Lung Cancer Awareness

RIP Brigitte Levigne

Posted by

5

It is with profound thankfulness for her life and advocacy, and with deep sadness we share that our dear friend and lung cancer sister, Brigitte Lavigne who is also known as B or Bee Thevine, passed last week. She and her dear friends and family have participated in lung cancer advocacy, including making ribbons as part of The White Ribbon Project and supported others of us affected by lung cancer. They have been awesome supporters and advocates. Brigitte was one of my big encouragers, and I know many other members of the lung cancer community would say the same. We are so very grateful to have known her, and to have connected with her community.

Brigitte loved Easter. Last Easter she gave me flowers and a card. She gave so much joy. She was a silver lining of lung cancer for very many of us.

Here is her beautiful obituary (pasted below):

Obituary of Brigitte Lavigne

Peacefully on Thursday, April 14,2022 surrounded by her family at the Ruddy Shenkman Hospice, Brigitte leaves behind her caring and supportive husband, Kyle, beautiful and courageous children, Kiera and Liam, wonderful brother, Ben, attentive sister-in-law Laura, lovely niece, Simone, loving parents, Michele and Ron, gracious parents-in-law, Brian and Janet, and thoughtful sister-in-law, Kathy.

Brigitte is ever so grateful to her strong community of friends, colleagues, and neighbours, who accompanied her and her family during these difficult times and throughout her life.

She will be missed by her strong and influential besties from Montreal, the poker princesses, University friends, the Bel-Air babes, her training partner and the girls from Toronto and PEI. These friends helped shape Brigitte in more ways than they could know.

Her amazing medical team was held in high regard. Compassionate and caring  oncologist, Dr. Nicholas, kind and concerned respirologist, Dr. Graver, palliative care doctors, supportive family physician Dr. Bordeleau, home care nurses, specialists, hospice caregivers. Brigitte benefitted from specialized care at the Ottawa General Hospital Cancer Centre, the IGFCC, and was regularly seen at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital. She had nothing but positive words about the medical care she received and referred to them as her dream team.

A loyal public servant who dedicated her career to public safety, Brigitte enjoyed running, spending time outdoors, engaging with people in her community and being a mom. Her children were the centre of her universe.

Brigitte was supported by a strong network of lung cancer sisters whom she fondly spoke of as her sisterhood. She learned about advocacy and was actively involved in The White Ribbon Project, participated in cancer patient research, donated her cells to a cancer line project and was a member of the ROS1ders. 

Brigitte was honoured by the ICAN International Cancer Advocacy Network through the Brigitte Lavigne Research Advocacy Program (Rare Resistance Mutations) to promote resistance research.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the ROS1ders, Please click Here or the Ottawa Race Weekend Team raising funds for Lung Cancer Canada in honour of Brigitte,Please click Here

A private gathering will be held for family. A Celebration of Brigitte’s Life will be held at a later date.

To express your condolences or make a donation please visit http://www.hillcrestfuneralhome.ca

A Tree of Remembrance for Brigitte will be planted at the McAlpine Forever Forest, Vankleek Hill.

Funeral arrangements in care of Hillcrest Funeral Home Ltd., 151 Bond Street, Vankleek Hill, ON K0B 1R0 (866) 678-2002.

The picture above is from when I first met Brigitte in person and was privileged to give her White Ribbons with love. Right from the start she wanted more than one so she could also give Ribbons with love. This picture was taken before she was ready to publicly show her face or share her name, March 17, 2021.

Some of the pictures below are from our Ottawa Community Ribbon Build in August 2021, when Brigitte and her good friend, fellow advocate and The White Ribbon Project teammate Jesse, and her two children came to work on Ribbons. Brigitte loved all her people, but her children especially meant the world to her. We were so glad they could come to the build and we could meet them. It was great spending time with them and Jesse that day, as well as Brigitte. Brigitte gathered a community of amazing people, and spoke often of her family, friends and community. Other pictures are from a later date when Brigitte came over to put labels on and receive more Ribbons to give away. The day of the Ribbon build was so hot and humid that the ribbons showed no signs of drying anytime soon, so we had to be patient. It brought Brigitte so much joy to put on French labels. She knew that The White Ribbon Project is about love, that ribbons are given with love and received with love and that language matters. This was a good fit for Brigitte who was bilingual. She loved and advocated in more than two languages.

Brigitte activated a team who rose up doing advocacy. Even in this last month, Brigitte and her team did powerful work, delivering The White Ribbon Project Ribbons to our hospital and cancer centre in the west end of Ottawa, where she received much of her care, where I received my first rounds of chemotherapy back in 2013 and 2014. She participated in as many The White Ribbon Project community zoom calls as she was able, and yearned to be part of them when she wasn’t able. She and her team have made and will continue to make Ribbons. So far they have made 24 and 6 more are in process. They have given 20 of these ribbons with love, in addition to the several Brigitte was given by me. She also received a special honour with a named program that would focus on Research Advocacy on Novel Therapeutics for Resistance Mutations, i.e. a Brigitte Lavigne Research Advocacy Program (Resistance Mutations in Rare Cancers). She kept advocating until she could not any more, and she died knowing her community would step further into advocacy.

She powerfully loved people her whole life, and that did not change after her lung cancer diagnosis. A cherished member of our Ottawa Lung Cancer Support Group, she reached out with love to members of the lung cancer community locally and all over. She cared about people with her specific kind of lung cancer, and people with any kind of lung cancer. So many people talk about the difference she made for them. She loved us and she messaged us so much! She also loved her care team, spoke highly of them and thanked them. She made a special presentation at the West end hospital where she received much of her care and they did a special story about her. She embraced the inclusive nature of The White Ribbon Project, and gave Ribbons to a wide variety of people connected to lung cancer in various ways, including members of her care team. Even in the short time I knew her I could see that everywhere Brigitte went she brought joy and love. I’m so thankful to have met her, loved her and welcomed her into the lung cancer community. I’m so very thankful for our oncologist who encouraged her to connect and told her about our support group.

Kindness

Posted by

1

Last June I asked a really lovely medical oncologist/researcher friend, Dr. Narjust Duma, if she knew the YouTuber @chubbyemu. I was thinking that my son would really like it if @chubbyemu reached out to him. COVID was turning everyone’s world upside down, and I knew my son was a big fan, so I hoped it might help make his world a little better. Turns out she didn’t know him, but chose to reach out on our behalf anyway, and @chubbyemu said he would be happy to connect with my son. I got all teary when I read her message, and I’m feeling the emotions again as I reflect on it now. So very grateful!

@chubbyemu emailed my son, and my son was thrilled. I was very excited too, and messaged @chubbyemu to thank him. I also mentioned that if he ever needed a lung cancer advocate, he could reach out.

In September, @chubbyemu messaged to ask if I would be willing to share my lung cancer story. A conversation ensued, culminating in this video shoot and release in March. Here is the link for the video on his @HemeReview YouTube channel: Interview with a Stage 4 Lung Cancer Survivor (Jill Hamer-Wilson) .

What an exciting experience that was, especially since we were filming it separately in different countries, and Dr. Bernard was masterminding the production and helping me navigate various technical challenges at a distance!

Naturally, The White Ribbon Project was part of the 25 minute interview, and we were honoured to send Dr. Bernard (aka @chubbyemu) a White Ribbon, with sincere thanks for his support of people affected by lung cancer and The White Ribbon Project.

It’s so important that people affected by lung cancer know that they are not alone, they are loved, they are welcomed, they belong, you are loved, you are not alone. If you or someone you know would like a White Ribbon, please reach out. The White Ribbon Project is about #love and #hope.

It also matters that we recognize The White Ribbon Project is inclusive, including lung cancer doctors, nurses, researchers, fundraisers, administrators, physiotherapists, social workers, technicians, cancer centre CEO’s, media, newly diagnosed, care givers, people who have lost a loved one, survivors, former smokers, current smokers, never smokers, early stage, late stage, surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pharmacists, cancer centre staff, managers, social workers, respirologists, primary care physicians, health educators, friends, family members, speech-language pathologists, YouTubers, bloggers, and so many more! #inclusive

Thank you, Heidi and Pierre, for making the first Ribbon with love, making this particular Ribbon with love, and sending it with love to Dr. Bernard.

Thank you, Dr. Bernard for supporting The White Ribbon Project, this lung cancer survivor advocate, and so many other people affected by lung cancer. Thank you for raising lung cancer awareness. Thank you for your compassion, generosity, and kindness. Thanks also for the great photo’s! #thewhiteribbonproject

Thank you, Dr. Narjust Duma for choosing to reach out to a stranger to do a great kindness for the son of a lung cancer advocate. Thank you for being a fierce thoracic oncologist, Asst. Prof, researcher and advocate! Thank you for supporting people affected by lung cancer and The White Ribbon Project. We are grateful!

#gratitude #kindness

Together We Make a Difference

Posted by

0

A huge thank you to all you wonderful people who wrote letters, called and/or emailed for people with ROS1 to get access to Crizotinib. I asked you in a blog post on September 13, 2020, to write officials requesting for Crizotinib to be added to the formulary for people with ROS1 lung cancer. I heard from over 30 of you who took the time to help save lives. Thank you! Together with all the other people who communicated, our voices were heard and Crizotinib was approved! Together we make a difference!

This is wonderful news for so many people, including B. who dropped by to chat and pick up two The White Ribbon Project ribbons today. She was diagnosed fairly recently with ROS1 lung cancer and is taking Crizotinib. She’s a lovely person with a family and strong support community who love her. It meant so much to give her two ribbons with love: one for her and one for her to give to a supportive friend.

Thank you to Bill and Lisa Weir, Canadians who make each ribbon with love and give each ribbon with love. Following the lead of Heidi Nafman Onda and Pierre Onda , making and giving ribbons with love. Thank you Lisa Weir and Bill Weir for working with care, ensuring that each ribbon is exactly like the originals. Same measurements, same materials, same fonts, same stickers. Strength in uniformity. Love in every single detail. #thewhiteribbonproject bringing people together, reminding us we’re not alone. #love #team

#thewhiteribbonproject #inclusive #supportive #anyonecangetlungcancer

Thank you!

Made in Canada with Love

Health and Advocacy Update

Posted by

5

First the good news: I haven’t had a scan yet, but based on my perception, the chemo seems to be working! I’m breathing better, coughing less and swallowing a little better. Good news! So very grateful for another extension on life!

I had my third round of chemo on Monday January 11, and brought in one of the amazing white ribbons that Heidi and Pierre Onda from Colorado have been generously making and sending out with love to whoever asks for one. This is an inclusive, unbranded campaign to raise lung cancer awareness, and it goes by the hashtag #TheWhiteRibbonProject. It has a growing presence on social media and at cancer centers across North America.

This exciting campaign is growing, and here’s a video (generously made by Katie Brown of LUNGevity) which gives you a small taste of the number of lung cancer advocates, oncologists, researchers and others who have keenly participated. If you look closely, you may recognise awesome Eastern Ontario advocate Kim MacIntosh near the end, and me with the chemo receptionist at The Ottawa Hospital. That first video got stuffed full of photo’s, so Katie started a second one, and then a third one for Canada, and she keeps adding photo’s as we send them to her! Everyone is welcome to participate!

There I go again: I was supposed to be giving you a health update but got distracted by some of the amazing advocacy work that is going on!

Healthwise, so far I have had several really rough days each three week cycle. I spoke with a nurse to get insight on how to better manage the symptoms. I’ll plan and prepare, and this will help me better cope next cycle. I’ll also keep managing my mindset. I’m grateful for Chris Draft who calls and encourages. He is a tremendous advocacy trainer, and offers helpful wisdom like, “We control what we can control”. He is a strong supporter of so many health advocates worldwide, and we are grateful.

Exciting news: my barium swallow study is scheduled for this afternoon (i.e. Tuesday the 19th)! Ordered back in November, I’m very hopeful that this will answer questions about what is happening when I swallow, and give us good information to help me avoid getting aspiration pneumonia again. I also hope to be able to eat more kinds of foods! I have eaten a LOT of soup since the summer!

I’m back from the hospital, and the study went well. I felt a little nervous beforehand, but very relaxed this afternoon and grateful for the support from my support team of friends and also The Ottawa Hospital team. Emilie, the Speech-Language Pathologist was very kind and knowledgeable. She got me to sample a variety of textures of food and drink with barium added in, then the x-ray machine tracked what happened inside. I didn’t choke on anything. We gained new information which informed us about which further tests need to be ordered. I’m being referred to more specialists, and that support is very welcome. I feel privileged to live so close and be connected to the tremendous resources at The Ottawa Hospital.

Here is my amazing Speech-Language Therapist who ran the test. She was eager to take a picture in support of lung cancer awareness, and very supportive of this person affected by lung cancer. I’m very grateful for our big lung cancer team!

Emilie, The Ottawa Hospital Speech-Language Pathologist
  • Chemo nurse
  • Oncology physiotherapist
  • Friend living with lung cancer
  • Awesome oncologist and advocate
  • Survivor advocate sisters
  • Strong support team member
  • Awesome Kim MacIntosh
  • Awesome Andrea Redway
  • Chemo receptionist
  • Chemo nurse
  • Representing the awesome team: Jordan & Kayla MacWilliam, the Bradford family and Kayla’s Fight Club

In the Bleak Midwinter

Posted by

2

First of all, dear friends, let me remind you that January is radon month, so if you haven’t checked your home for radon, please do it this week-end! Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Please protect yourself and your loved ones by getting a test kit this week-end and using it! You can read more in my previous blog post: How Two Trips to the Basement Could Save Your Life. Thus ends my radon public service announcement! 🙂

You’re probably wondering what I’ve been up to lately, besides hanging out with my boys and walking the dog. The answer is LOTS!

The Ottawa support group is going well: 13 out at our January meeting. We have an awareness day planned at the General next Thursday. Drop by the Cancer Centre and say hello if you’re around!

Our December Ottawa support group party, with a delicious and generously catered meal from Chances R Restaurant

I’m working at collecting and connecting lung cancer patients across the country, so if you know of any, please send them in my direction! Today I was talking with dear folks in Winnipeg. Yesterday it was Calgary. It can be pretty lonely here in Canada, without other lung cancer friends around! That’s why I’m working to find and connect lung cancer patients in various geographic regions across this large land. I hope we will have patient support groups, awareness days and summits across the country!

There aren’t enough hours in the day! I love serving as a catalyst, a creative problem solver! I’m energized by this work, and eager to meet people, gather them together, and help build lung cancer communities.

I joined the Canadian Cancer Trials Group as (volunteer) patient representative, Lung Site, in November. The CCTG develops and conducts clinical trials, and includes all major cancer centres and many community hospitals across the country. This will afford me the opportunity to meet people doing lung cancer research across the country, and that should help with my community building work! As patient representative, I have opportunities to give input into the clinical trial process at many points along the way. Steep learning curve and big responsibility! It’s important that I get to know a wide variety of lung cancer patients so that I can fulfill my obligation to represent us all. I hope to listen and learn a lot in the coming months and hopefully years. I hope to live long enough to fulfill my three year term commitment. Perhaps another clinical trial will help extend my life once again!

I’ve also applied to the Scientist-Survivor program at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting this Spring in Atlanta. What a wonderful opportunity to meet researchers, advocates, oncologists and learn many things about research into all kinds of cancer, then pass my learning along to many others! I should hear any day if I’ve been accepted, and I am eagerly hoping!

Christmas Day 2018

But it’s not all lung cancer around here. Sadly, Jono’s Mum is extremely unwell. Jono and our youngest rushed off to Australia right after Christmas to be with her and the rest of Jono’s family. We wished we all could have gone. They shared many joyous times together in the midst of such sorrow, and have just returned home. We’d be grateful if you could spare a prayer or warm thought for the family as it seems the end is drawing near.

In Between Bounces

Posted by

7

ct scan oral contrast

Two large cups of Oral Contrast which I drank between 2:30 and 4:15pm, the day of the scan

I had another routine CT scan last week, followed by a few days of fairly typical post-scan fatigue. “You don’t bounce back quickly from these scans,” observed my hubby. We’ve often said this about my energy levels in recent years, but this time these words evoked an image which captured my imagination: a ball hitting a wall in super slow motion. What a perfect picture of how my energy level gets flattened, then takes so much longer to be back to “the new normal”.

Screen Shot 2018-08-11 at 4.48.43 PM.png

I can relate to that tennis ball, flattened on impact, then regaining its shape ever so slowly! (tennis ball video)

I don’t bounce back like I used to! There are many variations on the, “You don’t _____________ like you used to,” theme. Choose your favourite word or phrase to fill in the blank! I could write a whole series of blog posts about the ways we could fill in the blank, and the ways I grieve and miss my pre-cancer life. It would be easy to get caught up in this way of thinking instead of being grateful for what I can do and what I do have.

Rather than focussing on what I can’t do, I’d much rather focus on what I can do.

My intention is to invest time and energy into my priorities, like family and friends, being involved in church, leading Bible study well, and -lately- caring for lung cancer patients and helping to raise lung cancer awareness and funds for research.

It takes me a long time to bounce back, but in between bounces I’m trying to find my particular niche in the lung cancer landscape. I want to strategically help make a difference for lung cancer patients, improve outcomes and help us hold onto hope.

Lung Cancer is the deadliest cancer. Although it receives only a small amount of money for research, that investment is leveraged into a large impact for some lung cancer patients. Imagine the difference more funding could make!

If you’d like to work with us to explore ways to help lung cancer patients, please message me. It takes a whole team!

Saying Yes to New Adventures!

Posted by

7

I did something new and exciting … and a little scary!

You can read more of the story below, but right now I just can’t wait to tell you my exciting news!

For Lung Cancer Awareness Month, I made a short video called, “What can Jelly Beans Teach us about Lung Cancer? You might be Surprised!”

I’m proud of this little video! It’s my first attempt and it’s rather rough, but it’s real and from the heart, and I’m honoured to share it with you!

This whole adventure started back in October when I chose to have a week of saying yes! I decided I would stretch beyond my comfort zone and do things that frightened me!

The next day, the phone rang and I was asked to speak at a fundraiser for Lung Cancer Canada. I said a fairly quick yes, and then started thinking about it!

The more I thought about it, the more nervous I got!

The fundraiser would be in a restaurant, but there wasn’t going to be a microphone, or even a section of the evening when I would give a speech. Giving a speech like that makes me nervous, but I’m getting used to that kind of nervous.

No, this time I was expected to initiate conversations with a bunch of strangers and somehow find a “natural” way to tell them things about lung cancer. That is scary for me!

I couldn’t imagine how to make this happen. I mean, I could easily picture far too many awkward ways of doing it, but there had to be a better way! What would help me feel more comfortable starting up conversations? How could I teach a bunch of strangers about grim lung cancer statistics at a restaurant?

So I came up with an idea! I got a few items together and worked out a little interactive spiel, and then I went to the fundraiser.

22181345_10155693004354318_8434197250036138164_o

I did not expect it to turn out so well! The woman organizing the fundraiser was so lovely, and the family and friends who had shown up to support her were kind and encouraging. Most of them wanted to hear what I had to say, and quite a few were very keen. I gave out some of the Lung Cancer Hope Rocks too! #LCRocks

thumb_IMG_6272_1024

What was so powerful for me, though, was to watch the looks in their eyes as the penny dropped. Wow! These simple jelly beans were helping the message get through! When those moments kept occurring throughout the evening, I had a growing conviction that I needed to find a way to get this important message out to more people.

So that’s why I said yes to another scary idea and made the video!

Obviously, the video isn’t an interactive dialogue like all my jelly bean conversations have been, but because this is such an important message, I’ve chosen this media to communicate more broadly than I could do in small groups or individual conversations.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month! Please honour me by setting aside ten minutes: seven minutes to watch the video and three minutes (or more!) to consider what your response will be.

There are many people who played various roles in helping, supporting and encouraging me along this whole jelly bean journey. Thank you! I am especially grateful for the technical support and encouragement of Jith Paul of Treepot Media. Thank you, Jith, for your partnership in the making of this video. I literally could not have done it without you!

jelly bean lungs