OUR NEXT MONTHLY MEETING IS AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2005
Spring is here and our next presentation is sure to make you feel great! "5 Keys To Healthy Living" by Dr. Gabor Madarasz. Dr. Madarasz has been Clinic Director of the Life Chiropractic Center for the past 23 years and an esteemed member of various chiropractic associations.
His presentation will cover the following topics
1. Positive mental attitude
2. Adequate rest
3. Exercise
4. Proper nutrition
5. Functioning nervous system
Dr. Madarasz has given lectures and presentations within the community and to corporations with a focus on early diagnosis and treatment of postural biomechanics and spinal strain.
He has long had a keen interest in the study of nutrition, which has led to the development of his seminars on proper eating habits and lifestyle strategies.
“I feel blessed to be part of a profession that allows me to be my best!” Dr. Madarasz says.
Now here's an event that's geared to bringing healthy lifestyle benefits to our members. So come along and learn how to stay healthy all year!
Please send any questions for Dr. Madarasz 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.
 

APRIL 12, 2005 MARK DAILEY "BRACHYTHERAPY"
Mark Dailey, the well known Co-anchor of "CityPulse Tonight" and "The voice" of 'Citytv', drew a record crowd! Around 72 members, wives, guests including some new members attended as Mark recalled his journey and eventual decision for Brachytherapy.
Some months ago Mark was diagnosed with Prostate cancer, a fact that he courageously made public over the CityTV channel while hosting a medical talk, by coincidence on Prostate Cancer, and by coincidence, with his very own doctor!
Mark was in full form with his usual good sense of humor as he shared openly his emotions upon the initial diagnosis, his follow up research, his choice of Brachytherapy and his treatment performed around six months ago. The process led him to realize the need for public awareness for this disease. To promote awareness, Mark produced a 5-part Audiovisual series - "Journey To A Cure" - during his treatment, with himself as the subject. This series has been aired over CityTV and members were thrilled to see many excerpts from the series being projected at this event as part of Mark's talk.
Members commended Mark for his awareness efforts and there were many interesting questions from the audience. Members continued to mingle for individual chats with him during the rest of the evening.
Mark appeared briefly at our Dec 2004 pot luck and this was a much anticipated follow up appearance. It was thoroughly enjoyable and educational.
We thank Mark for coming and for his awareness efforts and we hope to see him again!
Link to the 5-part AV series: http://www.pulse24.com/News/Newserials/page.asp Once on the page scroll down to the videos "Journey to A Cure"
Pictures that capture the mood of the event can be seen on our web site http://www.ustoo-brampton.com.

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Details of the 2005 C.P.C.N. Annual Conference are now in hand. The dates are Sunday, August 7th through Tuesday, August 9th; the venue is the Delta Chelsea Hotel, Toronto.
We have reserved hotel 6 rooms for two nights which we will assign on a first come basis to those wishing to attend. This is a golden opportunity for some of you to join me at this conference. There, we can learn from top doctors about the progress being made in fighting this disease, mingle with fellow sufferers from Newfoundland to British Columbia and help shape the future of the Canadian Prostate Cancer Network.
The Brampton Chapter has been a leader in helping people, instituting a sophisticated web site and speaking to various groups about awareness. We now have an opportunity to demonstrate our strength and abilities at this forum. Let's not let it go to waste!
Fred Norris, Chairman, (905) 877-8092 e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.
 

A (REPEATED) MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR REGARDING FREE P.S.A. TESTING
The Ministry of Health recently reiterated its P.S.A. collection and testing policy. They have again directed hospital staff to accept P.S.A. test requests from any physician licensed to practice in Ontario, regardless of whether or not the physician has admitting privileges for their particular hospital.
I.e., men who have cancer or have been treated for cancer, or who are being investigated for symptoms which indicate an increased likelihood of prostate cancer, can utilize any of the three local hospitals - Brampton, Etobicoke or Georgetown.
Do call ahead for an appointment to have your blood collected. The telephone numbers and hours for each site are listed below:
Brampton: Out Patients Clinic, 2nd floor (905) 451-1710 ext. 24010 Thursday and Friday 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Etobicoke: Out Patients Dept., 6th level (416) 747-3400 ext. 32515 Tuesday and Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Georgetown: Laboratory (905) 873-0111 ext. 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, June 14, 2005 – Summer closing Pot Luck and Social, hopefully with some SOFT live music!
Friday, June 24, 2005 - The 2005 Relay for Life will start Friday evening and run overnight to Saturday morning at The Brampton Fairgrounds.
Future Speakers - As always, we are continuously seeking interesting speakers; your suggestions and recommendations for future meetings would be appreciated!
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, May 24.
Please phone ahead to confirm meeting time and location. Contact: Bob Vandrish, New Member Coordinator at (905) 791-5595, Sean Butterly, Special Consultant at (905) 454-4237 or Chairman, Fred Norris, at (905) 877-8092 e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.

FINANCE
Given a choice, which would you prefer...Good Health or a million dollars in the bank?
Without even hazarding a guess, I believe you, like the rest of us, would opt for Good Health. Forgive me if I am wrong, but most of us have had a taste of poor health and prefer otherwise.
The most obvious thing which comes to mind is, "What good is money in the bank, if I am not well enough to enjoy it? Gee, when I was a kid I enjoyed my life, and I didn't have a red cent!"
What did I have that gave me my zest for life at the time ?... Hmmm. Ever give the support of your parents, school teachers, church and personal friends a thought?
Consider this. You have just been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. What goes through your mind when you get this earth shattering information?
(a) Dreams of your future retirement and the good life that you have worked for over the years, just went down the tubes?
(b) Your family will have to struggle along without you?
(c) What have I done to deserve this? or maybe even
(d) Should I commit suicide?
All of these negative thoughts may come to mind, which I venture to say, is only natural.
On January 1st 1970, a friend, mentor and teacher acquaintance of mine blew his brains out leaving a note that stated, "I am not going to die that way," meaning after a slow struggle with PCa. Obviously he was perfectly sane when he made his fateful decision, but how wrong he was. What a terrible thing his family had to deal with, coupled with the fact that insurance policies often do not pay off on suicides.
I suppose now, in retrospect, one of the big problems in 1970 was that Support Groups such as ours did not exist.
I am aware that since the inception of our group, a number of potential suicide intents have been saved. "How does that work?" you might ask. Well, walking into a room where upwards of seventy cancer survivors sit may have a lot to do with it. Being able to speak with those survivors is something you just can't find anywhere else. From personal experience I know that that sight alone, gave me renewed hope in the beginning, and maybe that was your experience as well.
So, having renewed my interest in life, I came to realize how precious it is, and how easily it is lost.
You may not have realized, therefore, how important your meeting attendance is. You may help save a life just by being there.
Now, as our year begins to draw to a close, we cast our thoughts to the future. As grateful survivors, what can we do to help our family, friends, neighbours and future patients who have yet to be diagnosed?
Well, for one thing, as you may know, we are hoping to hold another Free PSA Clinic in the near future. This is an incalculable benefit to the general public as part of our ongoing awareness campaign. You may recall that 10% of those who took advantage of our Clinic last year, were advised to seek further medical tests and advice. Maybe it helped save a few lives...who knows?
But it takes funds and the assistance of many volunteers to hold such a Clinic. We have the blessing and support of our local medical professionals. We can have the laboratory tests and venue we need. So what's missing? In a word FINANCES.
In total, we need $10,000 to be sure that we can fully cover the cost of such a venture.
We have approximately half what we need so far.
If you can do anything to help, like raise some funds through your place of business, or give your committee some good fundraising ideas, or perhaps volunteer your assistance, someone, somewhere, may be grateful that you helped to save his life.
As I said, a million in the bank doesn't cut it, if you don't have good health. It's within your power to help others realize that.
Sincerely, Gerry Brunjes, Finance, (905) 791-3043, e-mail gerry.brunjes@ustoo-brampton.com.
 

US TOO! 5th ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT - MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2005
Peter Barhydt, our Golf Convener, reports that he has booked the Acton Golf Club on Monday, June 27 for the 2005 Golf Tournament. Stay tuned for more information. As always, your suggestions and participation are most welcome.
Contact: Peter Barhydt: (905) 459-8516, peter.barhydt@ustoo-brampton.com OR Fred Norris: (905) 877-8092, fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com.
 

AWARENESS
Last month I received literature from the Canadian Continence Foundation (CCF), including copies of "The Informer" newsletter. Many of the publications put out by CCF are intended primarily for women; however, two recent articles in particular may interest our members: "Catheters and Catheterization" and "Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy".
I have a limited stock of these as well as other literature describing Kiegel exercises, all available to our members. They will be stored in our cabinet at Terry Miller Recreation Centre. We also have one copy of a videotape entitled "Having Choices", which deals with incontinence following treatment for prostate cancer. Produced by Rogers Community TV for CPCN, this is one of a series of videos that are also held at Brampton Public Library. You can visit the Continence Foundation web site at www.continence-fdn.ca for further information about their publications.
Ian Smith, Awareness Coordinator, (905) 454-3880, or e-mail ian.smith@ustoo-brampton.com.
 

6th ANNUAL CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE
It appears that Tilly Netherton, Denis Paris, Kenneth Clarke, Frank Connolly, Mukul Luthra, Ian Smith, Mike Loughnan and Reg Ballam will all walk again this year. Bill Blance, Carol Smith and Sandi Dorsey have all agreed to walk as well, but the more the merrier!
The Relay will 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 then call Jim Dorsey at (905) 453-3038 or e-mail jim.dorsey@ustoo-brampton.com.
 

PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL VIRTUAL TOUR AND PATIENT EDUCATION PROGRAM
Most of us are well aware that Princess Margaret Hospital is one of the best cancer treatment facilities in North America; now we have a chance to help make it even better.
Our members are asked to sign on to http://www.uhn.ca/directories/virtual_tour/index.html and take a "virtual tour" of PMH that includes maps of the hospital building, descriptions of the treatment programs for many types of cancer and links to other extremely useful web sites. After doing so, please complete the brief online Survey.