May 28, 2012 Happy Birthday Sharon: TELUS Family Celebrates Sharon’s Life

May 28, 2012 Happy Birthday Sharon:  TELUS Family Celebrates Sharon’s Life

My March 12^th post sadly communicated the news of the passing of my TELUS colleague, Sharon North.  Sharon succumbed to complications due to Breast Cancer on March 10, 2012 after a two-year-long courageous battle.  Today, May 28^th, is Sharon’s Birthday, Sharon would have been 41 – Sharon left us too soon.

While Sharon is no longer with us, Sharon had the best care possible and was also under the care of Dr. Stephen Chia who is one of few that are at the forefront of Breast Cancer research and treatments.  Dr. Chia serves as Chair of the Breast Tumor Group of BC, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at UBC and serves as Chair of the Treatment of Working Group as part of CBCF’s 2020 Task Force who’s goal is of a future without the fear of Breast Cancer by 2020. This may be an unfamiliar phrase, a “Future Without Breast Cancer by 2020”.  It means that by the year 2020, we will see a future where Breast Cancer is manageable, and is an easily treated disease.  We can get to a point in the not-to-distant future where Breast Cancer will no longer be feared.  Researchers have told the CBCF that we can get there.  With many breakthroughs in recent years and more expected in the coming years my hope is that we can reduce the number of “Sharons” in the future and that we truly can realize a “Future Without Breast Cancer”.

With this hope in mind and wanting to take action against the numbness we all felt as team members from Sharon’s passing, Carissa and her team (the team that Sharon was part of before her diagnosis) were in need of an outlet to commemorate Sharon’s life and battle against Cancer.  As you all are now overtly aware of my energy and passion around Breast Cancer advocacy, I reached out to Carissa and suggested that we co-lead a TELUS Day of Giving event that would be fitting to dedicate to Sharon.

The event was the CBCF Pink Ribbon Tying event that TELUS has sponsored for a number of years and that I serendipitously attended with by sons last year before my diagnosis was confirmed in September 2011.  My plan was to lead one of these events this year and in the coming years in order to channel my experience, energies and passion to anyone attending this event. 

As the emails floated between Carissa and myself, we quickly confirmed that this would be a perfect way to celebrate Sharon’s life, help the healing process for the teams that she was part of at TELUS, and to support the CBCF (Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation) with their important community awareness activities where the pink ribbons would be used.

Carissa connected me with my good friend, Nicole G. so that we had solid support to organize and execute the event. Together we used our talents, connections at TELUS and the CBCF to pull off the event.  Our original attendee target was 60.  However, it quickly became clear that we would need to increase this number.  Overwhelmingly, our final count was 120 registered participants!    I could go on and on about how amazing the day was, but the email thank yous from Nicole G., Patricia Chu (of the CBCF), myself and the pictures below tell the success story.  The event was held on May 27^th at our TELUS Kingsway location (the Brian Canfield Centre) – the day before Sharon’s birthday.

“Hello all,

Thanks once again for your amazing support at the pink ribbon tying event yesterday.

Through everyone’s hard work, we were able to tie 13,380 ribbons for the CBCF! These ribbons are instrumental in supporting the CBCF’s fundraising efforts throughout the year, and help propel us closer to our goal of a future without breast cancer by 2020.

It was wonderful to meet you all and share in your passion and commitment in such an important cause.

Best,

Nicole and Carmela”

“Dear TELUS day of Giving Participants,

Thank you so much for the time and effort that you have given to making the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Pink Ribbons.  With these ribbons we are able to drive fundraising and show support to Survivors of Breast Cancer.

You have donated over 600 volunteer hours to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, creating over 13,000 ribbons and we truly appreciate what every minute given to us means.   We truly treasure and appreciate your time and dedication to supporting the cause.

Thank you again for the support from the TELUS family, we couldn’t do this without you!

Katie Syroid

Manager, Volunteer Resources

Amanda McNally

Community Relations Coordinator

Rebekah Moen (Bull)

Development Manager

Patricia Chu

Fund Development Officer”

“Everyone (to our internal partners and volunteers – many of whom were last minute recruits),

As partners and volunteer support, I want to pass on thanks from Nicole and myself on the success of our Pink Ribbon Tying event that was held yesterday at The Brian Canfield Centre cafeteria (which is a perfect location for this type of event).

We were especially happy with the results as they were a fitting way of celebrating Sharon North and supporting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

This event was supported by an extremely strong and positive partnership between our Team TELUS Cares/Community Investment/TDoG Teams, the TELUS Corporate Communications team (the team Sharon was working with before her leave), the TELUS Procurement team (the team Sharon worked with prior to Corporate Communications), HR Properties (Pat Hovey and her team), our CRE (Corporate Real Estate) team, various volunteers, the CBCF (Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation) team and the approximate 100 participants.

I am always energized when partnerships can be coordinated with enthusiasm, short notice support, fun and excellent results.

Please pass on our gratitude to your teams for helping make this a meaning and fun event for us, Sharon’s family, TELUS and the CBCF.

With many thanks,

Carmela and Nicole”

We were also fortune to have Sharon’s husband, family and friends attend the event.  While we know, though emails from Sharon’s husband and family, that the event in the honor of Sharon touched them deeply, we are also respectful that it is still a difficult time for them.

In Carissa’s opening welcome, she indicated that Sharon also kept a blog of her experience with the “c-monster” and she often asked the question “what is this all supposed to mean?”  While I cannot profess to know all that this is supposed to mean, I do know that the “swoosh” of love, support and hope that was felt in the room at the event will manifest itself into great things through each of us in ways we may not currently understand.  I thank you Sharon for your courage and your life.

From the TELUS family and our families to yours Sharon, Happy Birthday – we miss you and you will always be in our thoughts.

May 17, 2012 Beginning of Round #6…and the gloves are off...

May 17, 2012 Beginning of Round #6…and the gloves are off…

After beating the Chemo demons in round #5, I was off to tackle round #6 by going through a marathon chemo treatment by sitting in the chemo chair for 6 hours (with a few bio breaks to break it up a bit).  I was well prepared with a book to read, having my handy dandy iPad with me so that I could keep myself occupied with the plethora of activities it is capable of and, of course, one of my many crocheting projects.

The routine works like this:

• First 10 min: Review with the nurse how the previous round went and if there are any concerns to be addressed
• Next 5 min: Access my Power Port and ensure all is still working fine (ie testing that blood still flows freely through the catheter so that the infusion is successful)
• About 30 Min: Prep the tubing and my body with some saline solution
• One Hour: Herceptin infusion (Herceptin – the antibody from the gods that will attack the over expressed protein cells that would have been a definite nasty in terms of recurrence and mortality if it has not been invented and approved for regular treatment).  This is the second injection that continues the Search and Destroy mission that was started with the last treatment – This Search and Destroy mission will last for one year or 17 treatments and I am very happy to support this mission for sure!  The next time the time for infusion will be reduced to a ½ hour, but there will still be a ½ hour of observation.
• 30 min: Observation to ensure I have no significant reaction to the Hercepton – I am proud to say that I did not have any reaction last time or this time so the Search and Destroy mission can continue without interference:o)
• 30 min: Premedication in preparation for Paclitaxal treatment – a steroid and strong antihistamine (Benadryl) are infused to prevent potential infusion reactions that seem to be a regular occurrence with Paclitaxal treatments.  I am very happy to have this proactive treatment, but the Benadryl really makes me drowsy and makes my legs become restless.  This time I had a good snooze in the chair.  I think the snooze helped me get through the restlessness this time.  The effects peter out over the evening and are definitely gone by the next day – so very manageable all in all.
• 3 hours: Paclitaxal (TAXOL) infusion:  This is the aches and pain chemo treatment that got me the first 2-7 days with the last treatment.  After being berated by my oncologist a few days before this round began, I have agreed to start the Gabapentin medication before the treatment started this time so that I might minimize the aches and pains that I had the first time and increase my “normal” time.  After the first 7 days, I really did feel very normal, had quite a bit of energy and did not have to live with any of the “other worldliness” and mild nausea that was present from the first four rounds of the previous chemo drugs.  So if I can minimize the aches and pains stage of this chemo drug, I should have a pretty good time of it for the balance of this round and the next two rounds.  Of course I still have my friend Neupogen on my side to ensure my white blood cell count stays at a healthy level to help me fight any nasty bacteria that comes my way as I battle through each of the next rounds of chemo – thanks goodness for Neupogen!

It is now May 18^th, the day after treatment and so far so good.  The real test will probably start tomorrow – day 2.  I am feeling good and ready for whatever comes in the next few days.

Wish me luck and we’ll catch up at the end of this round to see who the winner is (my bets are on Carmela Cancer Babe:o)).

May 17, 2012 Mamma Morano Update – Happy Dance…

May 17, 2012 Mamma Morano Update – Happy Dance…

On May 2^nd 2012, Mom had received her pathology results through her surgeon from her mastectomy operation and the results were really positive. The base results were as follows:

·         The original tumor was definitely small – 1.6 cm

·         There were no other tumors found

·         Of the four lymph nodes that were remove NONE of them had any cancer spread to them

·         Her cancer is Estrogen and Progesterone positive which means she is a candidate for hormone therapy

So based on these “unremarkable” results (I love when things are unremarkable), the surgeon indicated that Mom may not need to have chemo or radiation.  To confirm these assumptions, Mom was referred to an Oncologist for May 17^th, 2012 where the results were reviewed again and the next steps were discussed. 

Although the surgeon was fairly certain about the next steps, I did not want to do the “Happy Dance” or communicate the “Happy Dance” before we knew for sure from the oncologist himself.

So join us in the “Official Happy Dance”… Mom does NOT need to go through chemo treatments or radiation based on the positive pathology report.  This, again, overwhelming proves that EARLY DETECTION is key to minimizing intrusive and expensive treatments and reducing chances of recurrence and mortality – the equation is so easy Early Detection, Early Detection, Early Detection…..

As you can probably guess, I am over the moon about this as the road for her should not be as difficult now that she is healing well from her operation.  Also, this means (for me anyway) that the mastectomy was probably the better choice as it eliminated the need for radiation where the lumpectomy would have still required radiation – I don’t think radiation would have been too pleasant on top of being disfigured.

Mom now only needs to be on what is called  Aramatase Inhibitors. The brand of Aramatese Inhibitor she has been prescribed is Letrozole or Femara and she will need to be on this medication for the next four years.  The follow describes the purpose/usefulness/side effects of Aramatase Inhibitors (per info from the oncologist confirmed on a web site I googled: http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/hormonal/aromatase_inhibitors/):

Aromatase inhibitors stop the production of estrogen in post-menopausal women. Aromatase inhibitors work by blocking the enzyme aromatase, which turns the hormone androgen into small amounts of estrogen in the body. This means that less estrogen is available to stimulate the growth of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer cells.

Aromatase inhibitors can't stop the ovaries from making estrogen, so aromatase inhibitors only work in post-menopausal women.

There are three aromatase inhibitors:

Arimidex (chemical name: anastrozole)

Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane)

**Femara (chemical name: letrozole) – this is the one my Mom has been prescribed

Each is a pill, usually taken once a day. Arimidex and Femara are available as generic medicines.

Benefits of aromatase inhibitors

A number of studies have compared aromatase inhibitors with tamoxifen to see which type of medicine was more effective in treating early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Based on the results, most doctors recommend that after initial treatment (surgery and possibly chemotherapy and radiation therapy):

·         An aromatase inhibitor is the best hormonal therapy to start with. When treating early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, aromatase inhibitors have more benefits and fewer serious side effects than tamoxifen.

·        Switching to an aromatase inhibitor after taking tamoxifen for 2 to 3 years (for a total of 5 years of hormonal therapy) offers more benefits than 5 years of tamoxifen.

·        Taking an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years after taking tamoxifen for 5 years continues to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back, compared to no treatment after tamoxifen.

 

Side effects of aromatase inhibitors

Aromatase inhibitors tend to cause fewer serious side effects than tamoxifen, such as blood clots, stroke, and endometrial cancer. But aromatase inhibitors can cause more heart problems, more bone loss (osteoporosis), and more broken bones than tamoxifen, at least for the first few years of treatment. If you and your doctor are considering an aromatase inhibitor as part of your treatment plan, you may want to ask your doctor about having a bone density test to see if a bone strengthening medicine might be necessary while you're taking the aromatase inhibitor.

The most common side effects of aromatase inhibitors are joint stiffness or joint pain.

Joint pain from taking an aromatase inhibitor can be troubling. But a 2008 British study suggests that women who experienced joint pain while taking hormonal therapy medicine were less likely to have the breast cancer come back (recur). Knowing that this side effect might indicate a reduced risk of the cancer coming back may help some people stick with treatment despite the side effects.

Now Mom just needs to focus on completing the healing process from the surgery.  She is, in fact healing quite well – she does have some pain and does get tired, but this is normal at this stage of the game.  We will shop for her “fake boob” soon so that she is not always “lop-sided”.  This will help her feel somewhat normal and feel better in clothes when she goes out. We can compare “fake boobs” while I still need to have oneJ

Thanks everyone for your support, prayers and good wishes – they have certainly helped in this part of my Mom’s and our family’s journey.

There is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS something to be thankful for!

May 16, 2012 End of Round #5 of 8…and the Winner is…

May 16, 2012 End of Round #5 of 8…and the Winner is…

Carmela, Cancer Babe is again the TOTALLY undisputed winner of round #5!!!

Running score:

Carmela Cancer Babe – 4 Rounds

Chemo demons and its friends – 1 Round

Yet another uneventful, unremarkable and normal round.  I can’t get enough of being boring:o)

With some early and expected joint pains, body aches and lack of sleep (due to the aches and pains) after the first two days and lasting up to about day 7, I moved into some real normal living for the balance of this round of treatment with the new drugs.  Since this was the first round with the new drugs, I was a little nervous about what to expect and the first 7 days were a little disconcerting as you just never know how long some of the side effects will last and to what degree.  The best way to describe the sensation was like growing pains or stronger aches and pains due to a fever.  I did manage some of the pain, etc with some carefully managed Tylenol and a new drug that was prescribed that targets this particular type of nerve pain or neuropathy (Gabapentin).  Now that I know that there is an end to the side effects (although they can get more severe with each upcoming treatment), I feel much more confident going into the next round and will probably take the Gabapentin more proactively to perhaps minimize the discomfort expected during the first week.

I have to say that after I got through the first week, I had some fun, got around town and the spring sun came out that felt like early summer weather.  There is nowhere better to be in the world than BC when the weather is this good! 

Apart from enjoying the sun I was able to attend a great CBCF (Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation) annual Awareness Luncheon where some TV/news personalities and other executives attended – I thank TELUS for the invitation and Rebekah of the CBCF for bringing the event to my attention. I also did some antique shopping, had dinner with Lena for her birthday (Lena and most of my 1964 freinds -- all of us the year of the Dragon) already know that I am pretty much the youngest of this bunch:o)), had a great visit with Gillian in Nanaimo for the day, worked on more projects around the house, went for regular walks, chauffeured the boys to piano/basketball, etc., went to one Yoga class, worked on preparing for our Pink Ribbon Tying event (supporting the CBCF and supported by TELUS – the event is being held at TELUS on Sunday, May 27^th) and enjoyed normal day-to-day activities that I usually take for granted. 

Also, I was fortunate to attend two piano recitals with Graeme that showed off his level 10 capabilities.  I taped his performances using my iPad and I will try to figure out how to attach the performances here or put them on YouTube or Face Book soon.  Graeme received two Gold level marks for both performances – I was definitely a proud mamma listening to the performances (especially the second one where he received a mark of 92 and the piece sounded very lovely and strong). 

Iain started his paper route in the neighborhood in April and is blooming into a young entrepreneur before our eyes – with helpers, deposits into his bank account and pride in the responsibilty:o)

To top this off, I was treated to an awesome Mother’s day where Graeme and Iain prepared a great brunch on their own WITHOUT killing each other and without getting into any major argument (small gifts…), Todd and the boys bought and put together some hanging baskets and planters for me and we had a great dinner that my sister Maria hosted for us and my Mom and Dad (three pastas to choose from – yum). 

As always there is ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS something to be thankful for… like this uneventful round, normal life, being part of my sons’ achievements and wonderful Mother’s Day with my boys and family.

Yet again….

Chemo demons you can kiss my arse … AGAIN!

Onto round #6….