two
we should be able to test the drug in humans, says Dr.
Berthiaume. There is room for optimism: the drug has
been found to be non-toxic in mice, and is 300 times more
ecient in killing cancer cells than normal cells, while
leaving normal cells intact. It is a highly selective bullet
in the laboratory setting, giving hope for a new cancer
therapy with minimal side eects, he says.
Berthiaumes work is likely to transcend lymphoma
cancers: the lesions found in certain lymphomas that
render them susceptible to the new drug have also been
identied in many other common cancers. If successful,
he says, the work will improve patient care and
outcomes, spare patients with unresponsive tumours the
toxic side eects (of traditional treatments) that reduce
quality of life and wellbeing and reduce healthcare costs.
This information resonates
with the Radostitses, so much in
fact, that they recently made an
additional $50,000 donation to
the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
Without research, we make no
progress, says Ivan. It is abso-
lutely essential for developing new treatments.
The couple looks forward to a cancer-free journey
ahead. They have four children and seven grandchildren
to spend time with, and a property at Lake Windermere
to visit. Ivan golfs regularly and despite having osteoar-
thritis still goes to an oce where he manages his real
estate holdings and conducts business with his sons. The
Radostitses celebrated 50 years of marriage in June 2013
and are well-travelled (at last count, theyd been to 47
countries), but still have South Africa on their bucket list.
And, now that Mary Agnes has been recently diagnosed
with Alzheimers disease, they are attending information
sessions at the Alzheimer Society in Edmonton. There are
denitely more challenges ahead, but this couple is ready
and optimistic.
Weve had a great life, Mary Agnes says. Our satis-
faction is not necessarily in the giving of this donation,
but in the hope it generates that one day there will be a
cure for cancer.
PHILANTHROPIC PAIR: Mary Agnes and
Ivan Radostits wanted to give back to the
Cross Cancer Institute, where Mary Agnes was
treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
albertacancer.ca
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albertacancer.ca
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Two Wheels at a Time
Wayne Foo was nervous. He has cycled for 45 years, sometimes clocking
in dozens of miles in a single trip. But as he perched on his bike at the start of
Calgarys 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer, he knew he was in for a tough ride.
He hadnt had time to train. All his energy had gone to caring for his wife Lynne
Marshall, who was diagnosed with
the brain cancer, Glioblastoma, a
few months earlier.
Marshall had watched her father
die of Glioblastoma years earlier.
The disease isnt typically genetic, but Marshall had a gut feeling it would inevita-
bly take her, too. When her father died, she told Foo: I want to squeeze as much
life out of this body as I can. And she did. The couple started two international
companies Marshall a lobbyist, Foo the president of an oil and gas exploration
company. They cultivated a large network of friends, and they explored the world
together from a bicycle seat.
The connection to cycling is something we shared, says Foo.
So when doctors found a tumour on Marshalls brain in December 2012, Foo
says, it just seemed logical that he join the Ride to Conquer Cancer to raise funds
for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. By the time he started the ride in August 2013,
he had raised more than $81,000. But then he had
to complete the two-day journey and he was
intimidated. My goal was to survive, he says.
Once Foo got going, he enjoyed the ride. As
he cycled near the Rocky
Mountains, he thought of the
full life he and his wife had
shared: breakfasts overlook-
ing the French countryside,
cycling trips in Hawaii.
Marshall watched from the sidelines, checking in at
stops along the route. She was riding with me, Foo
says. She died a few months later, in February 2014.
Foo signed up for the Ride again this year, and
has made a personal gift to fund, in perpetuity,
the Lynne Marshall & Wayne Foo Clinical Fellow
in Gliobastoma. It will serve as a legacy, he says.
Not just of Lynne, but also of the way we went jointly
through the disease.
Wayne Foo cycles through the ups and downs of cancer
The connection to cycling is something
we shared, says Wayne Foo of his
late wife Lynne Marshall.
INSPIRING INDIVIDUAL
My Leap
PEDAL PARTNERS: Wayne Foo

and his wife Lynne Marshall enjoyed
cycling the world together. The pair
is shown with dog Chica at a past
Ride to Conquer Cancer.
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AN EASY

PREVENT, TREAT, CURE

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Al berta Cancer Foundati on summer 2014 31

PEDAL PARTNERS: Wayne Foo

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