OUR YEAREND CHRISTMAS POTLUCK AND SOCIAL IS AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2005
Just kick back, relax, chat, have a buffet meal and make it a fun evening! [Hopefully we'll have some live entertainment !] Don't forget to bring along your favorite recipe!
Please send your suggestions for meeting topics to Fred Norris, Chairman, 905-877-8092 or e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com .
We look forward to seeing you in Room #2, The Terry Miller Recreation Center, 1295 Williams Parkway at the southwest corner of Williams Parkway & Bramalea Road. Parking is free.
 

NOVEMBER 8, 2005 ""The Importance of Clinical Trials & Image Guidance in Radiation Therapy" by DR. ANDREW BAYLEY
More than 50 members, spouses and guests were treated to a high-tech presentation with color graphics and moving images which held their attention. Dr. Bayley, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto and a Staff Radiation Oncologist, Princess Margaret Hospital - University Health Network, shared some of the latest techniques and advances in the field of Image Guidance Radiation Therapy.
In the first part of his talk Dr. Bayley covered many aspects of Clinical Trials and why they are so important in the search for new knowledge. He discussed the various types of trials and what was studied, their different phases, the benefits, risks and ethical responsibilities of the investigators and how these were regulated by Health Canada. He covered the informed consent process, the eligibility criteria and the various bodies involved in the decision making process. He then went on to present some of the important trials of the past and to describe how these have helped to improve Radiation Treatment of Prostate cancer, substantiating the results with statistical data. He talked about some of the leading edge trials coming soon across Canada and important clinical trials at the PMH. He concluded this section with slides on the 'bench top' laboratory, DNA Micro Arrays and how this research could lead to individualized patient treatments at PMH -UHN.
The second part of Dr. Bayley's presentation covered the development and advances that have occurred over the last 10 -12 years and how they have significantly improved the outcome of Radiation therapy for Prostate cancer treatment. Using embedded videos in the presentation, he reviewed some of the 'new toys' in image guided radiation and their impact before and during the treatment. Key areas presented included gold seed markers, CT scanning and MRI, the use of individualized field shapes and arrangements, IMRT and Cone Beam CT and in future the new MRI simulator and the new PET scan which could monitor the activity of the cancer and its response to radiation. In closing, Dr. Bayley acknowledged the staff and his colleagues in Radiation Oncology, in Radiation Therapy and Radiation Physics.[Many of the colleagues he acknowledged have in fact presented at our meetings or will be presenting in the future].
After his talk Dr Bayley attended to queries from several members, many with their spouses, as they met up with him during the coffee break to have their questions answered. This trend continued for the rest of the evening so this event's Question & Answer session turned into several one-on-one sessions.
Dr Bayley stayed well past our closing time, providing more focused personal [and group] discussions offering members advice on their specific situations.
We are pleased to offer both the Audio recording as well as a secure Acrobat (.pdf) [printer friendly] file of the presentation slides on our web site: http://www.ustoo-brampton.com . Audio CDs will also be available from the Brampton Library soon.

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
All organizations large or small have financial commitments and thus must charge a fee to cover expenses. We have pointed out many times that our expenses continue to rise; sending the newsletter now costs more than $1.00 per copy. Yet we keep the annual subscription to a minimal cost. Why? Because we feel that fund raising events like the Theatre Night will compensate and allow us to function with very little cost to you. However, the Theatre Night on November 4 was a dismal failure. The poor attendance did little to bolster our finances and it was an insult to the good people at Bramalea Live Theatre. I must exclude the few people who put themselves out to aid our cause. One member in particular sold 27 tickets, but where were the rest of you??? Will we be offered the an opportunity to redeem ourselves with another Theatre Night in the future? Only time will tell.
To finish on a brighter note: let's make our December pot luck a great evening as it always is. As always, there will be a draw for door prizes. Anyone wishing to donate prizes will be most welcome. So far we have an afghan and two gift certificates of $25 each, all donated by Jack Dainton, his wife Marg and their daughter, Debra, who knitted the afghan. May you all continue to have good health in 2006!
Fred Norris, Chairman, 905-877-8092 or e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com .

 

2005-2006 GUEST SPEAKERS & EVENTS
Tuesday January 10, 2006 - Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz will speak on the topic "Surviving Prostate Cancer 10 Years and Beyond".
Tuesday February 14, 2006 - Irene Lange-Mechlen will be our guest speaker; her subject will be announced later.
Tuesday March 14, 2006 - Tanya Giaquinto will update us with the latest news on "Nutrition" [Subject to final confirmation]
Future Speakers - We have an exciting line up of speakers and events coming up for 2006. Please watch for announcements. Your suggestions are always welcome!
Mukul Luthra, Speaker Committee, 519-853-4075, e-mail mukul.luthra@ustoo-brampton.com .

NEW MEMBER MEETINGS NOW ONE-ON-ONE INITIAL COUNSELING
Anybody newly diagnosed with PCa and their partners, if possible, can arrange to meet privately with Bob Vandrish or a member of his committee at a convenient time and location.
Contact: Bob Vandrish, New Member Coordinator at 905-791-5595, Sean Butterly, Special Consultant at 905-454-4237 or Fred Norris, Chairman, at 905-877-8092 e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com .

FINANCE
These days, I am almost afraid to turn to the news on TV, or read the newspaper. I doubt that I need to elaborate on why I feel this way, because nearly everyone I talk to says the same thing. Bad news. Fires, Earthquakes, Floods, Political Squabbles, Murders and Accidents. You name it. It is almost impossible to find good news.
But wait a moment...don't turn on the TV or read the newspaper, and what do we have...ever heard the cliché "NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS"?.
Well, isn't that "TURNING A BLIND EYE"?
Hmmm..you're right. I admit it. I do turn a blind eye occasionally (despite the fact that I can see quite well out of both of them), to most of the news. I can't do anything about it anyway. OR CAN I?
In our personal local spheres of activity, most of us believe that we have little control. You might pray to your maker, or wish through your wishing star, but in either case, God or the Fairy Godmother always works through us... so, it seems that we do have the power to do good things, and make good news, if we work at it.
So we know that complacency and apathy accomplish zip - zilch.
Concern combined with ZEAL can work miracles. To prove the point...
Churchill said "GIVE US THE TOOLS", in their apparently hopeless situation in 1940, and BY GEORGE, ( I mean Winston) he was right. They preserved freedom and democracy for us. So...
Give us the TOOLS, and by this I mean send in your YEARLY $10. subscription request, if you have not done so already. It might help work a miracle for someone.
At our pot luck supper on December 13th, think about and subscribe to the prizes by bringing something for the raffle. We have a few nice prizes already, courtesy of Jack Dainton, his wife Marg and Daughter, Debra, same as last year. Peter Barhydt has obtained gift certificates from our supporters at Kelsey's / Montana's, Sobey's and A&P.
Enough to open the BLIND EYE, eh! Well, The More the Merrier. HO, HO, HO... A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
If you ever need help, just give one of us a call. Now, isn't that GOOD NEWS?
Sincerely, Gerry Brunjes, Finance, 905-791-3043, e-mail gerry.brunjes@ustoo-brampton.com .

AWARENESS
Recently, Us Too! Brampton has taken part in several awareness events organized to make employees aware of various health issues and where to seek help or information when dealing with one of them.
1) An awareness clinic arranged by Susan Robertson and her committee, Wellness at Work Medical Group, took place on Friday, October 28 at the Pratt & Whitney plant in Mississauga. Fred Norris was ably supported by Ian Smith and Sean Butterly. After setting up a table in a prominent position in the auditorium, the team spent four hours talking with some 200 employees who were on their lunch breaks.
2) A clinic supported by The Credit Valley Hospital & Peel Heart Health Network took place on Wednesday, November 9 at Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto, located in Mississauga. There were some fifteen participants at this clinic, which also featured several interesting speakers. There were around 110 visitors, many of whom were young females. In general, visitors to our booth only spoke to us when spoken to; they did not specifically ask for information unless we approached them. The few older male visitors were reluctant to discuss Prostate Cancer.
3) Procter & Gamble held their Health Fair on Wednesday, November 16 with twenty five organizations participating. Around 200 P&G employees passed through the auditorium, mostly during their lunch break. As at the previous event, the majority of visitors were also young and female. Again almost without exception, visitors rarely inquired about information directly; they only spoke when spoken to. Some took brochures for their spouses; others said that their husbands were already informed about PCa.
4) Another successful Health Fair was held at the Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga, on Thursday, December 1. This fair was also organized by Susan Robertson, Wellness at Work Medical Group. Sean Butterly and Ian Smith attended this fair on behalf of Us Too! Brampton. Compared with the other events, this event was very well-attended. Women accounted perhaps as much as ninety eight percent of visitors, being nursing or laboratory staff. Fewer than one dozen men appeared during the 3-hour duration of the fair. Again it was the women who were keen to pickup information for their spouses or other male relatives.

Our experiences at these events have only served to convince us that there remains a serious lack of knowledge of Prostate Cancer on the part of the general public and that there is a vital need for further awareness events of this nature. Our compliments to Susan Robertson and her committee, Wellness at Work Medical Group, also to The Credit Valley Hospital and the Peel Heart Health Network for their outstanding and tireless efforts to address this issue.
Members who would like to volunteer to assist in our community awareness efforts should contact: Ian Smith, Awareness Coordinator, 905-454-3880, or e-mail ian.smith@ustoo-brampton.com .

PROPOSAL FOR A BOWLING EVENT FUND RAISER
The Steering Committee has received a proposal to organize a "bowling" fund-raising event, possibly in January or February.
Would the group membership please indicate if they would support such an event:
a) Their preference for either 10-pin at Brunswick Lanes (Chrysler Drive) or 5-pin at an alternate location. This could be at Avondale plaza or the bowling centre near Queen and Kennedy.
b) To make the best of this opportunity, we need to enrol family members and friends of our own group members to form as many teams of six players as possible. Let's see if we cannot have exclusive use of a bowling centre for a couple of hours!
As with the annual Golf Tournament, we may expect that support may mostly come from outside our group. How many of our members would themselves feel comfortable with 10-pin bowling? This is why we want to involve family members and other friends or acquaintances.
This will be an excellent opportunity to get out and have some fun even though it'll be winter; to raise both funds and Awareness at the same time. Please come prepared to state your preference and comments at the meeting 13th December."

And from your editor, please have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God bless us every one.