Community set for a brave New Year
January 24, 2018
Because of your support, the impact of life changing initiatives was amplified in 2017. Last year, you banded together to call attention to this disease throughout Parliament and locally. In the midst of ensuring your voice was heard, you ushered in a new way for women with ovarian cancer to share information and insights with one another.
Reams of completed petitions – bearing 12,703 signatures in fact – and 2,427 personal letters were sent to government, while numerous meetings and key presentations brought our country’s decision makers face to face with the realities of ovarian cancer. The effects are starting to take hold. As a result of these combined efforts, ovarian cancer research is now third on a list of 92 recommendations for consideration in the 2018 Federal Budget.
Volunteer advocates on Parliament Hill
Donations from across the community continued to enable the Ovarian Cancer Canada Tissue Banking Network to share samples for research studies, including a newsworthy re-examination of ovarian cancer subtypes that could uncover new targets for treatment. Last year, two research awards were jointly funded by Ovarian Cancer Canada and the Cancer Research Society: one looks at how improving blood circulation within a tumour can help with treatment delivery, and the other explores whether a coping mechanism in cancer cells causes chemo-resistance.
Beyond this, women with ovarian cancer from far and wide came together to ask questions and learn from one another. Launched just four months ago, the OVdialogue online community is already more than 200 women strong. One member decided to pursue treatment at the urging of others who had been in her shoes and could speak from experience. Of course, those receiving a new diagnosis or facing recurrence also continue to benefit from insights offered in By Your Side and Still By Your Side. In 2017, these informative guides were sent to another 1,055 women who now know they are not alone.
Sheri Roberts benefited from advice she received on OVdialogue
To kick off 2018, Ovarian Cancer Canada is completing a new strategic plan that prioritizes research to save lives while improving quality of life for women who have been diagnosed and preventing this disease for others at high risk. Details are coming soon.
Your contributions, in every shape and form, make this work possible. To donate, visit ovariancanada.org/donate.