Introducing By Your Side
May 20, 2015
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By Your Side is a resource to support and inform women through their journeys with ovarian cancer. Uniquely, it’s from the community and for the community. The guide highlights personal contributions from a panel of seven survivors, combining their firsthand insights with expert knowledge from medical professionals, healthcare providers, and social workers to present the best available information on ovarian cancer.
For the community by the community
By Your Side updates information previously found in You Are Not Alone, an award-winning resource originally published by Ovarian Cancer Canada in 2003. While some revisions were made years later to support a second edition in 2009, it became clear that women were using the guide as a companion to medical appointments and support group meetings.
Diane Johansen, ovarian cancer survivor
“When I was diagnosed and over the course of treatment, I was fortunate to have a friend accompany me to every appointment,” says Diane Johansen, a contributor based in Vancouver. “I’d bring my guide from Ovarian Cancer Canada, it was everything I needed to see me through treatment. On the other hand, my friend would bring a book full of questions for the doctors and notes on what we’d heard. How useful it would be to combine the two books into one.”
With sights set on developing an updated resource that could further support each woman in her unique experience of ovarian cancer, a panel was convened to work in conjunction with Ovarian Cancer Canada. Survivors took active roles in sharing what helped them in their own journeys and put forward their heartfelt wishes for others who have been diagnosed.
Anita Unruh, ovarian cancer survivor, and her husband
Patrick
“When someone receives an ovarian cancer diagnosis, they become quickly aware of the statistics. But you need to know that the hard facts and medical information are about the range of possible outcomes, they aren’t about you,” says Anita Unruh, a contributor from Halifax. “You’re not a statistic, you’re an individual. Your story is the one you are about to make.”
Shared by others on the panel, this sentiment inspired the addition of space for women to document details of their stories within the pages of By Your Side.
Enriched support resources
"By Your Side lets people know that women who have already walked that walk are always with them providing encouragement,” says Diane. “And when they have a question about a particular stage of treatment or side effects, they can find a simple answer within these pages.”
By Your Side features:
- Gems of wisdom and encouragement from survivors who have experienced the ovarian cancer journey
- Updated information from health experts on:
- Ovarian cancer, now that it has been found to be not one but a spectrum of diseases
- Genetics, in particular, the role of BRCA gene mutations
- Side effects, specifically neutropenia (i.e., the abnormally low count of white blood cells that help prevent infections) and lymphedema (i.e., swelling in the arms or legs)
- Sections dedicated to key contacts and personal notes
- New content on healthy eating and exercise
- A treatment diary to track appointment dates and any side effects
- An expanded glossary of terms
- A list of suggested reading
By Your Side is Ovarian Cancer Canada’s most recent offering to women who have been newly diagnosed with the disease. This guide is proudly offered free of charge across Canada thanks to the generosity of donors nationwide.
Order yours today
If you recently received an ovarian cancer diagnosis, please click here for your complimentary issue of By Your Side. Also, visit the In Your Region page to connect with Ovarian Cancer Canada and to find support close to you.
“We need By Your Side to reach more women sooner,” says Anita. “When I was first diagnosed I was desperately looking for something that would provide a framework for living with the disease. Women need this guide, as quickly as we can get it to them.”
If you know someone who has recently received their first ovarian cancer diagnosis, whether they are newcomers to your support group or treatment centre, let them know that help is here. By Your Side can be ordered online at ovariancanada.org.