There are runs ... and then there's the ULTIMATE Run!The Alterna Ultimate Run for Men’s Cancers has become one of Ottawa’s favourite Father’s Day traditions, breaking all records in 2011 raising more than $580,000 with 2,222 participants!

The HUGE success of last year's event inspired us to make some changes this year, starting with a brand new name.  But don't worry - everything you love about the event is staying the same: the route is unchanged, the Run still supports men's cancers, and it's still taking place on Father's Day (June 17, 2012). 

Sunday, June 17, 2012 Carleton University - Anniversary Park
Registration opens at 6:30 a.m.

By taking part in the Alterna Ultimate Run for Men's Cancers, you are helping to increase cancer awareness in our community.  Together we are raising important funds that will bring state-of-the-art equipment, research and therapy to our region to help local cancer patients have access to the best possible care close to home.

Register today to be a part of this life-saving event and this Father's Day, run for ALL the men in your life!

Saturday, April 21 was certainly a day to remember. It was the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation's Bust a Move for Breast Health held at the Ottawa Athletic Club on Lancaster. The atmosphere was electric and the buzz was palpable. Every signal person who participated had raised at least $1000 -- a sign of their commitment and dedication to the cause.


And those fundraising efforts really paid off with over $340,000 raised for cancer care in our community.

Having Richard Simmons lead a one hour session was awesome. 

High five to all Bust a Move participants, supporters, sponsors, family and friends.

This town sure knows how to BUST A MOVE.

You can now sign up for Bust A Move 2013.

FIND RICHARD

The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is thrilled to announce Richard Simmons as the celebrity spokesperson for Bust A Move for Breast Health, a fun-filled fundraiser in support of breast health, at the Ottawa Athletic Club on April 21, 2012.

In conjunction with this exciting announcement we’re launching the “FIND RICHARD” contest.
Here is how to enter: 
1. Find one of the two life size cut outs of Richard Simmons across Ottawa
2. Take a picture of yourself in the photo
3. Upload that photo to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation Facebook Page
4. You can enter as many times as you want! Richard’s locations will change every week
5. Follow @OttawaCancer for hints and our Facebook page to uncover Richard’s new hiding spots

The winner will be announced the week of Bust a Move Ottawa.
Contest Starts: March 12, 2012 @ 10:00 am (EDT)
Contest Ends: April 18, 2012 @ 11:59 pm (EDT)

Check out this link more more information.

Richard Simmons to participate in Bust a Move Ottawa

The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is so excited about the star power coming to BAM Ottawa. The announcement was made at our sponsor's mall the St Laurent Centre during a pep rally a little after lunch on Friday, March 9, 2012.  Fitness guru Richard Simmons has lent his star power to Bust a Move events across the country and the Cancer Foundation is thrilled he will be on hand April 21 to pump up the energy of this wildly energetic and empowering event.

There are over 150 people signed up for this unique fitness event. The indoor tennis courts at our location sponsor The Ottawa Athletic Club will be transformed into a giant stage where different fitness activities will take place during the course of the day. There is still time to start a team, join a team or donate to this great cause. Money raised is going to help fund projects that will benefit breast cancer patients and their families in our region through the expansion of the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre and cancer coaching programs at the Maplesoft Centre.

Leading up to the event there is a great contest called Find Richard involving a larger-than-life cut out of Richard. Details to follow soon.  

This is going to be a great event. Thanks Richard for coming on board.

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure

As many as 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer every year. This cancer, which most commonly affects the lining of the lungs, grows rapidly and aggressively, and is almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos.

Until the 1970s, asbestos use was unregulated, and thousands of products contained asbestos fibers. While the most common asbestos-containing materials were construction products such as insulation and adhesives, even household items such as talcum powder were found to contain asbestos. 

Industrial jobsites may have been among the most heavily contaminated areas, but homes, military vessels and even large geographical areas have also been contaminated by asbestos. When asbestos-containing products are broken, damaged or disturbed, the fibers enter the air, where they are easily inhaled or ingested. They can then become lodged in the pleura that surrounds the lungs, stomach or heart.

Since the first conclusive link between mesothelioma and asbestos exposure was developed in 1964, studies have worked to prove exactly how the fibers cause the cancer once they have entered the body. After asbestos has been inhaled, the thin fibers can easily become trapped in the lining of the lungs, causing small biological and genetic changes that eventually result in the development of cancer. 

Some scientists believe that asbestos exposure causes cells to change their natural function and become cancerous, while other studies suggest that asbestos-triggered DNA damage leads to cancerous mutations. These cancerous changes are most common in people who have inhaled large quantities of asbestos over a prolonged period of time, but even short periods of exposure have the potential to cause mesothelioma. 

Shipbuilders, construction workers, plant/factory workers and auto mechanics are among those who are most at risk for asbestos exposure and related diseases. However, some cases of mesothelioma have been diagnosed in people who were exposed to asbestos from a secondhand source, such as through the skin or clothing of a family member who worked with asbestos.

It's time to Bust a Move

Many of us get onto the fitness band wagon at the start of the new year, and many of us fall off only a few days or weeks after getting on. Often what is helpful is a little motivation. The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation has just the thing.

On April 21, the Cancer Foundation is holding Bust A Move for breast health. It's a 6 hour fitness extravaganza that is high energy and over the top on the fun factor. You just need to check out this YouTube video for proof.

Bust a Move is raising money for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation -- money that stays here in our community to support cancer research, clinical trials, new therapies, and an improved quality of life. And really that is what fitness is all about. The bottom line about why we get and stay fit is to improve our quality of life. And you have the opportunity to support that attitude within this fantastic event.

Get a team in, start raising funds and make a difference in the fight against cancer.

Click here to find out more.

In memory of Melody Matte

Melody Matte was a young, beautiful and vibrant woman who was taken, far too quickly and with little warning, from her friends and family after a brave fight against an aggressive lung cancer. 

When someone like Melody dies, the living are left with all sorts of questions and struggle to make sense of such a great loss. It forces you to stop and reflect and make decisions that are going to make a difference.

That’s why Melody’s family and friends established a Tribute Fund, The Melody Matte Memorial Fund, with the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. The Fund honours Melody’s memory and the gifts made to the fund will go to support families facing cancer in the Ottawa area ­­-- a fitting tribute to Melody and what she stood for.

Throughout her life, Melody was an example to others of how we might live. She was as exquisite a person inside as out. In her illness, Melody’s friends returned the support she had offered so freely to them throughout her life, and she passed away knowing she was adored and appreciated by those whose lives she brightened. Her tribute fund is an ideal way to remember Melody for who she was and to ensure her legacy lives on and helps others.

Tribute funds are a powerful means to honour someone going through treatment or to remember someone who has lost their battle with cancer. Families can establish a fund and direct donations to an area that is important to the family, whether that is Cancer Survivorship Care programs, research or diagnostic equipment. Donations are dispersed immediately to ensure programs that need support receive the required funding.

To support The Melody Matte Memorial Fund please visit the web page at http://ottawacancer.akaraisin.com/melody

To learn more about creating your own Tribute fund, please contact Rachael Wilson, Director, Annual and Legacy Giving (rwilson@ottawacancer.ca).

This event will grow on you!

It’s getting chilly outside – and while some are keeping warm with scarves, turtlenecks and hot chocolate, Ottawa Fire Services Recruits are heating things up with nature’s original face warmers: moustaches.

You can register a moustache, sponsor a moustache or simply donate. The funds raised go to some amazing technology that makes surgical interventions less invasive and dramatically reduces recovery times. We are very fortunate to have the Da Vinci robot in our community directly improving cancer survivorship for our region.

Be part of the next victory over cancer.
   

Buy tickets for the game and support the Cancer Foundation

Hockey Fights Cancer is a NHL-wide campaign that is a component of the NHL's Biggest Assist Happens off the Ice, Campaign,. The Sens take on the Philidelphia Flyers on October 18 at Scotiabank Place. There will be special merchandise including signed hockey pucks for sale that evening. They have also established a special ticketing program with a portion of the funds coming to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.

Funds raised will be directed to support the Cancer Survivorship Care programming at the Maplesoft Centre. (Door open to this amazing facility on November 3) The Centre is a first of its kind in Canada and will offer free cancer coaching services and workshops to meet the needs of cancer survivors and those closest to them.

The program helps cancer patients get important information that they need to make important choices on their personal cancer journey.

Come on out to the game on October 18 and know you are supporting a worthy cause in our community. 

From Grape Stomping to Pole Walking

The secret to good health was once summed up in four simple words: Eat less, move more.

Here at the cancer Foundation we try to do our part by promoting activities that will benefit everyone's health.

If you have visited our Nordic Walk event web site, you probably saw some of the proven health benefits for people at all levels of fitness. Nordic Walking is effective, efficient, low-stress, low-impact, improves posture and speeds up weight loss. Do try it, you will be pleasantly surprised.

It's not just the nordic walk activity that is worthwhile, but the reason we are raising funds. The Maplesoft Centre is going to transform cancer care in our community by empowering people as they travel on their cancer journey. The coaching, programs and workshops are designed to help cancer survivors and their families improve their quality of life. The medical community concentrates on the disease. We are concentrating on the person.

You can help make this happen. Register for the Nordic Walk for Cancer Survivorship and discover the power of the poles...




 

Nordic Walk Launch is off and...walking..with poles

What can you do for 50 minutes but is worth 90 minutes of exercise. If you guessed Nordic Pole walking you would be correct.

The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation's inaugural Nordic Walk for Cancer Survivorship will be taking place on October 30, 2011. You can be part of a fitness trend that has taken Europe by storm and is gaining popularity in Canada in leaps and bounds.

Nordic Pole walking has proven health benefits for everyone including cancer survivors improving circulation and lowering blood pressure for example. The activity is so popular in Germany for example, that there are government incentives if you participate. 

The event has caught the imagination of many in the community including our two co-sponsors: Scotiabank and Telus. Both of these organizations have a long track record of community engagement and we are very pleased they are on board for this signature event.

Funds raised through the event will go towards the Maplesoft Centre offering Cancer Survivorship CareTM. The coaching, programs and workshops that make up Cancer Survivorship CareTM are designed to empower participants to take control of their health and give them the tools and resources they need to improve their quality of life. 

All the details about the Scotiabank-Telus Nordic Walk for Cancer Survivorship and how to sign up are available right here.



But, don't forget the unique, fun-filled Grape Stomp happening on September 25, 2011 as part of Little Italy's La Vendemmia celebrating the harvest. It's a fun-filled four person relay race that brings out the FUN in fundraising. Monies raised go to support cancer research that is conducted right here in our community.
Here is the info about the Grape Stomp.   

We have been with Dr. Bell from the very beginning

News of Dr. John Bell’s innovative cancer research using viruses has been making headlines in Canada and around the world.

In 2000, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation invested $25,000 to begin funding Dr. Bell's oncolytic virus research.

 

We not only provided seed funding for Dr. Bell’s research, but also provided funds to purchase equipment needed to engineer the virus, staffing for discovery and testing, and invested in human clinical trials. Since 2007, the Cancer Foundation has provided over $1.2 million to Dr. Bell’s research with ongoing commitments from existing donors.

Over the last decade the Cancer Foundation has invested more than $8 million in local research and clinical trials. In 2010 alone, the Cancer Foundation invested more than $1.4 million into research. Thank to this investment and continued support, local cancer patients have access to new therapies and ground-breaking clinical trials.

When this type of research happens in our community, we all benefit because cancer patients can participate in clinical trials and the hopefully more dollars can be raised to ensure research moves forward.

A roller coaster week - a Friday to reflect

The story dominating the news this week was the sudden death of Jack Layton, only a month after telling the nation he was taking a break from his job because his cancer was back. The news stories were mostly about Jack's political career and his role in the amazing surge of the NDP in the last election. There was lots of talk of Jack's very personable and genuine approach to politics and life in general.

Jack Layton's death put cancer in the spot light once again and it got covered from a variety of angles. One interesting article that appeared in Tuesday's Globe & Mail was about the very militaristic language used to describe cancer. It's something we have discussed informally at the Cancer Foundation's Cancer Survivorship Care Centre as we prepare to open our doors to cancer survivors in the late fall. Some would argue we are sugar coating the cancer journey by wishing to tone down or remove military references, but our conversation is about finding the best approach to describe what is often a messy and complex disease.

Carly Weeks' Globe & Mail article made us reflect even further on the way we talk about cancer and the article suggests that perhaps there are better ways to talk about the cancer journey. The article goes on to say that perhaps it's more important to focus on learning to live with cancer because that idea is much more empowering then setting up a battle scenario where there is a winner and a loser.

Cancer Foundation staff got together for a half day retreat on August 25 to talk about the type of experience we want to create for people who will participate in our programs and workshops. It was an afternoon of useful often emotional discussion that helped us all define what our Cancer Survivorship Centre was all about. We spent a lot of time talking about the language we use to describe what we do and what our interactions with our guests would look like. We did not come up with all the answers, but we were unified in our desire to create an empowering experience in a friendly and welcoming environment.

It's a conversation that continues to evolve.






  

Looking ahead with an appreciative nod behind us

Capital hoedown was here and gone (no stage collapses) and the Cancer Foundation raised over $4000 with the guitar raffle thanks to the generosity of the folks here in Ottawa.

It was the 30th anniversary of the Xerox 10k run on Tuesday, August 16. There was a good crowd that came out and the mayor kicked things off. We certainly appreciate that funds were raised for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. We really do live in a wonderful community.

Registration opened up for two of our fundraising events. Grape Stomp on September 25 and The Nordic Walk for Cancer SurvivorshipTM on October 30. These are two wonderful events and remember that the funds are used right here in our community to improve cancer survivorship careTM.

Every week there are a few things that change here at the centre. The infrared Sauna is now in its home in one of the therapy rooms of the healing corner. Infrared sauna rays are waves of energy totally invisible to the naked eye, capable of penetrating deep into the human body, where they gently elevate the body's surface temperature and activate major bodily functions. The rays expand capillaries which stimulate increased blood flow, regeneration, circulation and oxygenation.

We also received a beauty of a BBQ donated to us by Romantic Fireplaces and BBQs in Orleans. It is quite the BBQ and will be used for a variety of activities at the Centre.

I'll keep you up to speed as things continue to progress.

It's a busy time -- and we love it

Finishing touches are being added everyday to the new Cancer Survivorship Centre. This week, workers are installing a water feature in the McGarry Family atrium. The water feature was designed by Nicholas Bott, owner of the Pond Clinic and the man behind the Ottawa Water Garden Festival. 
The water feature will include a digital inlay that will highlight the thousands of supporters of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and the Maplesoft Centre. A camera will be mounted on the wall across from the fountain and project the names onto the water feature. Very cool!

The equipment has arrived for the Snoezelen Room -- a very cool multi-sensory environment that involves stimulating all the senses and designed for multiple education and therapy purposes.Snoezelen has been used for those with dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, intellectual or mental disabilities or to boost relaxation and creativity. Snoezelen has also been used to treat chronic pain and chemo fog. We look forward to having the equipment up and running now that it's arrived at the Centre.

But the Maplesoft Centre is not the only place where the action is happening. The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation has a tent set up at this year's Capital Hoedown, one of the country's biggest country music festivals. The festival runs from August 11 to 13 and features headliners Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Miranda Lambert. The Cancer Foundation is raffling off a guitar signed by all the artists at this year's festival.

We are also gearing up for this year's edition of The Grape Stomp. This is a shout out to register your team for the Grape Stomp as soon as possible.  It's a unique team relay race that's easy, fun and raises funds for cancer research that is being conducted in our very own community. The Grape Stomp is one of the culminating events that is part of La Vendemmia -- a celebration of Italian food, wine and culture. It's a classic fall event in Ottawa and takes place on the new and improved Preston Street -- free of construction and looking better then ever. Remember to register your team.

There is lots more coming up so stay tuned! 
 

Settling in!

The entire staff at the Cancer Foundation was tremendously proud to arrive at our new home on Monday morning. We were greeted with home-baked scones and other celebratory morning goodies. Linda gave the staff a tour of the entire facility. For some of us it was the first time in months that we had been in the centre and every turn of the corner (there are many corners) brought more ohs and aws. We settled into our individual work stations, learned how the new phones worked and got down to business.

There are a few finishing touches to complete, but things are progressing well and we are very fortunate to be in such a wonderful space.

On Friday, July 15 we will be welcoming Estrellita Karsh who has presented the Cancer Foundation with a original Yousuf Karsh portrait of Helen Keller and her long-time companion, Polly Thompson. It's a wonderful gift to the Centre and fits in so well with what we are trying to achieve at the cancer survivorshop centre. We aim to provide the community with the resources, tools and information they need putting recovery back in the hands of cancer survivors and their families. Guidance and wisdom -- those things resonate through the Karsh portrait. 

Stay tuned for more information about the grand opening this fall.



       

NIght of Courage a resounding success

A NIGHT OF COURAGE

Ottawa's partying young people got the cancer message on Friday night.

Homegrown NHLers Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers and Martin St. Pierre of the Columbus Blue Jackets joined ORCF's Chuck Merovitz and Max Keeping in a midnight nightclub blitz to spread the word that cancer shows no bias on age. Breast and testicular cancers particularly hit the 20-something demographic.

The unique event was the brainchild of Abbis Mahmoud, owner of Urban Male Magazine, and longtime nightclub owner in Ottawa and Toronto. He led the cancer messengers to his clubs - Lobby, Mansion, and Union Station, where cover charge, raffles and donations were given to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.  Two other nightclubs, Tila Tequila and Buddha Bar Lounge, participated in the fundraising/awareness promotion. All bar staff wore "COURAGE" shirts. 

Earlier, Abbis Mamoud hosted a Next Generation cocktail reception in his Byward Market condo - where Chuck and Max spoke of the cancer Foundation's Survivorship focus, and the Maplesoft Centre which will open to the public in the fall.  The thousands of dollars raised by Mahmoud's Night of Courage will be directed to the programs at the Centre. Merovitz is a tireless fundraising leader for the Cancer Foundation, who spearheaded development of the Ottawa Cancer Survivor's Park. Keeping is founding co-chair of the Alterna Do It For Dad walk/run - and is a cancer survivor.

A night of Courage

On Friday, July 8, Urban Male Magazine(UMM), Canada’s Best Selling Men’s Magazine, is holding the first official A Night of COURAGE.  It’s one night dedicated to raising important funding in support of Cancer Survivorship Care programming at the Maplesoft Centre. 

It's a perfect example of how local businesses are joining the fight for cancer survivorship. Their efforts are helping reach a new generation of donor.

On July 8, 100% of Cover Charge, Donations and Silent Auction proceeds from the UMM establishments listed below will benefit ‘A Night of Courage’

LOBBY  Nightclub @ 158 ½ Dalhousie St.

Tila Tequila Nightclub @ 104 Clarence St.

Buddha Bar Lounge @ 104B Clarence St.

Mansion @ 400A Dalhousie St.

Union Station Pub Club @ 360 Elgin St.

I hope many of you will join in on a night on the town and a night of courage.