OUR NEXT MEETING IS AT 7:00 P.M., TUESDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2004
Mystified by what your PSA means and how it is measured? We are pleased to announce our next session on "PSA Methodology" by Mike Scime, Director of Chemistry, Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories, Brampton.
Mike Scime's talk will cover :"Laboratories in Ontario - How do they differ?", "Clinical Laboratories - What are they?", " Legislation - What / Who is an MLT?", "PSA : How is this test done?", "What can I expect from the lab?", "What does my result mean to my doctor?" and more!
Here's your opportunity to learn more about PSA testing! Forward your questions for Mike to address in the session to Fred Norris, Chairman, (905) 877-8092 or e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.
We will be meeting in Room #2, The Terry Miller Recreation Center, 1295 Williams Parkway at the southwest corner of Williams Parkway & Bramalea Road, adjacent to the North Peel Secondary School Complex. Parking is free.

JANUARY 13, 2004 "OPEN FORUM" WITH DR. M. IBRAHIM
72 members wives and guests attended this session, an excellent turnout given the extremely cold weather. After the Chairman's remarks, Dr. Ibrahim set the stage for questions with an informative slide show and talk, "Overview of Prostate Cancer", addressing the statistics, the clinical stages & how they are determined, the various tests available both now and in the future, and comparing the treatment options available today.
Additional slides, "Summary of Nutritional Findings", were presented specifically to cover questions provided before the meeting by various members. Most of these questions pertained to nutrition and supplements such as Selenium, Vitamin E etc. The slides detail the current recommendations, pros & cons, myths & realities with respect to these matters while citing various studies. Dr. Ibrahim then addressed further questions from the floor.
It was an informative session for both old and new members, many of whom expressed strong interest in obtaining the information contained in the 'Nutritional' slides. We are pleased to announce that these slides have been made available. Both the slides and audio recordings of Dr. Ibrahim's session can be downloaded from our web site, http://www.ustoo-brampton.com

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
The New Year got off to a good start on January 13. Dr. Ibrahim’s presentation to a group of over seventy was excellent and the many questions well fielded. He in turn was suitably impressed with our group, both for our desire to help newly diagnosed families, and our quest to obtain information about the latest progress in treatments for this disease.
A forthcoming general assembly of CPCN chapters is planned to take place in Calgary on August 8, 9 and 10. Interested parties should contact me so that provisional arrangements can be made. All costs would be borne by each individual attendee.
Your continued support at our meetings speaks volumes and is much appreciated by the Steering Committee. Members who wish to volunteer in any capacity should contact Fred Norris, Chairman, at (905) 877-8092 or e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.
 

THE FLORIDA REPORT
Before we left for the sunny south in December, we ran into Jack Dainton and his wife Marge in the Bramalea City Centre. They were commenting that they felt really good about the December meeting, about the warmth and companionship with our members.
I echo that feeling: our meetings sure have a club atmosphere. This doesn't just happen. Fred and the Steering Committee are committed to doing their jobs in a manner that creates this feeling. There are about thirty members dedicated to helping members from our first contact at a New Member Meeting, through to treatment and afterward if needed.
If you have never been to a monthly meeting, you owe it to yourself to attend. Some of us also meet at the Brampton Flying Club for breakfast the odd Saturday or Sunday. We meet not just to discuss prostate cancer, but to discuss whatever the hot topics happen to be that day and because this awful disease has brought us together and we have become friends as a pleasant side effect.
Raining here today. (Pity. - The Editor.)
Don Grant - Member Relations

INITIAL "LADIES ONLY" MEETING
On Jan. 20th., Nisha Deshpande and Erika Dick met to discuss a Ladies Only meeting for wives and partners of prostate cancer patients. Why should we have a ladies group?
When a husband, father, or significant other has prostate cancer, the whole family is affected. Often this is the first time that the husband or father has had a serious illness. Even after successful treatment there is a long period of adjustment to the treatment of prostate cancer. The impact is felt not just by the patient but also by the wife, who may be at a loss as to how to give the best support to her husband. She also has to worry about the impact on the children. Often she neglects her own needs in trying to be all things to the other people in her life. This can be detrimental to her and to the very people that she is trying to support.
Ladies Only would focus on the needs of the special women in the prostate cancer patient's life. Here is a chance to share experiences, to encourage others, to have special speakers, and to ask those sensitive questions that you feel you can't ask in a large mixed group. This group can address such big issues as sexuality, depression, and fear of death with the help of professionals. Equally important are the everyday issues of diet, exercise, and changes in life style.
Ladies Only could also help in the fundraising activities and perhaps in raising awareness at Queen's Park of the needs of Prostate Cancer patients. One issue that immediately comes to mind is financial support for medication such as Viagra or other special needs.
Us Too! provides a marvelous support group, especially for the men. The initial support meetings for New Members, the follow up, and the excellent monthly speakers are a tremendous help to members. Ladies Only, a group designed to assist the wives of new members, would be a natural addition to these many excellent services.
Meetings will be held monthly at 7:00 p.m. on the Tuesday following the Us Too! Monthly Meeting. Initially, meetings will be at the home of Nisha and George Deshpande at 14 Brookland Dr., Bramalea. Please call Nisha at (905) 793-7561 or Erika at (905) 846-2586, or e-mail Erika at erika@readinggames.com. to let us know if you can attend. We welcome your ideas.
 

2003-2004 GUEST SPEAKERS
Speakers have now been confirmed for all of the remaining meetings of the 2003 - 2004 season:
Tuesday, March 9th, 2004 - Tanya Giaquinto, has become a perennial favourite of our group and will once again update us on the topic of "Nutrition" at this meeting. (Precise topic to be confirmed)
Tuesday, April 13th, 2004 - Alex Isbister will return to discuss Cancer and Its Sexual Implications.(Precise topic to be confirmed)
Tuesday, May 11th, 2004 - Arlene Dalton, who gave us an excellent yoga demonstration last year, has also agreed to an encore and will discuss "Stress Management" at our meeting.
Tuesday, June 8th, 2004 - Season's closing Pot Luck & Social Event. We expect live entertainment on this evening with guitars and vocals from local professional talents Bruce & Josh.
The Speaker Committee welcomes suggestions for future speakers. Don Grant, Speaker Committee, (905) 793-7376 e-mail dongrantmon@sympatico.ca

NEW MEMBER MEETINGS
New Member meetings under the direction of Paul Middleton, our New Member Coordinator, are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at Suite 304, 57 Mill Street.
The next scheduled meeting will be held between 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24. Please be sure to phone ahead to confirm your attendance and receive complete directions to the meeting. Please contact: Sean Butterly, Special Consultant at (905) 454-4237 or Chairman, Fred Norris, at (905) 877-8092 e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.

FREE P.S.A. CLINIC
The free P.S.A. Clinics are conducted at the Wm. Osler Health Centre from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. every Thursday & Friday. Please note that patients will be admitted only until 3:30 p.m. to ensure that all patients can be processed by 4:00 p.m.
While bookings are not necessary, it is best to phone ahead: (905) 796-4066 extension 24010.
Patients must present a requisition from their referring physician with diagnosis included. These clinics are exclusively for cancer patients or for individuals who are suspected of having prostate cancer.
Don Grant, Member Relations, (905) 793-7376 e-mail dongrantmon@sympatico.ca

FINANCE
Now that 2003 is history, we can reflect on the year's accomplishments and failures. Despite SARS’s efforts to crush our support group, we have not only endured, but have grown stronger and more mature. This is evidenced by the increased interest afforded us by our local urologists, Princess Margaret Hospital, local interests such as the library, and political attention from the Ontario Minister of Health and our local Mayor.
We have seen the successful transition from the Osler Auditorium to Terry Miller and the regeneration of interest by the general membership as evidenced by the great turn outs at our meetings, even in severe weather. Your committee believes this is due in large part to the wonderful efforts of your phone committee, to which we all owe much gratitude. Beyond that, a great deal of time and effort is routinely spent by our Multimedia Specialist, Mukul Luthra, and our Communications Director, Jim Dorsey, to make our presentations at the general meetings, in the monthly news letter, and on the web site, the best in the business. The web site is viewed all over the world, with many of our speaker's audio presentations being made available for download, almost as soon as they are delivered. Us Too! Brampton can be justifiably proud of these efforts by our members this past year, enhanced from previous quality beginnings.
Financially, this has not been easy. We are still very dependent on our membership subscriptions which we have received from only 103 of our 160+ members this term. The $2 donation per car at the door has helped cover the cost of renting the Terry Miller hall. Coffee at break will remain free for the foreseeable future. Although our costs rise almost monthly, we have not raised the annual subscription since our first meeting in 1994. So if you have not done so, please send your cheque, payable to US TOO!, to Gerry Brunjes, 8 Duke Road, Bramalea. L6T 3K1. A receipt will be returned, if requested.
To those who have donated privately; to the Golf tournament; to the theatre night; and all who have donated their time and effort in these and other endeavors to help US TOO! financially,...Thank You.
- Gerry Brunjes, Treasurer, (905) 791-3043, e-mail brunjes@idirect.com.

AWARENESS
Our January 15th Awareness presentation at Queen Street Legion Hall was warmly received by 65 members of CAW Local 1967 retirees. If success is measured by the amount of literature distributed then it went very well indeed. The audience listened very attentively and asked a number of questions including two or three men who waited until after the presentation.
I shall establish contact again with the Shriners as they have a new President for the Brampton Club. More on that in due course.
We have decided not to participate in the March Home & Garden Show as none of the other GTA support groups are interested.
Despite the recent weather in the Toronto area, I understand that cryotherapy is not yet the treatment of choice for PCa...!
Ian Smith, Awareness Coordinator, (905) 454-3880, NEW e-mail iclacewood@sympatico.ca

OUR WEB SITE CONTINUES TO EVOLVE - www.ustoo-brampton.com
Check the web site frequently for new items of interest. Remember that you can download MP3 audio presentations by Dr. M. Ibrahim ("Overview of Prostate Cancer" - January 13, 2004 ), Dr. Robert Bristow ('It's All in Your Genes' - December 11, 2003), Dr. Richard Casey ('Clinical Trials in Prostate Cancer' - October 14, 2003 ), Dr. Stanley Flax ('Brachytherapy or Radical?' - September 9, 2003 ), Tanya Giaquinto ('Nutrition' - March 11, 2003) and Alex Isbister ('Cancer and Emotion' - February 11, 2003).
Contact Mukul Luthra, Multimedia, (905) 873-8367, e-mail wftech@stn.net.

LAST CHANCE FOR FREE COMPUTER TRAINING - DON'T MISS OUT!!
Joan Basiuk of the "I3MPACT" Study being conducted at Princess Margaret Hospital is bending over backwards to accommodate any of our members who are interested in taking part in the study.
Existing prostate cancer patients and their partners & friends can learn from computer experts by attending any or all of a series of three hands-on computer courses. Your feedback will then help these experts to perfect the courses.
After taking these courses, you will know how to use a Personal Computer to access the Internet to research issues that concern you (not just Prostate Cancer!), and the researchers will have your opinions on this important effort to teach newly diagnosed patients and their relatives to live with Prostate Cancer and its aftermath.
Courses are held from 5:45 PM to 9:30 PM at Princess Margaret Hospital, with the next series scheduled for:
· February 10 - Introduction to Computers and Windows
· February 17 - Introduction to the Internet
· February 24 - Advanced Internet Searching for Prostate Cancer Patients
When I informed Joan that the first date conflicted with our February Monthly Meeting, she replied, "We could also look into the possibility of offering the courses on Fridays during daytime hours, if enough people were interested. The maximum number of students per class is 7. There are seven computers available, so each student will get hands-on experience."
Several members and wives have expressed an interest in taking part in the study, especially if a daytime class and car pooling could be arranged. I have been unable to coordinate attendance and as I am now entering into a very busy period at work, involving a lot of studying and U.S. travel, I cannot pursue this matter.
This is a great opportunity for you to learn about a complex but fascinating topic at no cost. We hate to see anybody miss out. If you are interested in coordinating this worthwhile effort, please contact Jim Dorsey at (905) 453-3038 or e-mail jdorsey@sympatico.ca. I will provide you with all the information that I have at hand.
If you feel that the scheduled evening classes might work for you, please call Joan Basiuk, Clinical Research Coordinator, at 416-946-4501 ext. 2282. She is very efficient and accommodating!
(This study is supported by a grant from the Change Foundation.)

AND NOW SOMETHING COMPLETELY POLITICALLY INCORRECT
An Us Too! member recently had an appointment to see his urologist, who shared an office with several other specialists. As always, the waiting room was jammed with patients, mostly female, as it happened. Instead of the usual friendly receptionist, he came face-to-face with a large surly woman who greatly resembled a sumo wrestler - but with more facial hair.
When he gave his name, the receptionist responded in a very loud voice, "YES, I HAVE YOUR NAME RIGHT HERE. YOU WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR ABOUT IMPOTENCE, RIGHT?" All the other patients in the waiting room immediately became intensely interested in the now extremely embarrassed man.
But he recovered quickly, and in an equally loud voice replied, "NO, I'VE COME TO INQUIRE ABOUT A SEX CHANGE OPERATION. BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I DON'T SEE THE SAME DOCTOR THAT DID YOURS!"