Lung Cancer Canada

A pill can turn a life around

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I’m alive because I take daily cancer-fighting pills. Would you give 10 minutes to help people live? Please send an email asking for funding for a lung cancer pill. I put the email I sent below for an example, so it’s very fast & easy for you to cut and paste it and make it your own. Details below!

Let me tell you about my friend Patty Watkins. In 2014, Patty was in excellent shape. Her son’s graduation was just around the corner and she was looking forward to it. One day she experienced a burning feeling in her leg, so went in to get it checked. She awoke after surgery to learn that she had lung cancer and only a couple of days to live. “You’ll never take Patty home,” the doctor told her husband. They called their children to come so they could say their goodbyes.

Patty was determined to live long enough to attend her son’s graduation. Biomarker testing revealed that Patty had ROS1, a rare kind of lung cancer which is treatable with a pill called Crizotinib.

That turned Patty’s story completely around! Patty is alive today because she takes daily cancer-fighting pills!

Patty lives every day. She is a powerhouse! Here are some of the things she has done while on Crizotinib…

Patty rode a camel, was baptised in the River Jordan, floated in the Dead Sea, went to Paris (and when her hotel was under siege during the Paris attacks, she crawled to the hotel basement on her belly!), saw her daughter marry, celebrated her & her best friend’s 60th with a White House tour, and walked many 5K’s for lung cancer research!

Patty rappelled down a 20 story building to raise money for research! Way to go, Patty!

All this because she was tested, and treated for ROS1 lung cancer with Crizotinib! Patty Watkins is alive and well today thanks to Crizotinib! She’s also now a grandmother, and loves spending time with her cute grandson!

In many places, doctors don’t test for ROS1 lung cancer, so people are dying not even knowing there are pills they can take to fight their cancer. People don’t always get the opportunity to live like Patty does.

In Canada, some hospitals test for ROS1 and some don’t. Some provinces fund Crizotinib and some don’t. We are working for change!

Right now, I’m asking for your help to get our province (Ontario) to listen and start funding Crizotinib for people who have ROS1 lung cancer. Would you please support this important work through social media, and/or sending an email. Below, for an example, is the email I sent. Feel free to adapt it to suit you. You don’t have to live in Ontario to help, but if you do live in Ontario, please mention where you live, and if you are emailing your MPP, please indicate they are your MPP and include your address.

This is a grass roots movement supported by some people with ROS1 lung cancer (including Christine Wu), other advocates (including MaryAnn Bradley and Andrea Redway), and Lung Cancer Canada. LCC and several oncologists have sent a request letter, the link is in the email below. Together our voices amplify this message, and will help people get cancer-fighting pills to help them live longer and better, like Patty.

Dear Hon. Christine Elliott, Minister of Health,

I am a lung cancer survivor who lives in Ottawa and is treated at The Ottawa Hospital. I would like to request a meeting to discuss the funding of Crizotinib for ROS 1 lung cancer patients and survivors in Ontario. 

I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2013, and I know first hand the difference Crizotinib can make. After chemotherapy, Crizotinib offered much better quality of life along with the freedom to take it at home. Crizotinib kept me alive long enough for other treatments to become available which have kept me alive to experience milestones like my three children all becoming teenagers, and my eldest starting University.

It matters to me that all others who could benefit from Crizotinib be given the opportunity to live longer and better.

Some facts:

  • Crizotinib for ROS 1 received NOC November 2017 
  • It received a positive PCODR recommendation June 7 2019. 
  • The PCPA (pricing) negotiations are complete.  
  • Provinces across the country have started to cover it including BC, SK, QB, NL, NB. 
  • It fits in with provincial pandemic plans (including ONTARIO) to keep patients out of hospital as it is an oral take home medication. 


This drug is vitally needed as a treatment for ROS1 positive lung cancer patients. Here is a link to a letter from Lung Cancer Canada written in June 2020 to Angie Wong, which outlines the case for funding.  To date, there has been no response. 

https://www.lungcancercanada.ca/LungCancerCanada/media/Images/Crizotinib-for-Ros-1-ON-FINAL.pdf


I look forward to hearing from your office and discussing this issue with you.

Warm regards,
Jill 

Jill Hamer-Wilson  BEng, BEd, MTS      

613-325-5695

www.ThroughtheValley.ca

Lung Cancer Survivor Advocate

Canadalung@gmail.com

Please send an email to the Ontario Minister of Health, the Honourable Christine Elliott christine.elliott@pc.ola.org, and also cc me canadalung@gmail.com.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns or comments.

I addressed this email to the Minister of Health, and cc’d in France Gélinas, (NDP Health Critic), John Fraser (Liberal Health Critic), Karen Hughes (Deputy Minister), and Robin Martin (Parliamentary Assistant). I also sent personalised emails to several others, including my own Member of Provincial Parliament. (Email addresses: christine.elliott@pc.ola.org fgelinas-qp@ndp.on.ca karen.hughes@ontario.ca jfraser.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org)

If you live in Ontario, please also email your local MPP and mention your address so they know they represent you. It’s easy to find your MPP:  https://www.ola.org/en/members/current

Please cc me: canadalung@gmail.com

Please also reach out to the Health Minister on social media if you are able.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/celliottability?s=21

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ChristineElliottON/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/celliottability?igshid=157mo9u4heruz

Please tag me, and include #HOPEUNiTES Thank you!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I am very grateful that you are doing this! I love Patty and others with ROS1 lung cancer, and I very much want all to live longer and better with Crizotinib. Your participation means a great deal.

  • Patty Watkins and me at LUNGevity’s 2019 Summit

A pill can turn a life around. Thank you for acting to turn people’s lives around.

Research and Hope

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Research makes a world of difference! Research is a reason to hope, and daily there are advances in cancer research.

Patients, survivors and caregivers can speak into the research process, making it better. There is need for people who have cancer experience to participate as research advocates.

I’m glad to finally have my computer back and running, the corrupted hard drive replaced. Not having a computer made life and advocacy much more challenging. Even without it, I’ve been busy with a lot of lung cancer activities, including ongoing research advocacy with the Canadian Cancer Trials Group and the International Lung Cancer Foundation.

If you are a lung cancer survivor advocate who is interested in learning and growing as a research advocate, please consider applying to the (IASLC) International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s “STARS” program, in which I participated as a mentor for six months last year. Such a great learning opportunity! You’ll need a reference and to set aside a few hours to apply. (The AACR Scientist <–> Survivor Program is also excellent, and open to advocates for all cancers.)

Awesome STARS advocates at the World Conference on Lung Cancer, Barcelona, September 2019.

I spoke as part of a team to a group of patient advisors at The Ottawa Hospital in January, with the goal of working together to improve cancer clinical trials. They were engaged and inspiring! We are walking in new territory and innovating new pathways. I’m hopeful.

Our monthly lung cancer hope outreach tables at the Cancer Centre continue with good coordinating work from Andrea Redway, with support from The Ottawa Hospital, Lung Cancer Canada and the IASLC. It is clear that the information and conversations make a real difference for survivors who stop by, many are newly diagnosed or in process of being diagnosed, which is one of the most challenging parts of the lung cancer journey. We are privileged to invite them into community, share information and stories, and (perhaps most importantly) listen. It is clear by their facial expressions and body language that they tend to leave much more uplifted and encouraged. We have an amazing team of compassionate and skilled people. From time to time, we talk about the emotional toll it takes on our team. Most agree that it leaves us feeling a little emotional fatigue by the end of the day, but after a bit of rest we are restored. Overall, this work brings so much joy and fulfilment to team members. We get along well and enjoy each others’ company. It’s really good to work together as a team. I’m very grateful for these people and other teammates who invest a day each month.

Some of our outreach table team members chatting with Dr. Paul Wheatley-Price in January. (That day I spent a lot of time talking with Ottawa Hospital employees as well as patients!)

There are many amazing people doing good work for people affected by lung cancer and other cancers. What a privilege to get to know some of them, and sometimes connect them with each other! It brings me joy to connect people to form strategic partnerships.

It was great to meet Amy Desjardins, Director of the Canadian Cancer Society, Ottawa Region, in person in January, and to learn that their holiday fundraising appeal which used my story has raised over $280,000 for cancer research.

I’m part of several online lung cancer communities, which offer information, empathy and support. I’ve met many hundreds of people around the world through these groups, and it’s exciting to meet in person. When Kim told me that she was coming to Ottawa for the Family Day long week-end, I asked my kids how they felt about having her family over for dinner. They jokingly gave me the “Stranger Danger” talk! They are very supportive of my lung cancer work because we’ve talked about it and they understand how important lung cancer survivor community and advocacy are. They know that it’s up to us to support people and stand up for better outcomes for people with lung cancer. We were very happy to welcome Kim and her family into our home. It was great to spend time together.

I continue to connect with many people affected by lung cancer and spend hours each month listening, encouraging and seeking to inspire hope. It’s an honour. We have the choice to live in hope or fear, so why not choose hope?

I’m doing a little art these days when I can set aside the time.

Did I mention that my youngest turned 13 recently? That’s right, now all three are teens and life is wonderful! I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be alive and be here with them and for them. I cherish these precious moments, and hope for many more. I dedicate time and effort to advocacy with hope that this will help improve outcomes for others affected by lung cancer, today and in the days to come.

My 13yo made this cake for a little Leap Year Day party we held with some good friends!

#ResearchMatters

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Five years ago I was feeble and fragile, just finished my fifth round of chemotherapy, having coughed for months before diagnosis, still coughing because although chemo helped, it didn’t really help that much. Facebook just reminded me of that time with a photo of some of the many gorgeous flowers that beautiful people sent to us to encourage us, because we all need encouragement, especially when we are travelling rough places in our road.

  • Another gorgeous gift!
  • Gerberas are the happiest flowers!

I could hardly talk, couldn’t do much more than lie on the couch looking at beautiful flowers. I pushed myself hard, not wanting to give up one millimetre to lung cancer, but even so, those were difficult days. Some of my friends are going through hard times like this now. Those were hard days, because no matter how tough I was or how hard I pushed, lung cancer kept pushing harder, and chemo sure wasn’t doing the job.

Thankfully lung cancer research made a difference for me. I’ve been on a series of targeted therapy drugs for almost five years now, and they have been -not without side effects- better than chemotherapy.

I’m alive and well, and now I’m still fighting! I’m not fighting for my life at the moment, but I’m fighting for others, including those who have not yet been diagnosed.

I’m thankful that I’m not fighting alone. Here are a few of my terrific teammates gathered in Atlanta for the AACR Annual Conference:

Lung cancer research has been neglected, and I can’t understand why. New treatments are game changers, so let’s keep going and make a great life and death difference for more people! Let’s find new targeted therapies to work for more of the lung cancer patients. Let’s turn more patients into survivors!

Lung Cancer needs a little more love, and a lot more research money. More research money means more survivors. Look at me! I’m alive and I’m living life! I’m celebrating life every day because every day is a gift to be celebrated!

A bunch of us -lung cancer patients and others- are walking the Ottawa Race Week-end 2K this May 25. Come join us! We’re going to have a great time! We’re getting tee shirts! We’re just getting started! Stay tuned for more details, and sign up to join our team please! We are “Lung Cancer Team Canada”, and we’re raising $$ for Lung Cancer Canada. Here’s the link.

People matter. People with lung cancer matter. Lung Cancer #ResearchMatters . Tell everybody!

#ChooseHope

# Hope Unites

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A whirlwind trip and a great opportunity to meet patients, caregivers, advocates, donors, doctors, and many others at Lung Cancer Canada’s Toronto events last month! I’m so grateful that I was able to participate in their fundraiser and first ever Canadian Lung Cancer Patient Summit. I’m very impressed with the good work that Lung Cancer Canada is doing!

The “Evening of Hope”, the Thursday evening fundraiser, was a fun night where I met a variety of interesting people. Woven through the laughter and tears was much hope and joy, and deep appreciation for the people and work of Lung Cancer Canada. I felt very blessed!

If you look below, you’ll get an idea of what kind of day the Patient Summit was on Friday. It was, in its own very small kind of way, a marathon of hope! So many excellent presentations about innovative and exciting advances in the treatment of lung cancer! A lot of good info about how to access and pay for new treatments too!

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During lunch, we were honoured to hear from Darrell Fox, Terry Fox’s younger brother. The Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $700 million for cancer research worldwide! We are so grateful for Terry Fox, his family and legacy! What a treat to hear Darrell speak – humbly and powerfully – and then talk more with him later in the afternoon. I am grateful for his encouragement!

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There was a beautiful atmosphere of encouragement and sharing at the event, and I appreciated the opportunities to listen to and learn from a variety of people. Many patients have to travel for treatment, and that can be very costly. I heard one oncologist offer a spare room to a patient. Such kindness!

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I got to meet Chris Draft, a former NFL linebacker who founded the Chris Draft Family Foundation and serves as a huge advocate on our behalf. You can watch a video he made by clicking: Team Draft – What is the Biggest Cancer Killer? (Spoiler alert: the answer is Lung Cancer) What an encouraging and inspiring person!

 

Probably my highlight of the two days was to meet this group of special women, listen to their stories, and receive their support and encouragement.

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These lung cancer patients / caregivers travelled from the West Coast, the East Coast, and places in between to gather at the Patient Summit. What a gift to connect! Lung cancer isolates. # Hope Unites!

And there is reason for hope!

But there are also a lot of grim statistics. Lung Cancer Canada recently released their 2016 Report, which you can read here: Faces of Lung Cancer Report 2016, if you’re feeling brave.img_7968

There’s a picture of me & my kids in the report.

Last month was Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and I learned a bit about advocacy and Twitter through trying to tweet some Lung Cancer facts. I’m @JillHW on Twitter, and you are welcome to follow, though I can’t promise how much I’ll be there in the coming months!

Lung Cancer causes 27% of cancer deaths, yet receives only 1% of personal donations.  

I’ve entered Team Draft’s Superbowl Challenge fundraiser, and I would be honoured if you’d consider supporting us by clicking on Hamer-Wilson Hope Team.

I came home from Toronto exhausted and energized! I came home inspired to serve as an advocate for Lung Cancer Patients and our families. I hope I will get many opportunities for many, many years!

Hope is powerful!