OUR NEXT MONTHLY MEETING IS AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2005
We are pleased to announce our next talk : "Hormone Therapy and Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer" featuring Dr. Ian Tannock, Daniel E Bergsagel Professor of Medical Oncology at the Princess Margaret Hospital and the University of Toronto.
Dr. Tannock's laboratory-based research is in physiological causes of resistance to chemotherapy in solid tumors and methods of overcoming them. He has led several large clinical trials for patients with prostate cancer and breast cancer and is the recipient of several prestigious awards in his field of work.
At this upcoming event Dr. Tannock will focus on Hormone and Chemotherapy treatments and how their side effects may impact individuals differently.
Come and spend an informative and educational evening listening to Dr. Tannock in person - it is an invaluable opportunity!
There will be time allowed for questions from the members. If you have any detailed questions to be submitted to Dr. Tannock before the meeting, please send them to the attention of 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.
 

FEBRUARY 8, 2005 "WHAT DR. DAVID EVANS DOES FOR US NOW"
Around 60 members and spouses attended this event and paid rapt attention to the group's all-time favorite ally, supporter and well-wisher Dr. David Evans talk about his new role in a fascinating talk entitled: “What Does a Coroner Do Anyway?”
The presentation described the history of the coroner system, the different death investigation systems, why death investigations are done, the Coroner's role, The Coroners Act, the powers of a Coroner in Ontario and the benefits that follow death investigations. Dr. Evans went on to explain what an inquest includes, what it accomplishes, how it is conducted and what is actually done. His excellent Power Point presentation included many images and graphics that Dr. Evans used to describe several interesting real-life case studies.
As most of you already know, Dr. Evans was one of the earliest champions of our cause and many of our members know him well from his tenure at the Brampton Hospital when they were under his care. When he retired in 2001, we thought that we had lost a friend and ally. However, despite his new role Dr. Evans has continued to follow our chapter's development and activities over the years. Many of our members were eager to learn about his present role and not only enjoyed his talk but took the opportunity to renew their acquaintance with him.
It was certainly an evening with a different twist and a departure from our traditional meetings! We are grateful to Dr. Evans for spending the evening with us and we wish him well in his new role.

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR REGARDING FREE P.S.A. TESTING
Once again we have had an unfortunate incident at Brampton Campus with regard to P.S.A testing. After discussions with the Ministry of Health we have established that the following procedures will be followed. The Ministry has reiterated its P.S.A. collection and testing policy with the staff at all three sites- Brampton, Etobicoke, and Georgetown.
They have once again directed staff to accept P.S.A. test requests from all physicians licensed to practice in Ontario, regardless of whether or not the physician has admitting privileges for their particular hospital.
Please note that men who have cancer or have been treated for cancer, or who are being investigated for symptoms which indicate an increased suspicion of prostate cancer, can utilize any of these three sites.
But do call ahead for an appointment to have your blood collected. The telephone numbers and hours of the P.S.A. clinics for each site are listed below.
Brampton: Out Patients Clinic - 2nd floor (905) 451-1710 extension 24010 Thursday and Friday 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Etobicoke: Out Patients Dept. - 6th level (416) 747-3400 extension 32515 Tuesday and Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Georgetown: Laboratory (905) 873-0111 extension 47235 Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Fred Norris, Chairman, (905) 877-8092 e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.
 

2004-2005 GUEST SPEAKERS & EVENTS
Our confirmed speakers and events for the remainder of the 2004 - 2005 season are:
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - Mark Dailey of City TV will present a talk on Brachytherapy (subject to final confirmation).
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - Dr. Gabor Madarasz, D.C. of Life Chiropractic Centre will speak on maintaining a healthy life style with focus on the nervous system (precise title to be announced).
Friday, June 24, 2005 - The 2005 Relay for Life event will be at The Brampton Fairgrounds on Heart Lake Road. The event will start Friday evening and run overnight to Saturday morning.
We are actively seeking interesting speakers to fill the balance of our 2004 - 2005 season!
Mukul Luthra, Speaker Committee, (519) 853-4075, e-mail mukul.luthra@ustoo-brampton.com

NEW MEMBER MEETINGS
New Member meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month throughout the year. The next scheduled meeting will be held between 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22.
Please be sure to phone ahead to confirm meeting time and location. Contact: Sean Butterly, Special Consultant at (905) 454-4237 or Chairman, Fred Norris, at (905) 877-8092 e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.

FINANCE
How often have you heard the words "No news is good news"? I would venture to that say in our case "No news is bad news".
First though, I must predicate what is on my mind with informing you that no one in our organization draws a salary or gets paid for any of the time and effort that he or she puts forth. In other words, we are all strictly volunteers, which means that it is costly for some individuals to do what they do on your behalf.
So, Us Too! is a labour of love - so to speak - performed by a number of individuals who are doing what they do because they are grateful for being spared the total misery of the hardships that occur when life is ended by cancer. And we want to do whatever we can to spare others from that fate.
Some of us who come in contact with new members, occasionally see what is obviously a terminal case. Then of course you really get the message that not enough is done to hammer home awareness of this hideous disease.
By awareness I stress the point that a yearly prostate exam is essential for the 50-plus age group. We know with certainty that early diagnosis is essential for successful treatment. I cannot stress enough the agonies suffered by a loving wife while she watches her husband dying slowly in awful pain over months or possibly years. I saw a case yesterday. Don't ask.
So. What is this "No news is bad news"?
The total active membership of US TOO! Brampton is 172. The bad news is that somewhat less than two thirds of the membership have actually submitted their nominal annual subscription fee of $10.
So to the sixty members who have neglected this tiny request I say, you are the NO NEWS -- which is BAD NEWS.
Let's get on the ball (or stick, if you prefer). Do your thing. If you personally cannot get into the effort of spreading awareness, then at least give those who can a break. Let's hear from you now.
We are doing our best to raise enough money to hold two FREE PSA clinics this year, and to voluntarily subscribe our time and efforts to talk to groups in industry etc. In fact, we are doing what your government should be doing, instead of turning a deaf ear in the direction of PCa, which is as disastrous as Breast cancer, or as I said last month, a Tsunami.
So please ... do your bit. Every little smidgen helps..
Send your subscription and donations to:Us Too! c/o Gerry Brunjes, 8 Duke Road, Bramalea. L6T 3K1.
Thank you.
Sincerely, Gerry Brunjes, Finance, (905) 791-3043, e-mail gerry.brunjes@ustoo-brampton.com.

 

US TOO! BRAMPTON 5th ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT, JUNE xx, 2005
Peter Barhydt, our Golf Convener for the 2005 Tournament, held the first Golf Committee meeting on November 4. So far there is nothing to report, but stay tuned for developments. As always, your suggestions and participation are welcome.
Contact: Peter Barhydt: (905) 459-8516, peter.barhydt@ustoo-brampton.com OR Fred Norris: (905) 877-8092, fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.

 

AWARENESS
As you will already know, plans for "No charge" PSA clinics are pending results of our fundraising efforts. We continue to work through and research various fundraising ideas. Indeed, this research is in some ways much like preparing Chinese food - a whole lot of preparation before firm results are seen. For instance, we must identify possible target donors; determine their funding guidelines and decide how best to prepare our submissions. We are hopeful that we can conclude some short-term financial commitments but we anticipate that for many potential donors, contributions may take several months to materialize.
We will submit periodic status reports to keep you informed of developments.
Ian Smith, Awareness Coordinator, (905) 454-3880, or e-mail ian.smith@ustoo-brampton.com.

APPEAL TO MEMBER X - STORAGE CABINET
Through the tireless efforts of your Steering Committee, we have once again received permission to place a storage cabinet in the meeting room at the Terry Miller Recreation Center. This will save a lot of wear and tear on Mukul Luthra as he will not have transport all of our audio-video equipment back forth to each meeeting.
Last year, we were initially granted approval which was subsequently withdrawn. In the meantime, one of you offered to give Us Too! a suitable cabinet, but we can't remember who you are!
So, Member X, if you still have the cabinet and are still willing to donate it to us, please contact Fred Norris at (905) 877-8092 or Gerry Brunjes at (905) 791-3043, to arrange for pickup.
 

RELAY FOR LIFE - 2005
2005 marks The Brampton/Caledon/Georgetown/Dufferin County Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society's sixth annual Relay For Life, a 12-hour, noncompetitive relay that celebrates cancer survivors and pays tribute to the lives and courage of loved ones. Once again, Us Too! Brampton is hoping to enter a team of ten to twelve walkers in this 2005 edition of Relay For Life. My thanks to Tilly Netherton ;-), Denis Paris, Kenneth Clarke, Frank Connolly, Mukul Luthra, Ian Smith, Mike Loughnan and Reg Ballam, who walked with me last year. Hopefully they will all make it this year as well, but we still need a few additional walkers in order to make an even greater showing this year.
The Relay will again be held at the Brampton Fairgrounds on Heart Lake Road, starting after dinner on Friday, June 24th and finishing twelve hours later on Saturday morning. Even if you can't spend the night with us, please sign up for the Survivor Reception and / or the "Survivors' Victory Lap" on the Friday evening. This is always a deeply moving event - and an opportunity to celebrate our personal victories.
Check the Canadian Cancer Society's web site at http://www.cancer.ca But note that as Survivors, we do not pay a registration fee, so do not attempt to join the team on line. Instead, call the Team Captain: Jim Dorsey at (905) 453-3038 or e-mail jim.dorsey@ustoo-brampton.com or see me at a monthly meeting.

CHECK OUT OUR WEB SITE - www.ustoo-brampton.com
As always, Mukul Luthra, our Multimedia Specialist, has spent many, many hours updating the web site with articles, photos, video clips and other features. We owe him much thanks for his tireless efforts!
Contact Mukul Luthra, (519) 853-4075, e-mail mukul.luthra@ustoo-brampton.com.