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.