Friday, November 19, 2010

Aloha from Maui

The sun, surf, flowers and fauna are nothing short of amazing here in Hawaii. When you look around at what Mother Earth can provide you realize how incredibly blessed we are. We have been on the North West coast, but have been touring around exploring what we can. I have been very interested in the history of Hawaii and am happy to see that there is an abundance on the Indigenous people - not just the European settlers and Missionaries.

I was also interested to see what kind of support is available for those facing breast cancer here and this is what I found:

The Hawaiian department of health established a Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program in 1993. The primary goal is to reach women who are typically under served by early detection screening programs and therefore at greater risk. In Hawaii that mean women of lower income, who have no or insufficient health insurance and more often are native Hawaiian and Filipino women.

This screening is available to women between the ages of 50-64 and is offered in partnership with nine community clinics, hospitals and other organizations who specialize in breast and cervical cancer detection.

This all came on the heals of the US Congress passing the Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act in 1990 which recognizes the value of screening and early detection for 'all' American women - not just those who can afford it.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

November Memories

Fall has always been a beautiful time of year. The leaves are all turning on the trees. The weather starts to turn colder. Snow kisses the tops of the local mountains. The sun is lower so the sun rise and sun sets are amazing. The squirrels are in a frenzy finding the last of their winter food.

November also takes me back to 2003. I was just finishing my third of six chemo treatments. All of my hair was gone and I was struggling through the fatigue and nausea. I had dropped to a dangerously low weight. Everything around me was dying away - the last of the summer bloom was gone. I guess in a way I was dying a cell at time too - without actually dying.

I got through that 2003 November and each since, with many more ahead of me. Everything seems more intense now. The colours seem more vivid. The air more crisp. The mountains more spectacular. The squirrels - well they are still in a frenzy. Maybe nothing changed - just me. I used to run from the rain. Now I walk in it and let my hair go curly. Life is good.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Call For Abstracts Extended to mid November

The 'Call for Abstracts' has been extended again to mid November. We have had an overwhelming response but know there are a number of you who still would like to submit.

To get more information or to submit your Abstract on line go to:http://www.wcbcf.ca/conference/abstract-form/

We had a number of survivors involved with the WCBCF who attended the recent Young Women's Breast Cancer conference in Toronto, Ontario, plus we had a booth on site. Response has been incredible, with women volunteering to assist with the Ambassador program and the International Support Links project.

The momentum is building. How many more sleeps do we have?