Leap Fall 2010

THE FIBRE FACTS CHEMO AND HAIR LOSS
HOW WHOLE GRAINS YOUR TREATMENT

CAN REDUCE YOUR RISK QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
STRESS:
THE SCIENCE AND THE
FALL 2010
STRATEGIES TO COPE
t
er-free movemen
into Alberta’s canc
Comedian Allison Lane

laughs in the face of
her diagnosis and
becomes a
SAY OMMMM
Yoga therapy benefits
body and mind
VITAL SIGNS
Why treatment experiences
aren’t always equal
WORKPLACE
CONVERSATION
Talking to your boss about the big C
DITCH YOUR DESK

Find buried treasure on your break
CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL PRODUCT AGREEMENT #40020055 Non-deliverable mail should be directed to: 10259 105 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3
“For those facing cancer today,
in honour of those lost to cancer,
and for generations to come,
we promise progress.“
Join us. Donate today.

Pearson family
myleapmagazine.ca The
CONTENTS FALL 2010 • VOL 1 • No. 2
ON THE COVER: Comedian and actor Allison Lane.

PHOTO: John Gaucher
FALL SPOTLIGHT
16 CANCER AND STRESS :
The science and the strategies to cope
24
16 LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF CANCER

Comedian Allison Lane takes a running leap at cancer
diagnosis and treatment
DEPARTMENTS 21 A PEACEFUL PRACTICE

Patients use yoga to heal bodies and calm minds
4 SUMMER OF GIVING
A message from the Alberta Cancer Foundation 24 THE SCIENCE OF STRESS
The body’s fight or flight response, explained
6 FOREFRONT
Fundraising by horseback, Hip hats, Fraud squad, 25 CLOSE TO HOME
Fine wine, Vitamin D guidelines, Screen time and New facilities mean a shorter trip for treatment
Getting screened
30 THE 6TH VITAL SIGN
6 10 BODYMIND Dr. Bejoy Thomas on how culture and language can
Mindfulness meditation for beginners increase stress levels during treatment
11 SMART EATS
Get friendly with fibre FEATURES
12 ASK THE EXPERTS 34 DITCH YOUR DESK
Your questions about breast tests, diet and Active office workers seek treasure at noon
chemo hair loss
36 A CUT ABOVE
14 CORPORATE GIVING A community rallies to lose locks for a cause
Turning bags into riches
40 WHY I DONATE
50 50 MY LEAP One woman rallies 100 walkers
When finding a cure is a family affair
44 TOP JOB
A radiation therapist who leads in her field
47 BOSS, I’VE GOT CANCER

Dealing with diagnosis and
treatment in the workplace
mbol
Look for this sy eb
ad ditional w
for
resources
44 47
Alber ta’s cancer-free movement fall 2010 3

message / ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION
A Summer of Giving
This past summer, thousands of participants hit city streets, country
roads, ball parks, pools and golf courses in our annual fundraising events.
Hundreds more shaved their heads, organized galas and even sold lem-
onade to show just how much they care about cancer. Each year these
volunteers and their donors generate millions of dollars for Alberta
Cancer Foundation-funded research that is driving progress toward our
vision of a cancer-free future.
Thanks to their creativity, energy and enthusiasm, Alberta researchers
are leading the way on one of the largest population health studies in the
TRUSTEES world that will involve 300,000 Canadians. Fifty-thousand healthy
Albertans, between the ages of 35 and 59, will provide health and lifestyle
Leslie Beard, information over the course of many years for the Tomorrow Project, creat-
Edmonton ing a legacy for future generations. To be part of this living laboratory that
is helping scientists understand more about the causes of cancer and how
Angela Boehm, to prevent it, check the website: www.thetomorrowproject.org.
Calgary Research is also helping enhance the patient journey by exploring
alternative and complementary therapies and palliative care, all crucial
Greg Cameron, to the one-in-two Albertans who will hear the words, “You have
Edmonton cancer.” Those words will transform their life and the lives of their
loved ones forever.
Heather Culbert, Psychosocial programs and In this second issue of Leap we look at
Calgary stress: what it does to a body, the role ethnicity
resources, funded by our donors, may play and how patients can find an outlet
Steven Dyck, will help to ease the cancer through yoga and laughter.
Lethbridge journey for many of the 16,000 Psychosocial programs and resources,
Albertans who will be diagnosed funded by our donors, will help to ease the
Tony Fields, cancer journey for many of the 16,000
Edmonton
with cancer this year. Albertans who will be diagnosed with cancer
this year. Social workers and counselors at
Dianne Kipnes, cancer centres across the province are specially trained to help patients
Edmonton and their families cope with the emotional, psychological, social and
financial stresses that often surface as a result of a diagnosis and treat-
Brent Saik, ment.
Sherwood Park Last year, the Alberta Cancer Foundation disbursed more than
$552,000 through our Patient Financial Assistance Program. When treat-
Prem Singhmar, ment takes over, patients often have to put their lives on hold and financial
Sherwood Park strain can be an added stressor. Short-term grants to cover the cost of
medication, rent, transportation and food can make a real difference when
Heather Watt, healing should be the main focus.
Edmonton We also proudly support creative therapy like the Tapestry Program at
the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary and the Arts in Medicine program
Vern Yu, in Edmonton. These programs provide support for hundreds of cancer
Calgary patients and their families who report feeling less depressed, less occu-
pied with cancer, more energized, motivated, relaxed and optimistic about
the future. Plans are now in place to launch an Arts in Medicine website
that will allow patients from all over the province to participate in this
innovative therapy in their own home.
But now it’s your turn – sit back, de-stress and enjoy your copy of Leap.
John Osler, Chair Linda Mickelson, CEO

Alberta Cancer Foundation Alberta Cancer Foundation
4 fall 2010 myleapmagazine.ca

FALL VOL 1 • No. 2
ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND PUBLISHER: LEE ELLIOTT
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: PHOEBE DEY
EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

DR. TONY FIELDS
Vice-President, Cancer Care
Alberta Health Services
DR. HEATHER BRYANT
Vice-President, Cancer Control
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
DR. STEVE ROBBINS
Director, Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute
Associate Director, Research, Alberta Health Services,
Cancer Care
CHRISTINE MCIVOR
CEO, Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta
VENTURE PUBLISHING INC.

PUBLISHER: RUTH KELLY
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: JOYCE BYRNE
MANAGING EDITOR: EMILY SENGER
ART DIRECTOR: CHARLES BURKE
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: RODRIGO LÓPEZ OROZCO
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: COLIN SPENCE
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: BETTY-LOU SMITH
DISTRIBUTION: NICK JAMISON
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Linda E. Carlson, Caitlin Crawshaw, Lynsey

Franks, Annalise Klingbeil, Erin McCarty, Debbie Olsen, Tricia Radison,
Lisa Ricciotti, Jessica Patterson, Mifi Purvis, Derek Sankey, Shannon The Alberta Cancer Foundation
Sutherland, Tania Vander Meulen, Jim Veenbaas, Debby Waldman
is more than a charity—it’s a
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS:
3Ten Photography, Alex Campbell, Doran Clark, John Gaucher, movement for cancer-free lives,
Drew Myers, Pete Ryan
today, tomorrow and forever.
ABOUT THE ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION
The Alberta Cancer Foundation is Alberta’s own, established It’s a movement of those who know a cancer-free
to advance cancer research, prevention and care and serve future is possible and who won’t settle for “some day.”
as the charitable foundation for the Cross Cancer Institute,
Tom Baker Cancer Centre and Alberta’s 15 other cancer centres. It’s a movement of Albertans who stand with those
At the Alberta Cancer Foundation, we believe a cancer-free future who have no choice but to stand up to cancer.
is possible. When we get there depends on the focus and energy
we put to it today.
It’s a movement of those who know something
can be done and are willing to do it.
For those facing cancer today, in honour of those

lost to cancer, and for generations to come,
Leap is published for the Alberta Cancer Foundation by we promise progress.
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 qualified health
provider regarding any medical condition or treatment.
Printed in Canada by Transcontinental LGM.

Leap is printed on Forest Stewardship Certified
paper. Publications Agreement #40020055 •
ISSN #1923-6131
Cert no. SW-COC-000952
w w w. a l b e r t a c a n c e r. c a
Content may not be reprinted or reproduced without permission from Alberta Cancer Foundation.
Alber ta’s cancer-free movement

000LP.Manifest_1-2V_nBL.indd 1
fall 2010 5
6/21/10 2:13:29 PM
forefront / PREVENT, TREAT, CURE BY EMILY SENGER
Wild Pink
Yonder
Bror and Troll had a lot of pulling to do in July and
August. The two Norwegian fjord horses, driven by
Rusty Hurl, pulled a pink-covered wagon all the way
from Waterton Lakes National Park to Sherwood Park –
523 kilometres to be exact – in just 22 days.
The sturdy ponies weren’t alone in their feat. More
than 100 other riders and their horses joined Bror, Troll
and Rusty as part of Wild Pink Yonder. Now in its second
year, the fundraising event, lead by mother-and-son
team Jane and Rusty Hurl, takes riders on an Alberta
tour to raise money for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
Participants seek pledges to travel by wagon or on horse-
back, stopping each night to camp out in the country-
side, or in small towns along the way.
Many of the towns Wild Pink Yonder stops in also
organize their own fundraisers. “The thing that stands
out with me the most is the community spirit on display
when we go into these towns,” Rusty says. “They’d put
on these wonderful fundraisers and paint their town,
The Case for Hats
literally, pink. I saw so many pink flowers down Main Losing your hair due to chemotherapy can be tough stuff, but the team at
Street and people dressed in pink.” Headcase Hats, an Edmonton store that specializes in chapeaus, wants to
Wild Pink Yonder is a family affair. Jane was diag- make it a bit easier. The shop has been open for six years and, in that time, has
nosed with breast cancer in 2006 and underwent treat- helped many a cancer patient find the perfect fit. Headcase designer Sarah
ment. Now her daughter, Kirsten, has breast cancer, too. Deen talked to Leap about how to find the right hat.
For Rusty, the ride means the ability to take action. “It’s
a wonderful way to be able to fight back,” he says. “Breast Leap: I noticed there is a section of your website dedicated to hair loss. Do you
cancer is something that has gone through my family.” get many cancer patients coming into Headcase?
In 2009, the ride raised $55,651. This years, riders Sarah Deen: We absolutely do. We do try to carry some hats that accommo-
topped $60,000. To support riders, or to get involved date what they are going through.
next year, check out www.wildpinkyonder.com. Leap: What kind of things should a patient who is experiencing hair loss due to
chemo consider if they’re shopping for a hat?
SD: Everyone goes through it differently. A lot of the time, your scalp is very
sensitive, so people are always looking for softer fabrics, or hats that are lined.
Women seem to want to cover their hairline because they don’t want to look
like they’re actually going through treatment.
We’re just very sensitive about it. We’ve had customers who call ahead of
time and we will do a private fitting. We will accommodate them by allowing
them to try hats on in our office, as opposed to in the store, if they don’t feel
comfortable. We don’t do refunds here, but we will do refunds for people
going through cancer. We want to give them a break.
Leap: What should they look for in fit?
SD: In fit, it’s all about your comfort level. Everyone has their own tolerance
about what they can have on their head.
Leap: Are there any advantages to going with a hat over a wig?
SD: Oh absolutely, it breathes. And a hat is easy, you just put it on, as opposed
to a wig that you have to brush and style.
Leap: More generally, what’s hot for the upcoming season? What are you see-
ing for fall and winter?
SD : What’s really big right now is the ’20s and ’30s, the close-style hats, where
they come down on the side, the flapper-era. We carry a line from Parkhurst –
it’s a Canadian company – that is very wearable. They’re not too fancy. In the
fall, Parkhurst does them in wool. They can change from summer to winter.
We also do a lot of unisex fedoras for ladies and men. They’re really big right
now. And all kinds of cute little caps. Jewel tones seem to be really big in the
colour category.

A Fine
Wine
We’ve all heard of
studies that say a
glass of red wine
each day can reduce
the risk of heart dis-
ease, but a hormone
found in red wine
called resveratrol
may also be linked to
cancer prevention.
Project False Hope
The hormone is
abundant in grape If having cancer wasn’t enough to deal with,
seeds and skins and imagine becoming the victim of fraud while
helps to protect the looking for alternative treatment.
plant against envi-
ronmental stresses
such as pruning, Enter the federal Competition Bureau’s Project False Hope. The campaign
micro-organisms and uses the Competition Act to stamp out fraudsters who make bogus online claims
fungus. The ferment- about their “miracle” cancer treatments. “We see this as, potentially, a very vul-
ing process in red nerable consumer group,” says Brent Homan, the Competition Bureau’s assistant
wine means the deputy commissioner of competition. “This is a consumer group that may be
seeds and skins stay looking for some kind of option and are very desperate to find that.”
in the wine, and seal- So far, Homan says Project False Hope has contacted more than 100 problem-
ing the bottle pre- atic Canadian websites and instructed them to remove bogus claims, or face pros-
vents the resveratrol ecution. Despite this, the Internet remains a haven for people looking to make a
from escaping. buck by selling the latest “curing” elixir. Homan has this advice for consumers
Though a clear link who are looking for cancer information or products online:
between resveratrol • Be skeptical.
and cancer preven- • Always speak to a health-care professional before trying new treatment.
tion is yet to be • Know that “natural” doesn’t always mean a product is effective or safe.
established, it has • Look for independent and credible information. Double-check the sources of
been found to inter- any tests or clinical studies referenced in a claim.
fere with tumour • Know that a money-back guarantee is no proof that a product or service
growth in animals in actually works.
some lab tests. A • Beware of customer testimonials. There is no guarantee that these people
Danish study also achieved any of the results, or that that these people even exist.
showed that men Unfortunately, there is still no miracle cure for cancer and any website advertis-
who drank one glass ing one should be reported to the Competition Bureau: 1-800-348-5358.
of red wine per day
reduced their risk of
prostate cancer by
40 per cent.
So raise a glass of
red wine, but keep it
to one 125-millilitre
glass per day for
women, and one or
two for men. Any
benefits quickly
diminish with over-
consumption.

forefront / PREVENT, TREAT, CURE
Vitamin D-eficiency
A University of Calgary researcher wants Canadians to up their
vitamin D intake. In an article published on the Canadian Medical
Association Journal website, Dr. David Hanley, professor in the
department of medicine, community health sciences and oncology,
recommends that all adults increase their intake from the current
amounts recommended by Health Canada.
Hanley, who is also Calgary centre director for the Canadian
multicentre osteoporosis study, says that meeting this recommen-
dation requires a daily vitamin supplement because, unlike almost
every other vitamin out there, we can’t increase our vitamin D
intake through diet alone. Though milk is fortified with vitamin D,
the main source is through the sun’s ultraviolet rays. “Our skin
makes vitamin D and knows how to shut it off when we’ve got
enough,” explains Hanley. “The problem with that is the increasing
concern about ultraviolet light exposure and skin cancers.”
Because increased sun exposure also increases the risk of skin
A Better Way to
cancer, Hanley recommends that Canadians should take a daily vita-
min D supplement, rather than baking in the sun. It’s the best way to
get vitamin D, which is required to absorb calcium and for optimal
See Tumours muscle function. Emerging research also shows that vitamin D may
help fight infections.
Radiation therapy shrinks cancerous tumours. MRIs are the best

way to pinpoint these tumours. But until recently, the two
could not work together. Put the linear accelerator, used to
deliver radiation therapy, and the MRI, used to pinpoint
tumour location, in the same room and the two machines will
interfere with one another.
This was the case until researcher Dr. B. Gino Fallone and
his team at Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute found a way to
operate both machines at once.
HOW
Fallone created a successful prototype that integrated MRI
with a linear accelerator back in 2008. Now, he is looking into MUCH D?
commercialization studies, which would allow clinicians to use
an MRI to view a 3-D computer image of a tumour, while Health Canada
simultaneously delivering radiation, right where it’s needed. currently recom-
“In cancer treatment by radiation, the best thing is to ensure mends 200 IU of vita-
that the radiation is deposited in the tumour, and not the sur- min D daily, 400 IU for
rounding tissues,” Fallone explains. those over age 50 and
Currently, technicians use CT scans to do this, as the CT 600 IU for those over
machine can operate with the radiation treatment machine. age 70. Dr. David
The problem is that CT scans are better suited to seeing Hanley would like to
motionless, boney masses, not soft, fleshy tumours. Nor can see that recommen-
they operate in real-time. “It doesn’t show the soft tissue very dation increased to:
well,” Fallone says, of the CT machine. “For example, the lung 400 to 1,000
moves as you breathe. For the prostate, you have difficulty daily IU for adults
seeing it with CT, but with MRI it’s very good.” under age 50 with-
Fallone, whose research is funded by the Alberta Cancer out osteoporosis, or
Foundation, got a national nod for his work this past summer conditions affecting
when the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists award- vitamin D absorp-
ed him with the 2010 Sylvia Fedoruk Prize for his paper, “First tion
MRI images obtained during megavoltage photon irradiation 800 to 2,000 IU
from a prototype integrated linac-MR system,” which was pub- daily for adults over
lished in the journal Medical Physics. 50

Screen Time
Today’s teens are the wired generation.
Between computers, video games,
smartphones, TV and hand-held gam-
ing devices, that can mean a lot of sed-
entary time and results of a recent sur-
vey are showing just how that time can
add up.
In an ongoing project, the Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto
surveyed Ontario teens in grades seven
to 12 and found that nearly 10 per cent
of students reported that they spend an
average of seven hours per day in front
of a screen.
Parents take note and get active with
your kids. Habits form early and seden-
tary lifestyles and obesity can increase
the risk of certain types of cancer later
in life, including those of the breast,
esophagus, gallbladder, kidney, liver,
pancreas and uterus.
Colorectal Cancer in Canada BY THE NUMBERS

12,100 GET
Men diagnosed
94 SCREENED
in 2009
9,900 Women diagnosed
Per cent of new
patients who were
in 2009 age 50 or older The good news:
a simple and pain-
less test can detect
colorectal cancer
early, before symp-
toms ever appear
and when treatment
is highly effective. If
you’re 50 or older, or
if you have a family
history of colorectal
2ND
cancer, talk to your
doctor about getting
screened. Check out
www.screeningfor
1 = 100 people
SOURCE: WWW.SCREENINGFORLIFE.CA
9,000
People who died Largest cause of cancer-related
life.ca for more infor-
mation.
of this disease deaths, after lung cancer
bodymind / MAKING POSITIVE CONNECTIONS
An Introduction to
Mindfulness Meditation
BY LINDA E. CARLSON, PH D
One of the programs we have been offering to

patients at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre since
1996 is called “mindfulness-based cancer recov-
ery.” It’s based on a similar program developed in
the United States called “mindfulness-based
stress reduction.” If you look up this term on the
Internet, you’ll find thousands of links to books,
articles and training programs.
Essentially, understanding mindfulness begins
by asking yourself the question, “where is my mind
right now?” and beginning to see how easy it is to
metaphorically “lose your mind.” Try it. Monitor
your thoughts for a while and you’ll likely find your-
self planning your day, worrying about all the
things you have to do, writing lists, reviewing the meditation practice, which is simply setting aside some time each day to be
fight you had with your spouse last night, thinking quiet and focus on training your mind to stay where you’d like it to be. It’s a
of emails you have to send, being angry at some- skill that you can learn, just like playing tennis or learning the piano. It may
one for something they did or wishing you’d said or feel difficult or awkward at first, but over time, if you practice each day with
done something different yesterday, last week or patience, mindfulness will become more and more a part of your everyday
last year. All these thoughts of the past and future way of being.
can easily result in feeling angry, depressed, frus- What are the benefits of such a practice? How would someone living “in
trated, worried and stressed out! the moment” ever get anything done? Images of hippies or gurus living on
But is there any alternative way to be? mountain-tops may
Acutally, yes. Consider the possibility of enter your mind.
being awake, aware and present in your Becoming mindful in our lives requires Interestingly, though,
life as it unfolds moment-to-moment in commitment to mindfulness meditation the opposite seems to
the here and now. What if you could be be the case. People who
paying attention to the drive to work,
practice, which is simply setting aside meditate regularly are
perhaps observing the scenery or listen- some time each day to be quiet and better able to focus their
ing to the radio, rather than planning focus on training your mind to stay minds on the task at
and ruminating the whole time? What if where you’d like it to be. hand, work more effi-
you could actually listen to the conver- ciently without being
sations you have throughout the day, distracted and are hap-
looking at and concentrating on the person in front pier while doing it. The cancer patients we work with have consistently dem-
of you, rather than planning what you want to say onstrated decreases in their stress levels, less anger and anxiety, better sleep
next, watching TV or thinking of something else and overall improved quality of life.
entirely? How might that feel different or better? By now I’m sure you’re keen to get started! Unfortunately, I’m out of space.
The truth of the matter is that being “mindful” – We’ll include some instructions in the next column, but in the meantime you
paying attention, on purpose, in the moment, with can get more information by calling the psychosocial resources line at
a sense of ease, acceptance and openness – is 403-355-3207.
accessible to us all. It’s a pretty simple concept, Dr. Linda Carlson is the Enbridge Chair in Psychosocial Oncology at the Tom
but by no means easy to implement. Our habits of Baker Cancer Centre, a professor and a clinical psychologist at the University of
thinking, judging and planning are ingrained Calgary and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and co-author of Mindfullness-Based
through years of practice. Becoming mindful in Cancer Recovery: A Mbsr Approach to Help You Cope With Treatment and Reclaim
our lives requires commitment to mindfulness Your Life. Learn more at lindacarlson.ca.

cookingsmart / FOOD FOR LIFE
Fibre Facts
BY TANIA VANDER MEULEN
If the idea of eating a bowl of Bran Buds in the

morning makes you cringe, you are not alone. Berry Delicious Muffins
The average North American diet relies heavily on Makes 12 muffins
highly-processed, low-fibre foods and our desire for
1 cup (250 ml) whole wheat flour 1/4 cup (60 ml) canola oil
all things processed means most people only get
about half of the daily recommended intake of fibre. 3/4 cup (180 ml) all purpose flour 3/4 cup (180 ml) white sugar
Beyond the obvious effects it has on bowel move- 1/4 cup (60 ml) wheat germ 2 eggs
ments, there are other advantages to eating a high- 11/2 tsp (15 ml) baking powder 1 cup (250 ml) lentil puree*
fibre diet. Evidence suggests that foods high in 1 tsp (10 ml) cardamom 3/4 cup (180 ml) skim milk
dietary fibre may protect against certain types of
dash of salt 3/4 cup (180 ml) blueberries
cancer, including mouth, throat, stomach and
1/4 cup (60 ml) melted butter 1/2 cup (125 ml) strawberries, diced
colorectal cancers. Adequate fibre intake can also
reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and Type
*To make lentil purée
2 diabetes. High-fibre foods are relatively low in cal-
1. Place cooked, or rinsed and drained canned lentils, in a food processor.
ories and high in micronutrients, which can help you
maintain, or achieve, a healthy body weight – anoth- 2. For every 1 cup of lentils, add 1/4 cup of water.
er factor that reduces cancer risk. To get all these 3. Blend until smooth. Extra puree can be frozen.
health benefits, you should eat between 25-30
grams of fibre per day, or 14 grams for every 1,000 1) Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Prepare muffin tins with large muffin cup lin-
calories consumed. ers, or lightly grease sides and bottom of tin.
When talking specifically about grain products, 2) In medium bowl, stir together flours, wheat germ, baking powder, cardamom
there are three main components to a whole grain: and salt.
the bran, the germ and the endosperm. When grains 3) In a smaller bowl, mix together butter, oil, sugar, eggs and lentil puree until
are refined, often to be added to commercial foods, combined.
they are stripped of the bran and germ layers. This 4) Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just blended. Add the blue-
also removes fibre, oil, B vitamins and 25 per cent of berries and strawberries.
the grain’s protein content. In general, the less pro-
5) Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tins. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until tooth-
cessed the food, the higher the fibre content is going
pick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.
to be. Stick with foods that are closer to the source
and further from the factory. Some good choices Nutrition Information: 1 muffin (55 g): 246 calories, 5.8 grams protein,
are: whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, bulgur and 10 grams fat, 33 grams carbohydrate, 3.5 grams fibre, 67 micrograms folate,
millet), whole wheat breads and cereals, fruits and 52 milligrams calcium, 2 milligrams iron.
vegetables, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils.
It may be easier than you think to eat 25 grams of
fibre each day. If you had 1/2 cup steel cut oats and
1/2 cup berries for breakfast, a turkey sandwich on Easy Ways to Boost Your Fibre Intake
whole wheat bread and 1/2 cup raw vegetables for • Switch from white bread to whole-wheat bread or sprouted grain.
lunch and a small baked potato (with skin), a three- • Sprinkle wheat germ, wheat bran or flax on your cereal or yogurt.
ounce steak and 1/2 cup steamed vegetables • Try raw veggies and salads over cooked vegetables more often.
for dinner, you would be getting exactly 25 grams
• Leave the skin/peel on your peaches, pears, carrots and potatoes.
of fibre! Easy!
Tania Vander Meulen is a registered dietician. She • Switch to whole wheat or “smart” pasta instead of white.
works for Alberta Health Services and is a private con- • Choose cereals with 5 grams or more of fi bre per serving, or mix a high-
sulting dietician at Kensington Physical Therapy and fi bre cereal (9 grams or more) with one of your favourite low-fi bre cereals.
Dynamic Sports Physiotherapy.

asktheexpert / A RESOURCE FOR YOU
YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS

When it comes to health, sometimes it can be difficult to separate
myths from reality. Leap writer Debbie Olsen tracks down top doctors
and researchers to get the facts
Ask the Expert is

an opportunity to
have your questions
regarding cancer
prevention and treat-
ment answered. We’ll
answer different
reader-submitted
questions in each
issue of Leap; please
submit them via My friend suggested a macrobiotic diet is a good way
email to letters@ to prevent, and even treat, cancer. She says I should eat
myleapmagazine. light meals with lots of grains, vegetables, beans, miso
ca. Remember, the soup and very little meat. Does this actually work?
advice below is never
a substitute for talk-
ing directly to your According to Catherine Field, professor of nutrition in the University
family doctor. of Alberta department of agriculture, food and nutritional science, a
macrobiotic diet is a dietary regime where people eat whole grains,
beans and fruit. It is very similar to a vegan diet, except for the fact that
it includes fish.
“Although there have been anecdotal reports that this pattern of eat-
ing is beneficial, there is no real scientific evidence to prove that it will
prevent cancer, or improve the outcome of treatment,” says Field. “A
whole grain diet has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and that is
one component of a macrobiotic diet, but there are other well-researched
nutrition guidelines to consider as well. Whatever your dietary regime,
it`s important to make sure your body gets the nutrients it needs to be
healthy. If you are on a vegan or a macrobiotic diet, you should consider
taking supplements for calcium, vitamin B12, iron and zinc, because
you typically won`t get enough of these vitamins and minerals in the
foods you eat.”
There are a lot of conflicting reports when it comes to cancer pre-
vention and treatment and the foods we eat. In some cases, dietary
recommendations do not have much scientific evidence to support
their claims. “There is no doubt that what we eat plays a role in cancer
prevention, but diet is just one part of a healthy lifestyle,” explains
Field. “There is nothing wrong with a macrobiotic diet for those wish-
ing to prevent cancer, or for those undergoing cancer treatment, as
long as they are careful to get all the nutrients recommended in
Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, so they stay healthy and
strong. Reducing alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy body
weight, and being physically active are also important when it comes
to a healthy lifestyle and cancer prevention.”
If you are looking for trustworthy information on a balanced diet, the
best resource is still Canada’s Food Guide, available as an interactive
tool along with frequently asked questions, at www.hc-sc.gc.ca.

I’m a 50-year-old woman about
to go for my fi rst mammogram.
What can I expect? Will it hurt?
“A mammogram is a
special X-ray of the
breast that can find an
abnormality or lump that is
too small to be felt,” says Dr. Laura
McDougall, medical lead of Alberta breast and cervi-
cal screening programs for Alberta Health Services.
“The mammogram procedure requires the breast to
be compressed between two plastic plates and two
X-rays are taken of each breast. The entire procedure Why does chemotherapy
takes about 10 minutes.” make your hair fall out?
Some women find mammograms uncomfortable
and a few find the procedure painful, but tolerable.
Pre-menopausal women who normally have tender “Alopecia, or hair loss, is considered by patients receiving chemotherapy to be
breasts should consider scheduling the procedure one of the most distressing and worrisome side effects of treatment,” says Dr.
between day seven and 14 of their menstrual cycle to Quincy Chu, medical oncologist with Alberta Health Services. “Hair loss affects
decrease the amount of discomfort they experience. self image and is a visible sign that a person has cancer, but it is typically a tem-
Screening mammograms are the best way to find porary side effect that doesn’t affect all patients that receive chemotherapy
breast cancer early, when treatment may work better. treatment.”
“Some women don`t bother to get a regular mam- The degree of alopecia a patient experiences is related to the type of chemo-
mogram, because they have no family history of can- therapy they are receiving. Some chemotherapy drugs lead to significant or
cer and they assume it isn`t necessary for them,” says total temporary hair loss, while others may cause only minimal hair loss.
McDougall. “They don’t realize that 80 per cent of Chemotherapy drugs, whether they cause alopecia or not, are prescribed by
the women who are diagnosed with breast cancer medical oncologists based on their effectiveness against a particular cancer.
have no family history of the disease.” Typically, alopecia starts two to four weeks after the first chemotherapy treat-
Current statistics show that about one in eight ment and hair will re-grow a couple months after chemotherapy ends.
Alberta women will be diagnosed with cancer during “The exact mechanism of alopecia due to chemotherapy is not clear, but it is
their lifetime, with the risk of cancer increasing as related to either death of dividing hair cells, increased shedding of normal hair,
women get older. It is recommended that every or both,” Chu explains. “Although a number of experimental approaches have
woman aged 50 to 69 have a screening mammo- been developed for prevention of significant alopecia from chemotherapy, none
gram at least every two years. Women aged 40 to 49 have proven useful in humans. But avoidance of these chemotherapy drugs just
and those over 70 should talk to their health care because of alopecia would be detrimental to cancer treatment.”
provider about whether screening mammograms It is important to remember that, under most circumstances, alopecia due to
should be a part of their breast health routine. chemotherapy is reversible. Patients with alopecia due to cancer treatment can
Regular screening with appropriate follow-up can ask their doctor to provide access
decrease breast cancer mortality in a population by to wig services at the cancer centre
up to 30 per cent. or get a prescription for a wig, if it is Got a question? Submit it to:
You can find more information on mammogram covered by their private insurance letters@myleapmagazine.ca.
screening at www.screening forlife.ca. plan.

BAGS TO RICHES
BY ERIN McCARTY
Calgary Co-op supports the

Tom Baker Cancer Centre
and the environment at the
same time
Being environmentally conscious is an important choice for

many people, and Calgary Co-op has found a way to encourage
its customers to be “green,” while supporting the community at
the same time. From July to September, Co-op is donating money
raised through its annual Bags to Riches program to the Tom Baker
Cancer Centre.
The Bags to Riches program provides a three-cent credit per
reused plastic, paper or tote bag, which customers can apply to
their grocery purchase, or donate to a designated charity. “Calgary
Co-op launched its Bags to Riches program in the early 1990s to
encourage shoppers to re-use and recycle their plastic shopping
bags,” says Cindy Drummond, communications manager for
Calgary Co-op.
Three cents may not seem like a lot of money to donate to
charity, but it adds up. In 2009, Co-op raised $36,000 for local
charities through the program. The funds from Calgary stores stay
in the community. Stores in Airdrie and Strathmore also participate,
and funds are donated to the food banks and crisis centre in those
communities.
To further create a sense of community, employees play a role in
deciding which charities benefit. “Each year, employees select four
local charities from a list of charities we create and send to them,”
Drummond says.
“Charities can be placed on this list at their request by submit-
ting an application to us for consideration, or at the request of
employees. The Tom Baker Cancer Centre is one of the charities
selected most often by employees.” In addition to being a diagnosis to have a charity benefit from my decision to be envi-
and treatment facility, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre offers counselling and ronmentally responsible and bring my reusable
support services for patients and their families. shopping bag,” says Patterson. “Supporting local
Drummond said Bags to Riches began as an environmental initiative long charities makes it attractive. I would not be willing to
before the current debates about using plastic shopping bags. Calgary Co-op has have the support leave the Calgary area.”
been an active contributor to a number of “green” initiatives for years, she says, Other charities receiving support from the pro-
and this program also provides customers the opportunity to give back to organi- gram include the Calgary Humane Society, STARS
zations in their community. and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. So, remember
Eric Kilmury, centre manager of the Rocky Ridge Calgary Co-op, says staff to pack those reusable bags next time you head out
prides itself on the Bags to Riches program. “They want, and encourage, custom- for groceries.
ers to bring their reusable bags in,” Kilmury says. “Once the customers knew we
were a distribution centre for this program, the response was overwhelming, even For more information about Bags to Riches,
after the promotion was over.” visit www.calgarycoop.com/community/
Calgary Co-op shopper Larry Patterson has been shopping at Co-op for about environment/bags_to_riches.php.
a year, and his wife has been a member for more than 15 years. “I like being able

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Stress: THE SCIENCE AND SKILLS TO COPE

Laughing
Cancer
IN THE FACE OF
BY TRICIA RADISON / PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN GAUCHER
In a series of videos that are both hilarious

and heartbreaking, this Calgary comedian
shared her journey through breast cancer
treatment with the world
hen Allison Lane found out she had cancer at age

34, she reacted with shock and horror. “Oh no! Are you
kidding me? This doesn’t fit with my plans. I have to find a
husband!” recounts the vivacious blond, laughing at the memo-
ry. A month before discovering a lump in her right breast, Allison
had decided she had to get serious about dating if she wanted to
get married. Locating Mr. Right while going through treatment
was going to be difficult: chemotherapy could leave her bald
and sick, and a port in her chest used to deliver the drugs might
complicate makeout sessions.

ALLISON: WARRIOR PRINCESS: Comedian

and actor Allison Lane wasn’t about to let a breast
cancer diagnosis ruin her career. Naturally, she
bought a few great wigs, rented some chainmail
and a sword and channeled Xena Warrior
Princess to confront cancer head-on.
CHECK IT OUT:
Allison’s latest project, a short film in the
BreastFest International Film Festival, is online at
www.breastfestfilmfest.com. Take a look and vote
for your favourite up until Oct. 15. Watch all of
Allison’s videos at www.chem-ho.com.

But instead of giving up her search Allison, an actress, harder on them.”
playwright and entertainer with a strong comedic bent, Her friends and family say Allison’s approach did help
morphed into the Chem-Ho, a single girl intent on land- them deal with the pain of having a loved one undergo
ing a lover, who just happened to have breast cancer. cancer treatments. “She could be on her worst day and
Allison, the Chem-Ho, filmed her journey through can- the worst time of her chemo treatments, where things
cer treatment and posted it on Youtube and at www. were just terrible, and she would confide something that
chem-ho.com. most people would likely keep to themselves, because of
The response to the video series has been nothing embarrassment, and she’d have us in stitches,” says Janet
short of amazing. Almost immediately, Allison began St. Germain, Allison’s friend and a fellow actor.
hearing from people around the world who were thrilled Allison’s father, Graham Lane, agrees. “She managed
to see someone laughing in the face of the typically terri- to find humour in the most difficult circumstances,” he
fying C-word. says over the phone from his
“People told me ‘you made me realize it’s not so bad,’” home in Winnipeg. He tells of a
says Allison. “I also gave them a visual. No one knew what six-day hospitalization during “Oh no! Are you kidding me?
chemotherapy looked like. I didn’t know what it looked which Allison fought a danger- This doesn’t fit with my plans.
like. Here I was, going into the chemo ward, joking and ous infection. “She would make
laughing and they saw that it wasn’t so scary.” the oncologist and the nurses
I have to find a husband!”
Laughter has always been Allison’s way of coping and [her mother and I] laugh.”
with difficult situations. Growing up in Winnipeg, she Laughter, however, wasn’t enough to keep Graham
was drawn to comedians and quickly discovered that Lane and Allison’s mother, Marie, from feeling afraid.
the best comics turned life’s tragedies into funny mate- Initially terrified when they learned of Allison’s diagno-
rial. “Every time I go through stress and tragedy, I have sis, they found their fear lessening as they learned about
always turned to humour and wrote about the situa- Allison’s treatment and prognosis.
tion,” Allison says over a coffee in Calgary, where she’s “I was extremely impressed with the Alberta health-
lived for 13 years. In a one-woman show entitled The care system. The surgeon, oncologist and nurses were all
Circus is Coming to Town, Allison transformed the all- fantastic in the way they dealt with her so quickly,” says
too-familiar pain of family dysfunction into guffaws, Graham. “From the orientation that I attended with
while another, They’re Just Not That Into Me, was her way Allison, right through the entire process, they were
of processing a bad breakup and the healing that must there. It was quite the experience to see how effective
occur afterward. health care can be.”
Although she found that laughing made living with It was never Allison’s intention to gloss over the many
cancer easier on her, Allison couldn’t be sure that it frightening, serious and heartbreaking moments that
affected those who love her in the same way. “When arise when living with cancer. Her videos contain a lot
you’re going through this, you’re in the present, just try- of vulnerability. Allison cries, she loses her hair, she
ing to get through each moment or day,” she says. “Other grapples with loneliness and fear, all of it giving viewers a
people think about your future and your past and it’s way true picture of the ups and downs experienced by a

Joining the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer was Allison’s

way of celebrating the end of treatment and the amazing capa-
bilities of her body. “I wanted to do something for me, to prove
to myself and my body that I was healthy,” she says. “The ride
was the most amazing weekend of my life. I realized that can-
cer affects everyone and we are all in it together.”
She’s also made her first film. Called Everybody Loves Boobs,
it’s a funny take on a not-so-funny subject: how medicine has
turned breast cancer into a product instead of a disease. In the
film, Allison plays herself going through treatment for breast
cancer, while participating in a bachelorette-type reality show.
Her breasts become big business as network executives and
sponsors use them to achieve fame and fortune.
The film is Allison’s way of talking about the politics of cancer,
particularly about how some cancers seem to be more worthy of
attention, and funding, than others. She sees cancer as cancer
regardless of where it occurs in the body and points out that
everyone on the chemo ward, or watching Chem-Ho, is going
through the same experience.
The film also explores a common phenomenon for women
with breast cancer. “When my treatment finished and the can-
woman going about her life while navigating a major cer was gone, I was asked if I wanted to be referred to a counsellor,” says Allison. Confused,
bump in the road. Allison asked why and was told that many women don’t know how to identify themselves
Using laughter to cope with her cancer was, Allison when they no longer have breast cancer.
says, her way of keeping her life as normal as possible. Therein lies the beauty of Allison’s art. Her vid-
That’s also why she continued operating her entertain- eos, film and memoir aren’t attempts to give
ment company, Out of Our Heads Productions and why advice – Allison laughingly claims that she’s just a
her friend Janet St. Germain, who owns Terry Shane big goofball, not a doctor – but reminders that
Murder Mysteries, continued to hire Allison as an when you’re living with cancer, you’re still you.
actress. You can laugh, wear silly wigs during chemother-
“It was good for her to keep busy and keep living,” says apy, and hit on hot doctors who aren’t wearing
St. Germain. “Some people just quit everything and stop wedding bands. As Allison puts it: “Don’t get
life. Allison didn’t want to do that.” The acting may have sucked in. Just keep living your life. Because
had another benefit. “In our line of work, you get to be you’ll get through it.”
someone else for awhile. She was more than eager to hang
up the shoes she was in and put on the stilettos, or what-
ever her character wore that night.”
Allison’s treatment is over and she is cancer-free. Her ALLISON ANSWERS
search for Mr. Right continues but these days, her ideal
man looks a little different. He’s no longer just a pretty
face who tells a good joke and makes a fantastic income. Favourite comedians: Tina Fey, Carol Burnett,
Now, Allison is looking for someone who is kind, support- Richard Pryor. And my dad is pretty funny.
ive and a good listener. Someone, she says, like her dad. Biggest thing learned through treatment: How loved I am.
The journey through cancer treatment has changed Because I’m single, I thought. ‘I’m all alone. Who is going to love me
every aspect of Allison’s life. She’s the first to admit she and take care of me?’ Love does not necessarily have to mean a
never thought she’d be grateful for cancer, but that she is, husband or a mate.
in fact, supremely grateful and wouldn’t change a thing. Dream role: To have my own sketch comedy show, like Carol Burnett.
She hears daily from people impacted by the Chemo-Ho Or to work and write with Tina Fey.
series and is currently working on a comedic memoir Nicest thing a guy ever did for you: Mistook me for Claudia
about dating before, during and after cancer. Schiffer.
Her health is now a top priority, leading to an additional Favourite date activity: I wouldn’t exactly call it an activity…
line of work – as a personal trainer. Grateful for her body, Most memorable response from a date who found out
Allison has given up the negative self-talk that seems to you have cancer: He asked if he could touch my lump, so I let him.
plague all women and is in the best shape of her life. Some dating challenges when you have cancer: Eyelashes
“When her last treatment was over, a week later, along in your soup, guys thinking you’re bulimic because you’re throwing up.
with 1,800 other people, she was bicycling through The upside of cancer: I’ve never been happier than I am now.
the Rockies,” says her father, with obvious admiration. This has made me realize how great life is. And how simple life is.
“It’s phenomenal.”

A
Peaceful
BY LISA RICCIOTTI
Yoga practice is a valuable coping mechanism

for patients to deal with both the physical and
mental effects of cancer
T wo years ago, there wasn’t a part of Gail McCombie that

didn’t hurt. “I’d just finished breast cancer treatment and the
chemotherapy was very hard on me,” she remembers. “My mus-
cles ached and I felt like I had arthritis in every joint. I couldn’t get off
the floor by myself.”
end of the course she couldn’t believe how far I’d come,” McCombie
says. Soon after, McCombie returned to work part time. She contin-
ued taking yoga and, in April 2009, resumed her busy executive assis-
tant responsibilities full time at Statoil Canada. “It’s not a miracle, but
yoga’s done wonders for me,” McCombie says, without hesitation.
Then, while waiting for a medical appointment, she noticed a bro- “My flexibility is back and I feel good.”
chure about yoga classes in Calgary for cancer patients. Although Skeptics who dismiss yoga as a trendy fitness fad don’t have to take
McCombie didn’t know a downward facing dog from a happy baby McCombie’s word for it; Alberta research backs her up. Dr. Nicole
pose, she was intrigued. Two months later, she completed her first Culos-Reed, a University of Calgary kinesiology associate professor
Yoga Thrive course. and an oncology adjunct associate professor, has examined the bene-
She didn’t notice changes initially, but her instructor did. “By the fits of the Yoga Thrive program since 2002.
myleapmagazine.ca fall 2010 21

WHAT TO
EXPECT
It’s not hot yoga, or
ashtanga – it’s a kind-
er, gentler form that
considers the physical
limitations many can-
cer patients experi-
ence during and after
treatment. No experi-
ence required, and all
techniques are modi-
fied, which means less
difficult poses. Since
participants often have
issues with balance or
a limited range of WARRIOR POSE: University of Calgary
researcher Nicole Culos-Reed has developed
movement, props such the Yoga Thrive program, which uses gentle
as bolster pillows, poses adapted for cancer survivors.
blankets, bricks or
blocks of wood are
used for support. If This program uses
participants find it dif- gentle, specifically
“It’s not a miracle, but yoga’s done wonders
ficult to do exercises modified yoga for for me. My flexibility is back and I feel good.”
on the floor, they cancer patients. In
might sit in chairs; oth- Edmonton, Dr. Amy
ers grip table edges, or Speed-Andrews, a post-doctorate fellow in exercise stamina. As well, empirical physical testing for core
hold on to specially- oncology at the University of Alberta, recently anal- strength, balance and physical range of movement
design ropes hanging ysed data dating back to 2005 from cancer partici- backs up their feedback. The studies show numerous
from the studio walls. pants in the university’s special yoga classes. She also positive findings compared to a no-yoga control
Class sizes are limited, conducts ongoing research with the Edmonton Family group, broadly summarized as “improved QofL
allowing instructors Yoga Centre’s “Living with Breast Cancer” classes. (quality of life).” Or, to put it more simply, just like
unhurried time to cus- As avid yoga practitioners, both women were keen Gail McCombie, cancer patients found yoga makes
tomize poses as each to test whether the benefits they personally experi- them feel better.
individual requires. ence would translate to yoga modified for cancer “Participants love it,” says Speed-Andrews. “Some
The overall goal: find- patients. The good news: gentler yoga gives the same have done yoga before, but many haven’t. They’re
ing the best way for benefits. Their research contains significant statisti- apprehensive at first, but quickly gain confidence
PHOTOS: NEIL STEPHENSON
each student to do the cal proof that yoga is highly beneficial in minimizing, when they see they don’t have to twist themselves
poses in the most or improving, the treatment-related side effects of into pretzels, a common misconception.” Speed-
relaxed manner possi- cancer, for both the body and the mind. Andrews credits yoga for building strength in surgery
ble, for maximum A comparison of questionnaires completed by can- sites and for pain relief, but she believes yoga’s stress-
effect. cer patients before and after therapeutic yoga session busting properties are equally important for cancer
reveals reduced levels of stress, pain and fatigue, patients. “Tension melts away,” she explains. “As your
along with improvements in strength, flexibility and breathing and body relax, your mind relaxes too.”

To date, Speed-Andrews’ research has focused on for cancer patients are now widely recognized, participation rates remain low. Many
using yoga to help breast cancer patients, while Nicole simply aren’t attracted to the aerobics or resistance exercise programs traditionally
Culos-Reed’s research with Yoga Thrive is broader, and offered. And cancer patients who weren’t active before diagnosis aren’t all that likely
includes kidney, brain, prostrate and gynecological can- to get active after a diagnosis. “They might not want to take up weight lifting, but
cer patients. “It’s not about doing this pose for this can- they’re willing to try low-impact, gentle yoga,” says Speed-Andrews. “It’s a more
cer,” Culos-Reed explains. “It’s modified yoga, a gentle accessible option, and more sustainable, too. After trying yoga, they’ll stick with it.”
physical activity that would help anyone with a chronic McCombie’s is a perfect case in point. “Before, me and the TV remote were best
disease, whether it’s cancer or arthritis. If you do regu- friends,” McCombie admits. “Vigorous exercise was not my favourite thing, so I
lar yoga, you’d find the pace slow, but our focus is relax- decided to try yoga.” Now a convert, McCombie’s “graduated” to Yoga Thrive’s newly-
ation. By slowing down, breathing deeply and focusing developed advanced program. As a spin-off effect, she’s also become more active in
on their bodies, participants redis- other areas of her life and recently
cover how to feel good about them- joined a local fitness centre. In addi-
selves, instead of feeling sick.” “By slowing down, breathing deeply and tion to the physical benefits of yoga,
Culos-Reed feels yoga offers focusing on their bodies, participants she says that shavasana, a relax-
unique benefits for cancer patients rediscover how to feel good about ation pose at the end of any yoga
that other physical activities don’t. practice, allows her to fi nd a new
In yoga, participants work on
themselves, instead of feeling sick.” sense of calm.
mind-body balance and creating a “You feel so alone with your can-
sense of well being, while strengthening and stretching. cer,” says McCombie. “My mind was always going a thousand miles-a-minute. I
“There’s a mindfulness to yoga, a living in the moment couldn’t shut it down. Now, when I do shavasana at the end of a session, I can let go
that enhances one’s mood and helps diminish distress and relax.”
about treatment or other health concerns,” Culos-Reed Another unexpected benefit for McCombie was finding a strong support group in
says. “We validated that now with our research, and her classmates. “It’s a comfortable environment, and many have become friends out-
interest in the program is strong.” side classes too. We’re all at different stages of our cancer journey and I constantly
Participants range from those in their mid-20s to an learn from them.”
80-year-old, with most in the mid-40s to early 50s seg- Still, McCombie doesn’t consider her journey over yet. “I’m on a six-month regime
ment. “We’ve had grannies and bikers taking the same of seeing a doctor. I try not to think about that,” she says. Instead, she focuses on feel-
classes, and instructors report they had a fabulous time ing good, which includes continuing her yoga. She’s recruited her 75-year-old mother
together,” Culos-Reed says. “It’s the whole gamut. Some to join her yoga class and even introduced noon-hour yoga into her work-
are quite sick, others are five years out of treatment, but place. “I continue to see
still working on fatigue or other issues. Everyone bene- improvements. I can’t
fits and drop-outs are rare.” say enough about how
That’s an important point for Speed-Andrews. She’s yoga’s helped me,”
WHERE TO GO
noticed that although the benefits of physical activity McCombie says. Family Yoga Centre “Living with Breast Cancer:
An Iyengar Yoga Special Needs Program.”
Taught by Judith Mirus, an Iyengar-trained
expert and former breast cancer patient.
Participants sign up for 10 weeks of two-hour
sessions. For more information, call
780-433-0405 or go to www.familyoga.ca.
Yoga Thrive “Therapeutic Yoga for Cancer

Survivors.” Originally offered at the University of
Calgary, the seven-week program has now
expanded to multiple locations in Calgary, as
well as across Canada. In Alberta, look for class-
es in Calgary, Canmore, Cochrane, Grande
Prairie, Jasper, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat,
St. Albert and Taber. To find a program near you,
look for details on the Culos-Reed Health and
Wellness Lab website www.kin.ucalgary.ca/
healthandwellnesslab (and click “Yoga Thrive”).
At home A four-disk instructional DVD of the

Yoga Thrive program, including seven 75-min-
ute sessions costs $29.95. For more informa-
DOWNWARD DOG: Participants in the Yoga Thrive program have reported
improvements in overall mood, stress levels, physical strength and quality of life. tion, check out www.fitter1.com or call 1-800-
348-8371.


The
Science
of
Stress BY DEREK SANKEY / ILLUSTRATION BY PETE RYAN
Some stress is entirely

healthy, but too much
stress can increase the
risk of many diseases and
may even increase the risk
of some forms of cancer
W hen Dr. Kathy Hegadoren was diagnosed with

breast cancer on May 14, 2010, the nurse who
researches stress at the University of Alberta was well
aware of what was going on in her body, and in her mind.
“I felt blind-sided,” says Hegadoren, who holds a Canada
research chair in stress-related disorders in women. “Even
though I didn’t perceive myself as stressed, when I was diag-
nosed I had lots of behavioural evidence of stress – a hard time
sleeping, a hard time concentrating at work – but I didn’t feel
jittery. My mind would just wander.”

When she started her first round of cancer

treatment in late July, Hegadoren just wanted to
get on with it, so she could take some action over
her diagnosis. “In some ways, it allows me to feel
more in control, which makes you feel less
stressed,” she says. “It’s about personal control.
It’s a journey. You have to believe in getting up
and having hope, not having your diagnosis becom-
ing your whole life.”
A cancer diagnosis obviously causes a lot of stress,
but Hegadoren says the concept of stress is very elu-
sive for many people. “It’s so difficult to define because
it has so many meanings,” says Hegadoren. “It can be
used as a noun, a descriptor, a perception, a physiologi-
cal and biological pathway, all of those things can be
characterized as part of the stress response.”
You can’t see it, but people respond differently to stress

HOW STRESS WORKS in various circumstances and different levels of stress
can be either positive, or negative. Too little stress, or
Stress, in its simplest term, is the human too much, has been linked to the onset or worsening of
body’s reaction to adversity, which also involves certain diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and
a mental response. When a person feels stress many others.
– whether physical or mental – it activates the One of two key stress hormones, cortisol, increases
fight-or-flight response. insulin resistance, for example, which means insulin
The body’s stress hormone system activates has a harder time getting into certain cells in the body.
a corticotrophin-releasing hormone that’s part “If you have that chronic insulin resistance, there is
of the hypothalamus in the brain, a small part some evidence that chronic state of insulin resistance
of the brain responsible for controlling the can increase your risk for Type 2 diabetes,” says
nervous system. The hypothalamus tells Hegadoren.
the pituitary gland to release adrenal cortical- People who have chronic stress also tend to end up
stimulating hormone into the bloodstream. with more symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and
That, in turn, tells the adrenal gland to release inflammatory bowel disease, according to Dr. Donna-
adrenaline. We’re all familiar with this hor- Marie McCafferty, an associate professor at the
mone, which increases heart rate, contracts University of Calgary. She studies the link between irri-
blood vessels and basically gets you ready to table bowel disease and cancer, involving metabolic
fight or run away. Adrenaline, in turn, triggers stress. Current research suggests a link between stress
the release of cortisol, which also helps get and worsening irritable bowel disease symptoms,
your body ready for “fight or flight.” including diarrhea, stomach cramps and other diges-
There is evidence that the stress response, at tive problems.
very high or very low levels of stress, has been Some studies also link irritable bowel disease to an
linked to the worsening and onset of some dis- increased cancer risk. “However, no conclusive study
eases, including cancer. However, a moderate demonstrates that stress management has a beneficial
level of stress can actually help fight disease effect on inflammatory bowel disease,” says McCafferty.
and is useful for the body. “There are a couple of (studies) which indicate that the
duration and severity of inflammation in irritable bowel

disease patients is linked to the development of cancer. Therefore, if stress is linked…
STRESSED-OUT MICE to irritable bowel disease then, in theory, it could contribute to cancer develop-
ment.”
A moderate level of stress has been proven to Stress even has implications on memory. Dr. Ken Lukowiak, a University of Calgary
help shrink cancerous tumour growth in lab professor who studies how stress alters memory function, agrees there is a strong
tests and the Ohio-based researcher who con- link between feeling in control and how stress affects people. “What form the most
ducted the tests on mice says this could have stressful stimuli are those that we don’t control,” he says. “If you can’t control the
huge implications for humans. “The goal here stimulus, then you can predict quite highly that it’s going to be a stress stimulus in
is to start to prescribe lifestyle management the wrong way. Some stresses are very useful and others are extremely detrimental.”
as an approach to treating diseases like can- Yet, even Hans Selye, a Hungarian-born Canadian who Lukowiak calls the “father
cer,” says Dr. Matthew During, a professor of of stress research,” had a famous quote about how elusive stress is for most people,
neuroscience at Ohio State University Medical saying: “Everybody knows what stress is, but nobody really knows.”
Centre. Lukowiak describes stress as a bell-shaped curve, where you plot memory func-
His team injected mice with three types of tion, from poor to good, on one axis and stress level on the other axis. “At low stress,
cancer – melanoma, colon and spontaneous you won’t learn anything and if you are far too stressed out, you’re not going to learn
intestinal cancer – and placed mice in two sce- anything,” says Lukowiak. “There’s an optimal level of stress that one wants to
narios: one with mice in a large cage with toys achieve. You want to always get into that sweet spot and that sweet spot is going to
and very low levels of the stress hormone change dramatically, depending upon all sorts of things.”
leptin being measured, while the others were Age and individual circumstance, for example, can greatly alter what would be
placed in a more crowded or “challenging” considered the optimal, moderate level of stress. “It’s all in the eyes of the beholder
environments. The mice in the more challeng- and, even then, it’s going to change depending on your internal state,” he says.
ing environments, where they had to compete Kathy Hegadoren knows that her mental state changed when she learned of her
with other mice and even show aggression, breast cancer diagnosis, but she credits a strong support network, personal resourc-
had slightly higher levels of the stress hor- es and a positive outlook with helping her to achieve a balanced state, despite the
mone.
Researchers found the mice’s tumours in
the stimulating environment shrank by 50 per “What form the most stressful stimuli are those
cent after three weeks and 77 per cent after six
weeks. The tumours even disappeared entirely that we don’t control. If you can’t control the
in one in five mice. At the same time, the stimulus, then you can predict quite highly
tumours continued to grow in the mice with that it’s going to be a stress stimulus in the
low stress levels. “Our studies show that a
small amount of stress activates this particular
wrong way. Some stresses are very useful
pathway from the brain to fat that regulates and others are extremely detrimental.”
the release of (leptin)… so if you activate that
pathway – done by partial stress – it starves
the tumour,” says During. The more leptin the presence of some understandable stress. “Stress is actually very positive and, in its
mice produced, the smaller the tumours most elemental way, it’s our instinct to survive,” says Hegadoren. “When we talk
became. about disease, not only can overwhelming stress lead to chronic diseases, but it can
“A certain amount of stress is healthy for lead to mental disorders.”
you,” During says. “It’s like a U-shaped curve Being aware of stressors in your life is the first important step to address how you
and if you get too much stress it is not ideal, a handle your body’s response and how you cope mentally. Hegadoren, meanwhile, is
small amount is extremely good and then you focused on her treatment plan and will continue her own journey, dealing with stress
go beyond that … excessive stress becomes the best she can along the way. “I have a huge support network – a strong marriage,
distress and it’s a dysfunction.” children who care deeply about me and lots of people that love me,” she says. “I have
the luxury of having lots of things that others don’t always have.”

Close to
BY LYNSEY FRANKS
Home
Alberta brings radiation therapy
A s Alberta’s population increases, so
does the need for patient access. As a pre-
emptive measure, Alberta Health Services is
making accessibility for cancer patients a top priority by
introducing three additional radiation therapy centres to
to new centres, alleviating the stress south, central and northern Alberta, meaning that making
the trip to Calgary or Edmonton for treatment is no longer
of travel for cancer patients the only option.
“Ultimately, our main goal is to improve access for peo-
ple,” explains Brenda Hubley, an Alberta Health Services
employee based in Lethbridge who has seen the forward-
thinking idea morph very quickly into reality.
For cancer patients seeking radiation therapy, this abili-
ty to access treatment close to home brings much relief.
Since the provincial and federal governments collabora-
tively pinpointed “improved access” as a priority, the idea
for new cancer centres moved towards development soon
after the 2007 proposal. When all three radiation
treatment facilities are fully operational, it will mean
patients can eliminate long drives to undergo treatment.
Lethbridge, Red Deer and Grande Prairie will soon have
the capacity to deliver up 80 per cent of the radiation treat-
ments that patients in these areas require.
“It basically creates what we call a corridor of treatment
SOUTHERN COMFORT: The new radiation in five different sites [in Alberta],” explains Hubley, who is
centre in Lethbridge, at right, means patients the project lead for the radiation therapy corridor project
don’t have to make the long drive to Calgary.
and site administrator with the Lethbridge Cancer Centre.
“This will be the first time that radiation therapy is offered

outside of Calgary or Edmonton.” By reducing travel time In addition to destroying tumours, radiation therapy can also help patients with more
for patients, the primary goal of the project is to improve advanced cancer to manage their pain and other symptoms. “Forty-eight per cent of
both access and care. “We’re also always trying to improve patients could benefit from radiation therapy,” says Hubley. In 2005, 6,800 patients
wait times,” says Hubley. received radiation therapy in Alberta and, according to evidence based on best practice
Sharon Strachan knows what it means to have help close standards, that is only 67 per cent of projected utilization rates. Based on the total courses
to home. The 53-year-old mother of four boys has gone of radiation diagnosed that year, there should have been 10,100 patients receiving radia-
through breast cancer diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy tion therapy in Alberta. “Patients in the past have elected to opt out of treatment,” says
and now radiation, all in the span of eight months. “We Hubley. “But with the three new sites, we’ll be able to take the pressure off of Calgary and
were on holidays in Mexico, that’s when I found the lump,” Edmonton.”
Strachan says. “I knew as soon as I felt it, I’m a registered Strachan says that no matter how far she would have had to go, opting out of treatment
nurse.” The discovery didn’t just cut her holiday short, but was never an option. “Think of treatment as your life insurance, sure it might give you side
it put her life as she knew it completely on hold. “You hit a effects, but I just hope that it ensures your longevity,” she says. Despite the disease, she
wall. I’ve lost my blissful ignorance that I had before my remembers her time in Lethbridge fondly. “I will truly miss them [the staff],” Strachan
diagnosis.” says. “They’ve made this whole experience completely bearable. There aren’t enough
Since starting radiation therapy, Strachan has been mak- words to express how grateful I am to them.”
ing the hour-and-a-half drive to the new Lethbridge Cancer The number of people affected by cancer is expected to double in Alberta within the
Centre five days a week, for six weeks in a row. Renovations next 10 years, a looming statistic that warrants the corridor project. Today, the average
to the centre were completed in June 2010 and this includ- patient receives care within four weeks of being ready to treat. Wait times may improve
ed additional radiation services for breast, lung, prostate and the time spent travelling will be greatly reduced as well. “The response has been very
and gastrointestinal cancers, as well as palliative treat- positive so far,” says Hubley. “Patients are thrilled with getting the opportunity to stay
ments. “I’m so thankful that they opened the centre in closer to home.”
Lethbridge,” says Strachan, who would otherwise be mak-
ing the three-hour trip to Calgary where she would have to
stay for a week. “Less driving is less tiring. It’s been a huge
benefit.”
For patients in north and central Alberta, radiation ser-
vices will soon be more accessible, too. The Red Deer-based
facility is expected to start accepting patients as early as
2012. The Red Deer centre will be equipped with outpatient
clinics, a medical day unit, pharmacy services and various
other support services. “This will be a new building, con-
nected to the existing hospital,” says Hubley.
Heading north, the Grande Prairie radiation centre
remains in the preliminary stages, but is expected to
host the first of two radiation vaults in northwest
Alberta, accommodating about 600 patients every year
who would otherwise have to travel to Calgary or RED DEER RENDERING: When complete, this new
Edmonton facilities. Construction for the facility will facility in Red Deer will serve patients in the central
part of the province.
begin sometime in 2011, according to Health and
Wellness Minister Gene Zwozdesky.

The Sixth
Vital Sign BY JIM VEENBAAS / PHOTOS BY DREW MYERS
The five vital signs are temperature, pulse, blood pressure,

breathing rate and pain, but a Calgary researcher wants to
add another check to this list when it comes to cancer care:
emotional wellbeing. Suprisingly, his research shows this
sixth vital sign in cancer treatment often has something
to do with the colour of your skin
C anada may have universal health care, but it doesn’t always translate into equal
access to treatment and support programs. When it comes to cancer, visible minorities
are not tapping into the full spectrum of health-care services and are consistently suf-
fering from higher levels of distress than other segments of the population.
While most cancer patients suffer from a variety of emotional and physical complications
like anxiety, pain, fatigue and depression, those symptoms are 30 per cent more prevalent
with minorities, according to the results of a 2009 study spearheaded by Dr. Bejoy Thomas,
research fellow in the department of psychosocial oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre
in Calgary.
“Our findings show that someone who looks different and speaks English as a second lan-
guage is at greater risk of being distressed during their cancer treatment,” says Thomas.
“They have significantly higher symptom burdens. Everyone in Canada has access to the
same resources and the same programs, but not all patients are taking advantage of those.
People don’t perceive some of the services we provide as relevant to them, even though
we know they need it.”

Dr. Bejoy Thomas, University of
Calgary researcher.

“It’s about taking five extra minutes

up front and finding a middle ground
with the patient, connecting with
people from different cultures.”
CULTURE OF STRESS: University of Calgary

researcher Dr. Bejoy Thomas found that people who
had English as a second language had significantly
higher levels of stress during cancer treatments.
The Research front and finding a middle ground with the patient, connecting with people from dif-
Thomas and his colleagues tracked the progress of 2,400 ferent cultures.”
patients at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. Each patient Just asking the ethnicity question is a rarity in Canada. With universal access, it has
filled out an extensive survey when they entered the been broadly assumed that people of all races, ages and gender receive and access services
facility and their progress was monitored after three, six in the same way. Statistics related to cancer and ethnicity were not even available in
and 12 months. Visible minorities entering the system Canada until Thomas published his findings in a paper entitled “Cancer Patient Ethnicity
showed higher levels of distress, yet often didn’t and Associations with Emotional Distress – the 6th Vital Sign: A New Look at Defining
take advantage of programs designed to alleviate Patient Ethnicity in a Multicultural Context.” “In theory, we should have equality because
those conditions. we have a flat system, which creates a supposedly level playing field,” Thomas says. “There
Despite that disparity, Thomas does not finger racism has been much more research along these lines in the United States, where they talk about
or discrimination as the cause of the results. Rather, he African American men having a 25 per cent higher mortality rate and 40 per cent higher
suggests that the health-care system has simply failed to morbidity rate in cancer, compared to white American men.
package services in a way that reaches out to people of “We do not have those statistics in Canada because we have not asked the ethnicity
different cultures. “Health-care providers need to revisit questions to begin with. We assume there is a level playing field. Not asking the question
the way we care for our patients,” he says. “We have cre- doesn’t mean something does not exist.”
ated some exceptional programs, but we do not adjust or
adapt them to different populations. It’s not the patient’s An International Lens
fault. We expect people to adapt to the system. It’s about Thomas brings a uniquely international perspective on health care and cancer treatment
communication. It’s about taking five extra minutes up to his research. He was born and raised in Dubai, but his parents were originally from

India. He moved back to India to attend high school and
university and earned a master’s degree in psychology
and a PhD in Applied Sciences. During the course of those
studies, he had an opportunity to see the impact of cancer
in a variety of different cultures and countries. “No one
escapes the distress of cancer. It’s not like getting the flu,”
he says. “Patients across the world, no matter
what language or culture, they all have the same
questions. Am I going to die? Am I going to live?
Can I eat the same food? Can I have sex? We are
all human and we all have the same concerns.”
Thomas brought that experience with him
when he accepted a position at the Tom Baker
Cancer Centre in 2005 and he was thrilled with
the opportunity to work at a facility so commit-
ted to treating the mental and emotional distress associ-
ated with cancer. Since arriving, he has continued his post-
doctoral studies and has focussed his efforts on research
and discovering ways to make the health-care system
more responsive to the needs of all people.
“We have the largest psychosocial oncology depart-
ment in the country. This is where things are happen-
ing – where I wanted to be. We are changing practices in TREATMENT FOR BODY AND MIND
cancer care across the country and the work I am doing is
just a small part of what is taking place here,” he says. “I Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are the most common procedures
want to make this a better health-care system. My focus is to treat cancer, but health-care providers are increasingly turning to
to figure out if we are helping patients make the right alternative techniques like acupuncture and meditation to treat some of
choices. Why are we missing pockets of people and there- the symptoms of cancer.
by creating disparity in outcomes? Can we facilitate bet- That philosophy is being embraced at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre,
ter processes?” which has developed a world-class psychosocial oncology department,
staffed with professionals who treat the social, psychological, emotional,
Adapting the System spiritual and functional aspects of cancer.
Thomas suggests that a good way to start addressing those The facility offers a wide range of programs to improve patients’ quali-
disparities is by adopting a more consumer-driven health- ty of life, including stress management, retreat programs, sleep coun-
care model. That doesn’t imply privatization, but rather a selling clinics, education and more. Without this support, people often
shift in attitude where patients come first. Take the exam- feel isolated and alone while coping with life-altering issues, such as
ple of banks. All Canadian banks may have the same basic their own mortality.
services across the country, but the way they market and The effect of the illness can also compound the challenges of every-
deliver those services changes in places like Chinatown, or day life, putting stress on families and relationships. “These services
on Bay Street, or in any other distinctive market. have been available for quite some time, but we are now beginning to
“We obviously can’t deliver services in 15 different lan- recognize that it’s not just an add on,” says Dr. Bejoy Thomas, a research-
guages, but we have to be mindful of the patient and try to er at the centre, who describes emotional distress as the sixth vital sign
understand what will work for them,” Thomas says. “You in cancer treatment. “Cancer takes a toll on your body and your mind.
do the same thing, but you just adapt it to different popula- People are thrown out of whack, but we can help them get back on track
tions. That’s the key to the whole thing. You need to think and live better lives. Although it is possible to manage pain, fatigue and
about marketing these programs and services. We have a anxiety on your own, when you have professional help it becomes a lot
great ship, but to make it a luxury cruise liner we need to easier.”
add these extra things.” In addition to their work helping patients and families, psychosocial
Thomas hopes to continue this line of research in the staff are involved in research and educational programs in an effort to
future and help create a truly universal health-care system expand their knowledge of cancer and its treatment. While Thomas is
that is accessible to everyone. This will ultimately drive involved in the research side of the equation, the ultimate goal of every-
down costs and make the system more efficient as well. one in the psychosocial oncology department is to improve living condi-
“With the expansion of minority and immigrant populations for patients.
tions across Canada, there should be a strong incentive to “Our staff are trained professionals in psychiatry, psychology and
address their needs because patients with higher symp- social work. Counsellors are specially trained to help patients and their
tom burdens overutilize the system. They have more visits families cope with the stress that often surfaces as a result of cancer and
to physicians and specialists, more visits to emergency and its treatment. By taking part in some of our programs, patients can dra-
more tests. We are spending money on these patients matically improve their quality of life and make better decisions when it
when we could be putting those resources to better use in comes to the treatment of their cancer.”
other areas of health care.”

DITCH YOUR
W
A high-tech treasure hunt gives ith an office two blocks north of the
office workers a reason to get Alberta Legislature building in Edmonton,
Vonn Bricker, 58, a recently retired govern-
moving on their lunch break ment employee, spent many lunch hours searching for
hidden treasure.
“Me and many of my co-workers were really not heavy
duty joggers or power walkers,” says Bricker, also known
as Bush Creatures, his geocaching handle. “It was really
fun to get out and go for a bit of a hike.”
Bricker is a geocacher, a sport that combines walking or
hiking with a scavenger hunt.
“It’s a high-tech treasure hunt,” says Barry Brown,
another enthusiast of the activity that uses handheld
global positioning system (GPS) technology to hide, and
then find, items.
Despite having found his first cache just four months
ago, Brown, also known as Kenkeknem, has already
embraced noon-hour geocaching and turned his brother-
in-law into an enthusiast who plans family vacations
around caches.
The caches themselves are typically weather-proof
small containers that, at minimum, contain a logbook and
pencil and also may contain kid-friendly tradable trinkets.
Geocachers locate the hidden containers with the help of
a handheld GPS, sign the logbook and leave something –
from stickers to dollar-store toys – to replace the prize
they’ve taken.
On a recent lunch break, 49-year-old Brown, a system
administrator who runs a computer consulting business,
HIDDEN TREASURE: Geocachers use a set out to find five caches in northeast Calgary. He fin-
hand-held GPS to hide, and locate, items all ished his break having only found three, because a non-
around the world.
geocacher, or muggle, was sitting in a car near one of the
caches. “That’s a part of the game, too,” explains Brown.
“Sometimes you’ll go to get (a cache) and somebody is
there and so you abandon it and move on. You have to be
stealthy about finding your cache.”
The sport, which originated in Portland, Oregon and
celebrated its 10th anniversary in the spring of 2010, has
attracted a range of enthusiasts, including those, like
Brown and Bricker, who use geocaching to swap sit-down
lunch breaks for outdoor adventure.
Brown’s job takes him to various areas of the city, which
means he can key in postal codes at www.geocaching.com
and explore unseen areas of Calgary, while searching for

DESK
BY ANNALISE KLINGBEIL
caches. He says spending his lunch breaks being active means he’s more alert in the
afternoon. “It’s not like going for a walk and picking up dog poop,” says Brown, of the
STOP SITTING,
adventure of geocaching. “It’s a way of getting outside and it’s always a hunt.” GET MOVING
Bricker, who worked in land-use planning before retiring, has found over 4,700 cach- Angela Torry, an education co-ordinator with
es since starting the sport five years ago. Bricker’s passion for caching began after he the Alberta Centre for Active Living, says get-
read an article about geocaching. Then he and his young daughter “dug through the ting out of your office chair and moving can
snow and found buried treasure,” at a cache one kilometre from his house. increase energy, productivity and your physical
While his daughter is now 16 and wouldn’t be “caught dead” hunting for a cache with and mental health. She suggests these simple
him, Bricker has become an avid geocacher. Before Bricker retired he would often find tips for leaving your chair:
geocache sites on his computer and then drag he co-workers along at lunch to help find • Set an alarm on your computer or phone
the hidden treasure. “A few of them have kept up the game, but most of them rolled their that goes off every hour and serves as a
eyes and said ‘I’m crazy’,” says Bricker, who still geocaches frequently in retirement. reminder to get up and move.
Staying in the office for a lunch break often meant continuing to answer the phone • Stretch at your desk. Check out quick videos
and email and never stopping work, while heading out to look for caches was instant that demonstrate wrist and hand exercises,
exercise and fun, says or how to stretch or do yoga at your desk.
Bricker. “My office was • Rather than sending an email to someone in
Geocaching is an activity that people very close to the river the office, get up and talk to them.
of all ages and physical abilities can valley and great hiking • Instead of having a conference-style meet-
trails. Sometimes the ing, have a walking meeting. Torry says this
embrace as both a terrain and very steep terrain would works extra well if it’s just one or two people
difficulty rating accompany every definitely give you a bit and is especially doable if you don’t need to
cache posted online. of a workout.” take notes during the meeting.
Leaving your desk • Put your files, garbage can, or other items
and moving, through you use often far away from your desk so you
geocaching or any other activity, is a good thing, says Angela Torry, an education co- have to get up and move to access them.
ordinator with the Alberta Centre for Active Living. Movement can improve circula-
tion, get your blood flowing and increase your physical and mental health. “Our bodies
are built to move,” says Torry, yet our Western lifestyle caters to sitting all day. “A lot of
people have neck, back and joint pain, especially carpel tunnel syndrome if they’re using
a mouse and keyboard a lot. It’s honestly because we’re not moving enough.”
GET HUNTING
Not only does a lunch break spent geocaching mean lots of movement and renewed
energy, adventure-seekers are also able to explore new areas of their city. “You get to see Geocaching is easy. Follow these simple steps
places that you don’t even know exist… It’s not just for the loot at the end of it, there is and you’ll be finding treasure in no time.
interesting scenery that you’re introduced to that you’ll probably never revisit,” says
Brown. He discovered an ice cave in a park near his house, thanks to geocaching. 1. Register for a free basic membership at www.
Geocaching is an activity that people of all ages and physical abilities can embrace as geocaching.com (be sure to choose a fun code-
both a terrain and difficulty rating accompany every cache posted online. Brown says he name).
watches for caches with easy ratings then takes along his seven-year-old daughter, who 2. Click “Hide & Seek a Cache,” enter your postal
loves the sport. “She is really good at finding them,” Brown says. “I guess being only one code or address and gasp in amazement at the
metre (tall) helps.” number of caches near your office building.
Bricker says he’s seen everyone from toddlers to teens and seniors or people in 3. Purchase a handheld GPS device (prices start
wheelchairs geocache. “It can be a rugged sport if you pick the rugged caches, but it around $150), enter in the co-ordinates of a
can also be very gentle. Geocaching is amazingly suitable for all ages and people of all cache you want to find and get hunting.
physical conditions.”

A
BY CAITLIN CRAWSHAW ABOVE
BALD AND BEAUTIFUL: Hinton teachers (clock-

wise from top left) Andrée-Anne Lacroix, Kelly Smith,
Jennifer Dodsworth and Elana Fedorak shaved their
locks as part of a school-wide effort to raise money
for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

This summer, 48 students, teachers and
parents at a Hinton school went under the
razor to support Alberta cancer research,
raising more than $16,000 in the process
L ast fall, with a year-long trip on the horizon, Jennifer Dodsworth added
“hair cut” to her to-do list. With plans to visit New Zealand, Asia and Europe, she
figured her long locks would be cumbersome.
But rather than ask the hairdresser to tame her tresses, it dawned on the Hinton
school teacher that she could use the opportunity to do something bigger. She’d long
considered shaving her head to raise money for cancer research. “I’ve always had long
hair, but I’ve never been too attached to it – it was just on my head,” she says. “Shaving
it for cancer was kind of like a bucket-list thing for me.”
Dodsworth decided she’d use the opportunity to raise pledges for the Alberta Cancer
Foundation and she asked another good friend if she’d partake, which she did. When
her father heard about it, he embraced the idea too, growing out his hair months in
advance. “From October until June my Dad grew his hair and his beard. He looked like
Grizzly Adams,” Dodsworth laughs. As support from friends and family increased,
Dodsworth realized it might be a great community project, so she decided to approach
Mountain View School in Hinton, the kindergarten to Grade 7 school where she teaches
Grade 1. The school was happy for Dodsworth to organize a Short Cut to the Cure event
as a fun wrap up to the school year.
Event planning and fundraising began in February and included weekly meetings for
kids who were considering shaving their heads, as well as classroom lessons about can-
cer and cancer prevention. It was important for teachers to prepare their students for
what could be a major event for young children: “Some of these kids are pretty little.
You have to give them a chance to consider the idea,” says Dodsworth. And, for all of the
children, the event was a chance to teach strategies for keeping healthy.

On June 18, many months after Dodsworth had first con-
sidered shaving her own head, more than 500 students,
teachers, parents, community members and cancer survi-
vours packed the gymnasium of Mountain View School.
The teachers had taken photos of the participants before
ENGINEERING AN EVENT
the head shave and used an overhead projector to display When their father was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, Gary and Graeme
their faces. “A hush fell over the room when our first group Wicentowich wanted to show their support. So, along with some other fami-
of participants went to get their head shaved,” Dodswith ly members, the two engineering students took part in an event they called
recalls. Slowly, groups of about 10 participants took the Razored for Ron.
stage as 12 volunteers cut and shaved their hair. By the end The goal was to raise $1,000 and have a handful of people participate.
of it, “there were 48 bald heads just bobbing to the music. Instead, 36 people between the ages of three and 50 showed up at their
There were tears in many eyes,” says Dodsworth. Southgate Mall event, raising a whopping $12,000. “It went beyond any-
Buffy Watson, who has three boys attending the school, one’s expectations,” says Gary. “It was hugely successful.” The event even
was on hand to shave kids’ heads – including two of her inspired one random passerby – a university student shopping in the mall
boys. “My mom passed away from cancer and I have an that day – to raise $800 and shave her head a month later.
uncle who’s battled it a few times and has been recently Sadly, Ron Wicentowich passed away in 2004, but his sons weren’t going
told there’s nothing they can do,” Watson says. “Cancer’s to give up their fundraising efforts. With one successful event behind them,
affected my family – and, I mean, it affects everyone – but, I they decided to try it again in the University of Alberta’s faculty of engineer-
knew in my heart I wanted to be involved.” ing. Both Gary and Graeme held leadership roles in the Engineering
Students Society (ESS) and it wasn’t too hard to wrangle some students
into organizing a similar event on campus.
“Even though their lives have been This time, the group added hair-dying to the mix, and many participants
less impacted, they still have the opted to collect pledges to progressively dye their hair blond, green, or
compassion, the empathy to help.” pink (for the maximum pledge amount they’d set). “Engineers are always
looking to do something a little bit crazy, so the hair dye works well,” says
Graeme.
It was an emotional day for many people in the commu- On Nov.27, 2004, the first campus head shave took place at the
nity, including Watson, who shared some tears with her Engineering Teaching and Learning Complex at the U of A. A dozen stu-
son: “It was inspiring. It was encouraging that people were dents from Marvel College, a local hair and esthetics school, dyed and cut
so supportive.” When the dust settled and the hair was hair, and the college itself donated the dye. The event raised $12,000.
swept up, the school raised more than $16,000. In that one event, the brothers unknowingly began a campus tradition.
School events, like this one and countless others across Since then, the ESS has organized an annual event where students from all
the province, are an important part of fundraising for the faculties shave and dyed their hair for cancer each November. The date is
Alberta Cancer Foundation, which distributes more than strategic: it’s a few months into the school year, but before midterms and
$20 million each year to Alberta’s 17 cancer centres to help finals in December.
with cancer research, prevention and screening initiatives. Head-shave co-ordinator Amanda Schneck first got involved with the
While survival rates of many cancers have improved dra- event when she shaved her head a few years ago. “As a girl, I knew I could
matically over the last couple decades, nearly one in two raise a lot of money doing it and, for me, it was more a personal challenge
Albertans will get cancer at some point in their lives, and doing it,” she says. She says students at the 2009 head shave raised
one in four will die of cancer. between $20,000-$25,000 and drew plenty of media attention. Radio
“We’re trying to get more and more Albertans involved personality Layne Mitchell, from Edmonton’s Sonic 102.9, acted as MC for
in fundraisers not just to raise funds for us, but awareness the event.
that cancer is still one of the leading causes of death in The Wicentowich brothers have now graduated from engineering, but
Alberta,” explains Daryl Silzer, Alberta Cancer Foundation continue to be involved in the annual head shaves. Last year, Graeme’s
director of annual giving. That said, community efforts go a company made a donation to the event and he attended as a representative
long way towards both research and prevention, he adds: from his workplace to watch a new batch of engineers-in-training shed
“We truly believe in a cancer-free future.” their locks for a good cause. “It was good to see lots of faces that I didn’t
To help community groups, the foundation provides a recognize,” he says.
number of online resources. After registering with the
foundation, Albertans get access to a fundraising kit that
includes a press release, pledge forms and a website for the
fundraiser. “We try to make it very, very user friendly for all
participants to get involved,” says Silzer.
MAKE YOUR EVENT A SUCCESS
Dodsworth is proud of her students for embracing the Here are some top tips for planning your own school-wide head shave, or
challenge. “These kids, they’re so young and they don’t other fundraiser, to raise money for cancer treatment and research.
have the experience of older people who’ve lost friends and 1. Get started early.
family to cancer,” she says. “But even though their lives 2. Get parents involved.
have been less impacted, they still have the compassion, 3. Register with the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
the empathy to help, and the courage to be involved in 4. Host your event in June for a fun end-of-school activity.
something like this.”

alber tacancer foundation.ca fall 2010 39
whyIdonate / STORIES OF GIVING
TOWARDS A CURE: Alberta Cancer Foundation trustee

Heather Culbert amassed a 100-person strong team of walkers
for the Calgary Shopper’s Drug Mart Weekend to End
Women’s Cancers.

A mega-team of men and women,
100-members strong, walked for a cure
BY JESSICA PATTERSON / PHOTO BY DORAN CLARK
I t showed up as a shadowy spot on the mammogram.

When Heather Culbert got that breast cancer diagnosis, her treatment choice
was simple. “I wanted to stop the cycle,” Culbert says. “I went radical and decided
to have a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy, where you’re not sure whether they
ever got it all.” In October 2009, doctors removed Culbert’s left breast and then did a
reconstruction at the same time.
Culbert had seen the effects of cancer for most of her adult life, long before her own
diagnosis. Her mother Connie Cooper, 73, has had breast cancer three times, colon
cancer and liver cancer. “I had seen her go through lumpectomies, chemotherapy and
radiation treatments,” Culbert says. Her mother’s experiences prompted Culbert to
join the Alberta Cancer Foundation as a trustee. “I wanted to make a difference. I’d
seen what was going on around us, what had happened to my mother, which was dev-
astating, and I wanted to see what I could do to make a difference.”
After three years of involvement with the Alberta Cancer Foundation, two of them
as a trustee, Culbert was named the honourary chair for the 2010 Shopper’s Drug
Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers in Calgary. She would be the official spokes-
person for the event, in which thousands of women and men would take to Calgary
streets on July 24-25 in a 60-kilometre journey, raising funds to support research and
treatment of women’s cancers, through the Alberta Cancer Foundation. A month
after accepting the position as honorary chair, Culbert was diagnosed with breast
cancer. She doesn’t believe it was a coincidence.

whyIdonate / STORIES OF GIVING
A life-changing day Cancers. Culbert started gathering some of her closest

Culbert’s mother, Connie Cooper, was 52 when she was friends into a team. They called themselves Heather’s
diagnosed with colon cancer. She had the tumour removed. Heroes, and they set their sights high from the very begin-
A decade later, a routine cancer antigen test showed the ning. “We wanted to raise $550,000,” Culbert says. She
presence of cancer cells again. This time, it was liver cancer sat down with 12 of her good friends to start thinking of
and Cooper had to have a portion of her liver removed. ways to achieve this lofty goal.
Then, she faced two bouts of breast cancer. The team got a big boost early on from well-known
In August 2009, Cooper heard she had breast cancer for Calgary philanthropist and team member, Patricia
a third time. Later that day, Davidson, who said she’d donate $1,000 for every person
her daughter would come on Heather’s Heroes, up to a total of $100,000. “I think
“We wanted to have 100 people. into the same office to hear that was the motivation all along,” Culbert says. “We
We wanted to have the biggest the same words: “You have wanted to have 100 people. We wanted to have the biggest
team, wanted to raise the most cancer.” Cooper remem- team, wanted to raise the most money and make the big-
gest impact we possibly could.”
money and make the biggest bers wanting to get out of
the office before her daugh- Initially, the membership roster was slow to grow, but
impact we possibly could.” ter showed up for her Culbert asked each person on the team to find one other
appointment in the after- person, or more, to join the team. “It starts with an idea
noon. “I didn’t want her to know I had cancer,” she says. “I and then it takes off because people get enthused being
had a lump. It was very small. It showed up as a shadow on the best they can be,” Culbert says. When it was time to
the mammogram.” walk, Heather’s Heroes had exactly 100 members, both
For Cooper, this was her fifth cancer diagnosis. For her women and men, ranging in age from 16 to 74 years old.
daughter, it was a first and a day that changed life as Culbert The team designed a logo of pink walking ribbons of vari-
knew it. Culbert’s diagnosis, along with her mother’s, gave ous sizes, designed to show the diversity on the team.
her a renewed vigour, a new reason to throw herself behind Heather’s Heroes had four corporate sponsors:
fundraising efforts for the Weekend to End Women’s Progress Energy donated $50,000, Enerplus sponsored
Cancers. “It just made me that much more passionate $45,000, Synergy sponsored $10,000 and RBC stepped
PHOTOS: EDWIN SANTIAGO
about it,” Culbert says. up and sponsored $5,000, for a total of $110,000 in corpo-
Heather Culbert began gathering Heather’s Heroes. rate sponsorship.
Building a team of heroes Walking for a cure

Culbert told Linda Mickelson, CEO of the Alberta Cancer For team member Jen Vorobiev, joining Heather’s Heroes
Foundation, that she wanted to create a mega-team and do was a no-brainer. “I figured, I have a young daughter.
some mega-fundraising for the Weekend to End Women’s We spend most of our day running around anyway.

WALKERS IN PROFILE
Name: Jen Vorobiev
Age: 32
Occupation: Engineer/Stay-at-home mom
Why I walked: “I did it mostly for daughter
Sophia, my niece, my sister and my mom,
so that they wouldn’t have to go through
what I did.”
Name: Marleen Russell

Age: 62
Occupation: Homemaker
Why I Walked: “I decided to do it as a personal
challenge, after having the disease. I wanted to
do something for me. Once I got involved, it
became bigger than me. I was doing it for so
many others. It was my way of contributing,
helping people in the future.”
Name: Stephen Burtt

Age: 53
Occupation: Chartered Accountant
Why I Walked: “I think everyone has been
touched by cancer. My mother passed away
from breast cancer. Marleen and Heather and a
few others we know have all had breast cancer.
The primary reason we walked was in support,
WEEKEND TO WALK: Walkers in the Shopper’s and celebration, of family and friends.”
Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers raised
more than $6.3 million over two weekends in
Calgary and Edmonton.
I could handle it,” she says. walk was to get people to realize. You have to feel the pain to really appreciate what people
Vorobiev is no stranger to breast cancer. She was diag- go through.”
nosed with breast cancer when she was a 28-year-old new Though the 60-kilometre journey was tough, being a member of the biggest team in the
mother and her daughter, Sophia, was nine months old. walk came with some perks. Heather’s Heroes had a road crew, devoted to the needs of
With the help of a new drug called Herceptin (trastuzum- each participant and funded by corporate sponsors. Called the Pamper Van, the vehicle
ab), Vorobiev is cancer-free today. was staffed by upbeat volunteers and provided cold towels, ice, exercise mats for stretch-
Soon after joining the team, Vorobiev raised $5,000 ing, first aid for minor medical needs, and had a supply of sunscreen, hair clips, mouth
with help from her family and friends. “There are no words wash, temporary tattoos and other small things for the heroes participants.
to describe how you feel when something like this happens Each one of Heather’s Heroes had her, or his, own reasons for walking and fundraising.
and the support you receive after,” Vorobiev says. “I have Some members had undergone cancer treatments, others were family members and
to live it as if every day is my last. Something like this gives friends, but their simple determination and spirit to support the cause was the same.
me hope that there will be breakthroughs in the research.”
Walking 60 kilometres isn’t an easy feat and it took Crossing the finish line
Heather’s Heroes months of training to prepare. Finally, After the weekend walks ended, Vorobiev thanked Culbert. “Every dollar that gets raised
the day of the walk arrived and Culbert’s whole family for something like this is a hope that my daughter won’t have to go through what I did,”
came out. Her sister, mother, daughter, husband and her Vorobiev told Culbert. “And, that there will be enough research done, that I can go to her
friends, walked. More than 100 members strong, Heather’s wedding.”
Heroes walked for about seven and a half hours the first In the following week, Heather’s Heroes were bruised, battered and stiff, but ecstatic.
day and six hours the second day. “That 60-kilometre walk When the tallies came in, the team raised approximately $648,048.47 during the Shopper’s
is long and hard,” Davidson says. “It’s pure determination. Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers. The team’s effort, when combined with all
You do it for the greater good.” 1,114 Calgary walkers, raised $2.7 million towards cancer research. In Edmonton, walkers
Culbert and her mother walked together as team co- on the weekend of August 7-8 raised another $1.6 million. All told, all the heroes who
captains. Cooper says they supported each other all the walked raised $6.3 million towards the Alberta Cancer Foundation to support treatment
way. She walked because her daughter was doing it and and research of women’s cancers.
that was the bottom line for the 74-year-old grandmother.
“It was really hard,” Culbert says. “You can train and train To be part of the 2011 Shopper’s Drug Mart Weekend to End
and train, but you never get the whole combination of the Women’s Cancers, go to endcancer.ca.
weather and the distance. I think the whole purpose of the

THE BEST TREATMENT: Radiation therapist Susan
Mortensen, who works at the Edmonton Cross Cancer
Institute, recently won an award for professional
excellence and patient care.

TOP JOB BY MIFI PURVIS / PHOTO BY DUSTIN DELFS
When it comes to cancer treatment,

radiation therapist Susan Mortensen
is a leader in her field
I n Treatment Unit 8 at Edmonton’s Cross Cancer

Institute, Susan Mortensen and her colleague, Gurnaib
Brar, prepare a 72-year-old grandmother with a Stage 2
colorectal tumour for radiation therapy. The patient has
already checked in and changed into a gown when she is
called for her turn in the treatment room. Mortensen and
Brar consult a screen in the large radiation treatment room,
one of the 10 radiation rooms at the Cross where 300
patients receive treatment each day. Despite the pink cup-
boards, the rest of the room is vault-like, with thick cement
and metal walls to protect against the dose of radiation
that its centrepiece – the linear accelerator – will deliver.
Mortensen chats with the patient. A screen shows the patient’s exact positioning,
from the angle of her back to the incline of her legs. Brar shifts the patient’s legs over
a clear plastic leg rest. The pair also consults small tattoos on the patient’s midsec-
tion to position the linear accelerator in a way that will pinpoint her tumour, leaving
the surrounding healthy tissue largely untouched. “There’s no room for error,”
Mortensen says. It’s noteworthy, then, that the patient smiles as Mortensen leaves
her alone in the room, pulling the heavy door closed behind her.
Maybe the patient’s calm is due to the fact that she’s halfway through her 25 treat-
ments. But the care that Mortensen and her colleagues deliver – alongside a dose
of the strongest medicine that people receive – goes a long way to putting their
patients at ease.

half a decade of delivering patient care, she received
the Alberta College of Medical Diagnostic and
Therapeutic Technologists award for Professional
Excellence in Patient Care in May. “She works humour
and empathy into her practice,” says her nominator,
Susan Fawcett. “She takes pride in her work and her
practice is always patient-centred.”
Fawcett, Alberta’s radiation therapy professional
practices and academic leader, says that young people
in Alberta aspiring to become therapists today general-
ly need at least a year in a pre-professional field at uni-
versity. Then they receive 11 months of classroom work,
followed by 17 months of practical training at the Cross
Cancer Institute in Edmonton or its Calgary counter-
Radiation therapy is a mainstay of cancer care and up to part, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. She predicts that
40 per cent of cancer patients will receive it. There are students hoping to become radiation therapists will
multiple kinds of radiation therapy. The therapy the require a degree in the future, as Alberta is the only
grandmother on Unit 8 is receiving is delivered exter- province that doesn’t currently require one.
nally, via the linear accelerator. Brachytherapy is a kind Post-secondary certification is just the start of a
of radiation treatment that’s delivered internally, by career in radiation therapy. Radiation therapy changes
temporarily placing radioactive material in, or near, a at the speed of technology and Fawcett says that one of
cancer site. Before the patient receives any therapy a the reasons she nominated Mortensen for the award
team, supervised by a radiation oncologist, maps out was for Mortensen’s drive to stay up-to-date in her
the patient’s cancer in detail, using MRI and CT scans knowledge. Mortensen and her colleagues are continu-
for a clear picture. Therapists, such as Mortensen, Brar ally reading about new developments in their practice,
and Winston Poon, their colleague on Unit 8, double talking to each other and networking with colleagues
check details including dosage, duration and frequency elsewhere. They take courses and attend conferences,
and, if necessary, they flag concerns to the oncologist. too, but technology is just one aspect of the field. “To
Outside the treatment room, Mortensen and the do this job, you have to be tech smart and people savvy,”
team watch the patient through a monitor and adjust Mortensen says.
the controls. Then they Patient James McLaughlin agrees. “Just hearing the
hit the switch. “She word ‘cancer’ is scary,” he says. Mortensen goes a long
doesn’t feel anything,” way to make the process as comfortable as possible.
“Susan always approaches each Mortensen says. Seated at “She asked me about my hobbies and, when I men-
patient as a unique person, not just a the monitor, Poon makes tioned golf, we segued into a conversation about that.”
10:15 appointment for a procedure.” some adjustments to the Now halfway through a course of radiation therapy for
computer in front of him esophageal cancer, McLaughlin is making daily trips to
and the drum of the big the Cross. “She never hurries me through and really
machine pivots to a dif- tries to put my mind at ease,” he says.
ferent treatment angle. “The side effects, including It’s that near-daily contact that builds relationships.
generalized fatigue, are minimal,” Mortensen says. A “Patients tell us things they’ve forgotten, or were hesi-
few minutes later, the patient’s treatment is finished. tant to mention to their doctors,” Mortensen says.
The effects of the radiation on the tumour are more Therapists can flag potential problems, or make refer-
significant. It kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA, rals to other cancer care personnel, such as dieticians.
making it impossible for them to divide and grow, “We work hard to make patients feel unique,” she says.
uncontrolled cellular growth being cancer’s hallmark. McLaughlin, 60, agrees. “There are so many resourc-
“We deliver therapy, sometimes daily, for several es,” he says, “and so much support available.” He advis-
weeks,” Mortensen says. The repeated, low dose es other patients faced with radiation therapy to ask as
ensures that cancer cells are hit at vulnerable times many questions as possible, not just of their oncologist,
during their cell cycle, allowing normal tissue to repair but of therapists such as Mortensen.
itself. It also means that patients have plenty of time to Mortensen’s colleague Poon agrees that she delivers
get to know radiation therapists, like Mortensen, as top care. “It’s very busy here and a therapist has to work
they see them daily during the treatment cycle. well in a team,” he says, “and Susan always approaches
Mortensen graduated from the Cross Cancer each patient as a unique person, not just a 10:15 appoint-
Institute’s school of radiation therapy in 1982 and, after ment for a procedure.”

A cancer diagnosis in the workplace
is tricky, but it doesn’t have to mean
the end of your career
BY DEBBY WALDMAN
A
month before she was to start a new job as to recuperate. After that came months of treatment, during which she worked from seven
director of community leadership at ATB in the morning until noon every day, and then took a week off after each round of chemo.
Financial in 2008, Sandra Huculak learned she Huculak returned to work full time nearly seven months after her first day. But even if
had breast cancer. When she called her boss you’ve had the same job for decades, cancer can, and does, cause upheaval in the work-
and broke the news, there was silence at the other end of place, and not just for the one undergoing treatment.
the phone. “[Colleagues and supervisors] have to understand what the person with the diagnosis is
Then her boss, Peggy Garritty, spoke up and went into going through, and that can be shock, fear, loneliness, guilt, sadness, hopelessness,” says
proactive mode. Within an hour, Huculak had an appoint- Michael Kennedy, national director of business development for Shepell-fgi, which pro-
ment with ATB’s human resources department to learn vides human resources counseling services to workers at 6,000 organizations across
about her benefits. Her first day on the job was a week later, Canada.
and an email address was waiting so she could get to work Most people consider cancer to be a two-step process: diagnosis and treatment. Kennedy
immediately. describes it as a five-phase process that starts even before the diagnosis, during the period
The diagnosis meant that Huculak didn’t have the luxury when you suspect a problem and undergo tests. The diagnosis and learning about treat-
of easing into her new position: a week and a half after start- ment constitute the second, or acute, phase. The chronic phase involves coping with daily
ing work she had surgery, followed by five weeks sick leave life while dealing with the mental, emotional and financial effects of the treatment.

Recovery, the fourth phase, “hopefully ends the process,”
Kennedy says, “but the fifth would be a terminal phase
where the focus turns from providing treatment and
trying to procure a long life to relieving the pain. There
has to be a realization from the workplace that this is a ness, and how much you want to share. Striking a balance between privacy and public
possibility.” knowledge is crucial to workplace harmony, because your colleagues are going to be
There also has to be a realization that the experience affected, whether or not they know what’s going on. “What can cause some challenge is
will differ depending when information isn’t communicated properly,”
on the diagnosis and Kennedy says. “The rumor mill can start. In the
your general health,
Striking a balance between privacy and absence of information, people will often fill in the
age, family and finan- public knowledge is crucial to workplace gaps themselves. It’s important to understand that
cial situations and harmony, because your colleagues are [colleagues] are involved emotionally and poten-
response to treat- going to be affected, whether or not they tially with respect to sharing that workload.”
ment. Some people, When Huculak showed up for her first day at ATB
like Huculak, may be know what’s going on. Financial, only Garritty and an HR rep knew that
able and willing to she had cancer. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep it a
work during treatment. Others will take long-term dis- secret – when she was back at work between the surgery and chemotherapy, she was
ability. Some may return to the same job, others may more than willing to answer questions – but as the new person in the office, she was in an
change positions or not come back at all. awkward position. Nobody knew her or what she was capable of, and she didn’t want the
What is consistent is that if you have been diagnosed cancer to define her. “I didn’t want to be the person everyone felt sorry for,” she says,
with cancer, you need to notify your employer, the sooner explaining that she asked Garritty to notify the rest of the department about her illness
the better, “so you’re not leaving them in the lurch,” says after she had left for the surgery. “I didn’t want it to be the focus of that week and a half. I
John Bargman, a volunteer at Wellspring, a community wanted to come in, organize my office, and get to work.”
cancer resource and support centre in Calgary. Bargman Huculak’s plan worked. Rather than resented, she was welcomed warmly when she
teaches a course through Wellspring on returning to work returned to work. When she left on the Fridays before she was to start a week off for che-
after cancer. “If you want to be treated with respect, you motherapy, she and her colleagues hugged goodbye. Her final words to them on those
have to treat your employer with respect as well,” he says. days: “See you in a week.”
You also need to understand your health benefits. Not everybody has it so easy. “I’ve been exposed to people who have lost their jobs or
If you have a human resources representative, schedule a had their jobs terminated on them because of cancer and had to engage the legal world,
meeting as soon as possible. Some companies have which is the last thing you want to do when going through this kind of treatment,” says
an employee assistance program, which can provide Bargman. The Wellspring volunteer is a business processes and systems consultant who
counseling to help deal with the stresses that come with was treated for head and neck cancer in 2006. “I’ve heard of bosses saying ‘don’t bother
a diagnosis. coming back’ and I’ve heard of people who, for their own reasons, quit their jobs and are
It’s also important to meet with your supervisor to having real difficulty finding new jobs.”
determine who, if anyone, you want to tell about your ill- As a self-employed consultant, Bargman didn’t even have the luxury of collecting

OFFICE STRATEGY: The best policy is to be
upfront with your boss about a cancer diagnosis.
From there, you can determine whether it’s
appropriate to tell co-workers, too.
employment insurance. His oncologist told him three ble without the positive work environment. “Colleagues take their cues from you,” she
months after treatment, “I don’t see any reason why you says. “I treated my friends and colleagues the same. You spend as much time at work as
can’t be working.” Bargman found work, but full-time was you do at home, so if someone brought it up and asked a question about chemo, what it
too much to handle. Another six months passed before he was like, I would tell them. Otherwise, we did not talk about it. It wasn’t a delicate
was able to return to work, this time permanently. secret, but I’m there to work.”
Bargman said the experience taught him a couple
important lessons: Just because you don’t have cancer
symptoms doesn’t mean you’re 100 per cent ready to go
back to work; medical readiness may not take into account
WHEN A COLLEAGUE HAS CANCER
mental and physical capabilities and the best way to Your co-worker in the next cubicle drops a bombshell: she has cancer. What
return to work is on a modified, graduated schedule. do you do? What do you say? It’s natural to feel conflicted about the best
Sometimes the best way to return is in a different posi- way to react. Here are some tips from the real experts, the people who have
tion, as Calgary-area teacher Debra Morán discovered. worked through cancer:
Morán taught Grade 1 French immersion when she was For the boss:
diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in August 2008. But • Ask if your employee is comfortable letting colleagues know. If the answer
after two extensive surgeries and chemotherapy, she is yes, ask what you should say.
didn’t have the energy to deal with young children. • Ask if your employee wants to have a point person in the office to keep
Fortunately, her employer, the Rocky View District colleagues notified of his/her condition.
School Board, wanted to start an online, virtual Spanish For all co-workers:
program for high school students. With planning and • Offer advice only when asked.
support from her long-term health insurance provider, • Don’t be offended if your colleague doesn’t want to talk about cancer.
Morán went back to work in December 2009, working her • Treat him or her the way you did before the diagnosis; show the same
way up to part time by February 2010. The school board level of commitment and friendship.
provided her with accommodations, including a chair • Don’t say things like, “I know how you feel,” unless you’ve had the same
with back support, a larger computer screen and pads for experience.
her wrists so that her lymphodema, swelling as a result of • Offer to babysit, mow the lawn, run errands.
her surgeries, wouldn’t become a problem. • Collect frozen ready-made meals and deliver them.
Huculak, too, returned to work on a modified schedule, • Collect hats and scarves if your colleague loses her hair.
but within three-an-a-half months she was back full time. • Take up a collection for a cleaning service for when your colleague can’t
“I love working,” she says. “It’s my craft and I like to do it keep house.
and it really helped me.” But it wouldn’t have been possi-

myleap / INSPIRING INDIVIDUALS
FAMILY TIES: (left to right) Pete Adams, Check out myleapmagazine.ca

Cassie Adams, Bob Adams, Alex Adams, for a photo gallery.
Kate Gallagher and Barb Adams.
Three Generations of Giving

PHOTO BY 3TEN PHOTOGRAPHY
In the Adams family, giving is a way of life that began for Alex and Cassie in 2002 with the cards and they’ve raised about $3,000
when they were seven and five. That was the year the girls lost their mom, Elise from sales. Bob’s father, Pete, is chair of the Cross
Adams, to breast cancer when she was just 39 years old. Cancer Institute Golf Classic committee. This year,
Soon, the little girls set up a lemonade stand. The profits didn’t go into their the tournament at The Derrick Club in Edmonton
piggy banks. Alex and Cassie, now 15 and 13 respectively, donated their earnings to raised more than $830,000.
the Alberta Cancer Foundation for Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute. Combined, these efforts allow the Adams to
The rest of the family got in on the fundraising efforts. The girls’ dad, Bob, is a honour Elise’s memory and to take control over
partner in seven Boston Pizza franchises in the city and he sits on the committee the disease that took someone very dear away
for the annual Boston Pizza Charity Classic, which benefits the Cross Cancer from them. “We feel that this disease has to be
Institute, through the Alberta Cancer Foundation. He has since remarried and the stopped somehow,” says Barb. “Also, we have two
girls’ step-mom Kate Gallagher, an event planner, supports him as well. young girls coming up whose mommy had cancer.
Bob’s mother, Barb Adams, put her hobby of watercolour painting to work, creat- We want to make things better for them.”
ing hand-made greeting cards that sell for $4 each. Her granddaughters help out – Emily Senger

Thank You
from the Alberta Cancer Foundation
Thanks to the thousands of walkers and crew who stepped

up to the challenge in the 2010 Shoppers Drug Mart ®
Weekend to End Women’s Cancers . Over $4.3 million was ™
raised in a movement to fund critical work in breast and

gynecologic cancers.
BECOME PART OF THE MOVEMENT IN 2011.

REGISTER TODAY!
OFFICIAL NATIONAL TITLE SPONSOR
endcancer.ca | 877.394.WALK (9255)

* Calgary and Edmonton events combined. The Weekend to End Women’s Cancers is a trademark of Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, used under license; Shoppers Drug Mart is a registered trademark of 911979 Alberta Ltd., used under license.
Report to Donors
2010 Thanks to you, I now

have my life back.
You power
progress.
See how at
albertacancer.ca/report2010
thank you

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THE FIBRE FACTS CHEMO AND HAIR LOSS

HOW WHOLE GRAINS YOUR TREATMENT

Comedian Allison Lane

DITCH YOUR DESK

Join us. Donate today.

ON THE COVER: Comedian and actor Allison Lane.

16 LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF CANCER

DEPARTMENTS 21 A PEACEFUL PRACTICE

47 BOSS, I’VE GOT CANCER

Alber ta’s cancer-free movement fall 2010 3

John Osler, Chair Linda Mickelson, CEO

4 fall 2010 myleapmagazine.ca

ALBERTA CANCER FOUNDATION

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

VENTURE PUBLISHING INC.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Linda E. Carlson, Caitlin Crawshaw, Lynsey

For those facing cancer today, in honour of those

The information in this publication is not meant to be a substitute for professional

Printed in Canada by Transcontinental LGM.

Alber ta’s cancer-free movement

6 fall 2010 myleapmagazine.ca

Alber ta’s cancer-free movement fall 2010 7

Radiation therapy shrinks cancerous tumours. MRIs are the best

8 fall 2010 myleapmagazine.ca

Colorectal Cancer in Canada BY THE NUMBERS

One of the programs we have been offering to

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If the idea of eating a bowl of Bran Buds in the

Alber ta’s cancer-free movement fall 2010 11

YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS

Ask the Expert is

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Calgary Co-op supports the

Being environmentally conscious is an important choice for

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BY TRICIA RADISON / PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN GAUCHER

In a series of videos that are both hilarious

hen Allison Lane found out she had cancer at age

Alber ta’s cancer-free movement fall 2010 17

ALLISON: WARRIOR PRINCESS: Comedian

18 fall 2010 myleapmagazine.ca

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Joining the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer was Allison’s

20 fall 2010 myleapmagazine.ca

Yoga practice is a valuable coping mechanism

T wo years ago, there wasn’t a part of Gail McCombie that

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Yoga Thrive “Therapeutic Yoga for Cancer

At home A four-disk instructional DVD of the

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24 fall 2010 myleapmagazine.ca

Some stress is entirely

W hen Dr. Kathy Hegadoren was diagnosed with

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When she started her ﬁrst round of cancer

You can’t see it, but people respond diﬀerently to stress

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The five vital signs are temperature, pulse, blood pressure,