Myeloma Ottawa Gatineau

Welcome to our first fall session.  

 Our first meeting is this Wednesday, September 13^th  – 

Dr Sapru will meet with us to discuss developments in the treatment of myeloma and the important research being undertaken at the Ottawa General Hospital.   

Frank and Glenn will also provide an update on our 2023 Walk Steps to a Cure which takes place on Sunday, September 24^th and helps support research at the Ottawa General Hospital.

For more information on the Ottawa –Gatineau Community Network please contact:

Jean Shepherd at 613 277 4886; jean.shepherd@rogers.com or

Robin Sully at 613 622 5461; maplecrest2553@xplornet.ca

The Ottawa/Gatineau Myeloma Walk – Steps to a Cure is scheduled for Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 1 pm at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre at Britannia Beach.  Funds raised at our event are divided between Myeloma Canada and The Ottawa Hospital for myeloma research.

This year’s event will be an in-person event.  While not mandatory, participants are encouraged to wear masks if they wish to do so.  We also realize that some participants may still choose to continue to do a virtual walk as has happened over the past two years.

Registration for the walk is open on the Myeloma Canada website and you can make a donation as an individual or as part of a team at the link below and copies of the posters for the event are also attached.:

stepstoacure.ca

More details

We are also seeking sponsors for the event from the business community.  Should you know of any sponsors who would like to participate in this worthy cause, please let us know.

As we prepare for the walk we are in need of volunteers to help with a number of different activities.  These include:

–           Event Day Registration

–           50/50 ticket sales

–           Security

–           First Aid

–           Music

–           Set-up & Take-Down

If you are interested in helping with the event organization, please contact Glenn Hussey at 613-884-7783 or Frank Shepherd at 613-726-2912.  We will arrange a Zoom call for volunteers later this month or in the first week of August.

Thank you in advance for your continued support and assistance of this important fundraiser in support of clinical research in our myeloma community.

Frank & Glenn

Co-Chairs, Steps to a Cure

We will be holding had our school year end meeting

in-person and outdoors

at Andrew Haydon Park (Carling Avenue, Ottawa)

Friday June 23^rd , 2-4pm.

All are welcome!

 This will be very informal so bring you own refreshments and/or masks as you wish.

We will send out a reminder with parking instructions etc next week – stay tuned!  And enjoy the summer.

Our next meeting is taking place on Wednesday March 10th at 7pm. 

Dr. Visram will now be joined by Dr. Marisa Kilgour (Post Doctoral Fellow at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute) who will both cover their research activities relevant to Myeloma.

Contact Jean Shepherd for virtual meeting link: jean.shepherd@rogers.com

Proclamation of Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month in Ottawa

Mayor Ottawa Mark Sutcliffe spent half and hour meeting with us

before presenting the proclamation.

At our next meeting on Wednesday, April 5th  we will be joined by  Dr. Alissa Visram, who will talk about new developments in myeloma research and treatments at OGH and nationally.

For the details of how to register for the Zoom meeting, contact Jean Shepherd at jean.shepherd@rogers.com

Our next meeting on Wednesday, March 1st  will be a share and care meeting.

A chance to meet new members;

share experiences with myeloma patients and caregivers;

and to catch up on recent local and national myeloma advocacy,  education, research and fundraising initiatives.

Jean Shepherd <jean.shepherd@rogers.com>

OTTAWA-GATINEAU MULTIPLE MYELOMA COMMUNITY NETWORK – supporting patients with myeloma

2023 Spring Zoom Meeting Agenda

The Ottawa-Gatineau Multiple Myeloma Community Network invites Myeloma patients, family, caregivers and friends to our 2023 spring monthly information and sharing meetings. The mission of the Community Network is to provide hope and to empower Myeloma patients, family, caregivers and friends through education, advocacy, patient care and support and sharing experiences.

Based on the feedback from our patients, the continuing uncertainties surrounding Covid -19 and the critical importance for myeloma patients to physically distance we will continue to hold all our spring sessions on Zoom. Please contact either Robin Sully or Jean Shepherd at the below emails if you are new to the group and would like to participate in the sessions. The meetings will start at 7:00PM and last an hour and a half.  Zoom details to join the meetings will be provided prior to each session. We look forward to “seeing” you!

Wednesday, February 1st we will be joined by Martina Elias, Executive Director Myeloma Canada (MC) and her colleague Aidan Robertson to talk about MC, the drug approval process in Canada and MC’s advocacy engagement to help ensure our access to new treatments.

Wednesday, March 1st  will be a share and care meeting. A chance to meet new members; share experiences with myeloma patients and caregivers; and to catch up on recent local and national myeloma advocacy,  education, research and fundraising initiatives.

Wednesday, April 5th  we will be joined by  Dr. Alissa Visram who will talk about new developments in myeloma research and treatments at OGH and nationally.

Wednesday, May 3^rd (to be confirmed)  Dr Sofia Lebel, U of O,  will join us to consider and discuss cancer recurrence anxiety among myeloma patients.

Wednesday, June 7^th (to be confirmed)Thrombosis is a frequent and potentially life threatening side effect of myeloma treatments. Dr A. Delluc has been invited to talk about the incidence of thrombosis, its diagnosis and treatment.

Come join us virtually!

For more information on the Ottawa –Gatineau Community Network please contact: Robin Sully at 613 622 5461; maplecrest2553@xplornet.ca or Jean Shepherd at 613 277 4886; jean.shepherd@rogers.com

WHAT IS Cancer PEP?

Cancer PEP (Cancer – Patient Empowerment Program) is a comprehensive daily home-based 6-month Empowerment Program offered by an Oncologist and a Psychology Professor Scientist (husband and wife team). For 26 weeks receive a daily email and short PEP video – teaching and encouraging home-based health-promoting activities:

1. Aerobic exercise
2. Strength training
3. Anti-cancer diet
4. Relaxation and stress reduction techniques
5. Relationship and connection teaching

The program includes weekly teaching videos including a cooking class, and other essential health-promoting skills, and a biweekly videoconference for interested participants. We will teach you the science on how to form healthy habits and let go of unhealthy ones. Click play on the introductory video below to learn more about this program.

see: cancerpep.org