The Survivor Park is in full bloom and is a joy to visit. This was the first opportunity for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation to get into the real estate business and this was an important decision for us. Thanks to the tremendous leadership of Chuck Merovitz and a group of dedicated volunteers, bureaucratic mountains were moved and partnerships were shaped and a fateful decision by the Richard and Annette Bloch Foundation to support the endeavour meant that the Cancer Foundation took on a moving train and had to mobilize quickly to keep up. Here was an opportunity to plan and deliver something tangible that would alter the landscape of Ottawa – for the better in my humble opinion.
The Park is certainly big enough to find a spot for solitary reflection but there is magic in the opportunity to share stories and experiences with others who are or were in the same situation. This to me is the true power of the Survivors Park.
I have visited the Survivors Parks in Dallas and New Orleans and they too are part of the urban fabric. As one can appreciate, the New Orleans Park may have had its share of visitors who have had more than cancer on their minds and the facility itself has struggled along with the rest of the city. I visited it a year after Katrina and New Orleans was still reeling. My visit last year showed a city on the rebound – that Super Bowl win certainly helped with the spirits of the city. The site in Dallas is in the very heart of downtown and the impressive sculptures and impeccable landscaping truly stand out.
One of the challenges that we now face is to make the best use of the energy and power of the Survivors Park. Do you have any ideas?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
New Hope on the Horizon
I can distinctly recall getting a clear sense that something was wrong with me at my doctor’s office on Bank Street. A testicular cancer diagnosis is arguably among the easier ones to identify. Testicles don’t generally get really large really fast. In fact, I think as a young doctor that he may not have had to deal with such a diagnosis yet – he seemed as shocked as I was. He referred me to an urologist, Dr. DeJesus. They were the first of a tremendous group of doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers who successfully guided me through my cancer ordeal. Through this ordeal I learned impressive names for surgical procedures - radical left orchiectomy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, hydrocelectomy. Seriously, look them up. And I won’t try to recall the names of all my chemotherapy drugs.
When I was diagnosed I recall sitting on the front steps of the doctor’s office and going through a big mess of thoughts, fears and emotions. Thirteen years later and things changed a lot. What a difference it must be for those who can benefit from the energy that the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Park provides along with a venue for reflection. And right next door Wellspring Ottawa - MAPLESOFT Centre will add even more to this equation at the intersections of Alta Vista Dr., Industrial Ave., and Riverside Dr. Taken together, these facilities will quite simply change the way that people deal with a cancer diagnosis and navigate their own cancer ordeals. Indeed, taken together, these facilities will be world-class.
When I was diagnosed I recall sitting on the front steps of the doctor’s office and going through a big mess of thoughts, fears and emotions. Thirteen years later and things changed a lot. What a difference it must be for those who can benefit from the energy that the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Park provides along with a venue for reflection. And right next door Wellspring Ottawa - MAPLESOFT Centre will add even more to this equation at the intersections of Alta Vista Dr., Industrial Ave., and Riverside Dr. Taken together, these facilities will quite simply change the way that people deal with a cancer diagnosis and navigate their own cancer ordeals. Indeed, taken together, these facilities will be world-class.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Cancer Journey
Megan’s life lessons and insights from her memoir from last week’s Guest Blog will be a tough act to follow. Of course I had to battle a bout of procrastination even to get to this point. I am typing on the front porch while my daughter Hilary tests out 3D chalk on the laneway with Mom. Yes, they have 3D chalk and it has the necessary and magical glasses… and it works!!
So why am I a guest blogger? And why should you care let alone read the blog? I don’t necessarily plan to answer those questions but they did come to mind. I hope you enjoy and reflect upon my words.
I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997. I was thirty years old and by all accounts very healthy and there wasn’t a history of cancer in my family. So I was both very shocked and very scared.
As a patient of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre, I learned that my cancer was malignant, I learned that I would require several major surgeries and I learned that I would require several rounds of chemotherapy. All of these were painful lessons. Of course it would have been much more painful to ignore the signs that something was very wrong with me.
As I delved into whatever I could learn about cancer one of the things I learned was that I was fortunate to live in Eastern Ontario due to the first rate care that was available supported by a strong charitable foundation which in turn is supported by people who make a difference. As a result, I was able to gain, very early on, confidence that I was in good hands so that my energies could focus on surviving rather than on a fear of cancer itself.
… and it worked. The passionate doctors, staff, and volunteers have sent me off into the world of those deemed “cancer-free”. I am now focusing my energies on helping increase cancer survivorship as a volunteer and a Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and I encourage you all to lend a hand, in some manner, to help lighten the load of increasing cancer survivorship in Eastern Ontario.
So why am I a guest blogger? And why should you care let alone read the blog? I don’t necessarily plan to answer those questions but they did come to mind. I hope you enjoy and reflect upon my words.
I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997. I was thirty years old and by all accounts very healthy and there wasn’t a history of cancer in my family. So I was both very shocked and very scared.
As a patient of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre, I learned that my cancer was malignant, I learned that I would require several major surgeries and I learned that I would require several rounds of chemotherapy. All of these were painful lessons. Of course it would have been much more painful to ignore the signs that something was very wrong with me.
As I delved into whatever I could learn about cancer one of the things I learned was that I was fortunate to live in Eastern Ontario due to the first rate care that was available supported by a strong charitable foundation which in turn is supported by people who make a difference. As a result, I was able to gain, very early on, confidence that I was in good hands so that my energies could focus on surviving rather than on a fear of cancer itself.
… and it worked. The passionate doctors, staff, and volunteers have sent me off into the world of those deemed “cancer-free”. I am now focusing my energies on helping increase cancer survivorship as a volunteer and a Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and I encourage you all to lend a hand, in some manner, to help lighten the load of increasing cancer survivorship in Eastern Ontario.
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