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TRURO & AREA
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
P ROSTATE E XAMINER
Thunder Bay
Spring Newsletter 2015
Launch of The Aboriginal DVD - A Man’s Story
Looking for Support?
Martin, an experienced male nurse, talks about the prostate and prostate cancer, its diagnosis,
and the treatment options. When detected early, the survival rate of prostate cancer can be
over 90%.
The family of the late Richard Lyons, a well-known and respected aboriginal Elder and leader,
who died from prostate cancer, also shares their story of Richard’s experience with the disease.
The common message from all is the importance for aboriginal men to be tested for prostate
cancer as early as age 40 and to discuss their health issues with their families.
Advisory Committee
Special Thanks
Translators
Bill Vantour, Chair
Bill Everitt
Nathan Hyder - Sound
Fred Jacob
Ella Smith
Marilyn Junnila
Ed Long
Bean Production - Photography
Bertha Metat
Felicia Waboose
Maureen Rowlands, PCC
Jim Hyder,
Director
Alex Ostamas
Anastasia Weesk
TRURO & AREA
Bruce Shisheesh
Women Available to Talk to You
Ev Burki....... 768-8744
©2014
after
6pm
Marilyn Junnila....... 475-5706
after 5pm
Beth Long....... 983-2353
Dianne Slack....... 473-8297
Inga Vantour....... 767-8515
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
Northwestern Ontario Region
Atikokan
Ron Speck.........807 597-2219
Dryden
Horst Lang.........807 223-5516
Fort Frances
John Thompson.........807 274-4807
Hearst
Marcel Girouard.........705 362-8154
Longlac
Dick Mannisto.........807 876-4485
Terrace Bay/Schreiber
John St. Amand....... 807 825-9054
PCCN-Thunder Bay officially released A Man’s Story,
a video on prostate cancer and the importance of
its early detection and treatment, on January 23 at
the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre. The video
features aboriginal elders Freda McDonald, Gerry
Martin, Mark Sault and family members of the late
aboriginal elder Richard Lyons who died in 2005 from
prostate cancer. The target audience for A Man’s Story
is aboriginal men, their families and communities. The
video has been translated into Ojibway, Cree and OjiCree dialects. Funding for A Man’s Story was provided
by Prostate Cancer Canada and PCCN-Thunder Bay.
A Man’s Story
A message about prostate cancer
for men and their families.
A Man’s Story
Prostate cancer is one of the three leading cancers in aboriginal men in Ontario and the cause
of many unnecessary deaths. It doesn’t need to be this way! In A Man’s Story, aboriginal elders
Gerry Martin and Freda McDonald, talk about prostate cancer and the importance of its early
detection and treatment.
by Bill Everitt
Prostate Cancer Canada Network - Thunder Bay
Men Available to Talk to You
Brian Scott....... 983-2033
Bill Everitt....... 767-5768
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
Duncan Jamieson....... 933-4856
Bill Horde....... 767-1490
Bill Vantour....... 767-8515
Grant Arnold....... 933-4214
Ed Long....... 983-2353
A Man’s Story
Phil Junnila....... 475-5706
Steve Dychko....... 577-1881
Denis Perron....... 344-7076
Mel Zobatar....... 767-6081
Jim Hyder....... 933-0124
Marcel Girouard....... 705-362-8154
(en francais)
A Man’s Story is presented in English, and Ojibway, Cree, and Oji-Cree dialects.
TRURO & AREA
The meeting was called to order by Bill Everitt, the MC for the event, who
welcomed everyone on behalf of PCCN-Thunder Bay. Aboriginal elders and
video narrators, Freda McDonald and Gerry Martin, conducted an opening
(smudging) ceremony prior to the formal program. The Indian Friendship
Centre was thanked for the use of their facility and it was recognized that the
event was taking place on the traditional land of the Fort William First Nations.
Prostate Cancer Canada
Network - Thunder Bay
gratefully acknowledges
the funding of this resource
by Prostate Cancer Canada.
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
Grant Arnold, Vice-President, brought greetings from the organization on behalf
of President Ed Long and spoke of the commitment of PCCN-Thunder Bay over
the past 20 years to assist men and their families who are dealing with prostate
cancer. Marilyn Junnila, a member of the national prostate cancer Advisory
Board and a member of the video Production Advisory Committee, recognized
the video participants,
presenting personal
copies of the videos
and
packets
of
tobacco to Freda
McDonald,
Gerry
Martin, Marge Lyons,
Verna Legarde, and
Kathy Beck.
Continued on Page 2
NEXT
MEETING
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Speaker: Dr. Jaro Kotalik on “How To Talk To Your Doctor”
Location: 55 Plus Centre, 700 River St.
Time: 7:00PM
Launch of The Aboriginal DVD - A Man’s Story (continued)
Jim Hyder, the Director for the video, gave a brief background to the video, as did Gerry Martin who had seen
previous videos developed by the group, but said, “when I viewed these other videos, as good as they were, I
did not see myself or my people in them”. The current video, A Man’s Story, is a direct result of this.
A thirteen minute clip of the English version of the video was viewed and was followed by comments from
members of the audience. John Rafferty, MP for the federal electoral district of Thunder Bay-Rainy River,
complimented PCCN-Thunder Bay for the excellent video and encouraged us to find a way to distribute it as
broadly as possible. Ontario Regional Grand Chief Stan Beardy echoed Mr. Rafferty’s comments and pointed
out the challenges of providing both preventative and diagnostic activities such as PSA testing in the remote
north. He expressed concern that Health Canada emphasizes acute and chronic care activities in the north
with very little emphasis on public health. Furthermore, he stated that nurses from southern Ontario are often
placed for short periods in northern nursing stations, lacking in both community and cultural awareness.
The well attended video launch had over 50 people representing numerous organizations including: Chiefs of
Ontario, Fort William First Nations, Whitesands First Nations, Lac des Milles Lac First Nations, several areas of the
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Dilico, The Thunder Bay Indian Friendship
Centre, and Mishko Bimoadziwin Family Support Services.
PCCN-Thunder Bay’s Board of Directors was out in numbers ensuring that the event was well organized. Thanks
to the following: Grant Arnold, Bill Vantour, Bill Bartley, Lorne Sampson, Steve Dychko, Ray Turcotte, Denis
Perron. Special thanks go to Marilyn Junnila who prepared trays of homemade bannock.
Aboriginal DVD Sneak Preview
by Anne Scott
The focus of the January 15, 2015 meeting was a sneak preview of the new DVD A Man’s Story. The DVD
was produced by PCCN – Thunder Bay’s Jim Hyder, along with an advisory group of PCCN – Thunder Bay
members: Bill Everitt, Marilyn Junnila, Ed Long and Bill Vantour, as well as First Nation Elders, Gerry Martin
and Freda MacDonald.
The DVD introduced Prostate Cancer, its symptoms, diagnostic tests and treatments to the aboriginal community in simple, straightforward terms.
It has been produced in four languages, English, Ojibway, Oji-Cree and Cree. It emphasizes the use of traditional approaches of dealing with disease and the importance of families and sharing within the community.
The audience response of the 32 present was overwhelmingly positive. One man commented on the importance of having Dr. Richard Lyons’ family participate in the making of the DVD as Dr. Lyons was a respected
Elder in the aboriginal and Thunder Bay communities, and a member of our group. He died of Prostate Cancer
in 2005.
The widow of a member who died recently felt that the emphasis in the DVD on early detection and the importance of speaking out about prostate cancer was excellent.
Little Lyons Waldorf Daycare & Valley Central School Raise Funds
For the Third Year In a Row
Our little friends and supporters at the Little Lyons Waldorf Daycare and Valley Central School raised funds
for the third year in a row to donate to PCCN-Thunder
Bay. The students of the daycare made moustaches
and the grade six class of the school made rice crispy
squares to sell at the school and raise funds for the
donation. The students presented us with a cheque for
$252.30, and a commitment to do it again next year. A
sincere thank you to all of the students and teachers
who continue in their efforts to support men’s health
through the mission and work of PCCN-Thunder Bay.
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pccnthunderbay.org
Christmas Social 2014
55 Plus Centre - Tuesday, December 16
This was an evening of fun, food, socializing and music, story telling, a few jokes, laughter and goodwill
Merry Christmas wishes, Happy New Year and exchanging plans for embracing winter or escaping to the sunny
south.
A warm welcome to: Dick Mannisto, our new contact from Longlac, and Dr. Sunil Gulavita & his wife, Shanti
Thank you to all who made this evening possible:
Bill Horde and Ray Dafoe for organizing the event,
Rose Horde and Nellie De Dura for arranging the food,
Anne Scott for making the gluten free food,
Lorne Sampson for the set up of tables and chairs,
Steve Dychko for the music,
The staff of 55 Plus,
And a big thank you to all of you who attended.
Thank You Donors & Supporters
PCCN-Thunder Bay extends a sincere thank you to all of the businesses, community groups, and individuals
who made donations and supported us in 2014. Your donations and support help to fund the vital work of our
group to raise prostate cancer awareness, to provide information and support to men with prostate cancer
and their families, to network with prostate cancer support groups in Northwestern Ontario, and to help fund
research as we are able.
Thank You to our Business & Community Group Donors & Supporters
Please remember to thank them when doing business and/or engaging with them.
Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar
Harbourview Funeral Centre
Frank Cava Memorial Golf Tournament
Hilldale Boys of Hilldale Lutheran Church
Life Labs
Flipper Flanagan’s Flat Footed Four
Mark’s Work Wearhouse
Janssen Inc
Stride Orthopedics & Footwear
Little Lions Waldorf Daycare & Valley Central School
Signs Now
Musselwhite Mine
Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association
Richard Pepper & Band
Used Car Superstore
Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre
Spring Newsletter 2015
Lakehead Classic Cars
Thunder Bay Border Cats
Thunder Bay Telephone
The UPS Store #96
3
Gary Cooper On Human Organ & Tissue Transplant Donations
By Marilyn Arnold
Gary Cooper, a volunteer speaker with the “Trillium Gift of Life Network”, was the guest speaker at the
General Meeting on Thursday, February 19, 2015, giving a presentation on “Human Organ & Tissue
Transplant Donations”.
Mr. Cooper gave a dynamic presentation of his own personal journey as a two times transplant
recipient. He stressed the importance of donor recipient compatibility and timely retrieval from the
donor to the transplant recipient. Donor recipient information is strictly confidential.
Donor cards received with your Drivers License are of no value. Forms to become a donor, using your Health Card, are available at the secure website: beadonor.ca. Statistical information and
updates are also available at this website.
Lorne Sampson, one of our members, then shared the donor family perspective, with written
expressions of gratitude and recognition.
A heartfelt thank you was given to Gary and Lorne for sharing their stories and information about
transplant donations. An Honorary Membership in PCCN Thunder Bay was presented to Mr. Cooper.
Gary Cooper is a retired police officer and the recipient of two liver transplants, the latest one in
2010. He is also a Patient & Family Advisor at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
In Memoriam
Ronald Makinen passed away peacefully at home on Monday,
December 15, 2014 with his family by his side. He enjoyed time in the
bush, on the farm, at the summer camp and taking road trips with family.
Ron was a private person and PCCN-Thunder Bay was the only group
to which he belonged in his lifetime. He told others about the value of
the group. He was 75.
Gunter Spengler passed away on Saturday, December 27, 2014. He
was an avid outdoorsman, builder, gardener, history buff, husband,
father, grandfather and all around gentleman. Gunter was a founding
member of the Thunder Bay Prostate Support Group. He was 80.
Don Sutherland passed away suddenly from a stroke on Sunday,
February 22, 2014. He enjoyed a teaching career, but his special love
was coaching sports. In 2005, he was inducted into the Northwestern
Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Don spent many hours attending his
children’s activities, and was proud of them, especially when all three
children followed his footsteps into the teaching profession. He was 74.
We at PCCN-Thunder Bay send our condolences to their families.
4
pccnthunderbay.org
News From The Region
Marcel’s Morsels
by Marcel Girouard, Hearst, ON
The Power of Numbers
In October 2014, Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC) guidelines recommended that prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
testing not be used to screen for prostate cancer, based on evidence that
(allegedly) shows an increased risk of harm and uncertain benefits.
Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC) disagrees with that recommendation and so has launched a
full-scale campaign to remind Canadians that the benefits of PSA screening far outweigh the
negatives.
PCC president and CEO, Rocco Rossi, supported by many prostate cancer survivors,
aggressively protested and disagreed with the recommendations by reminding men that early detection using smart screening for prostate cancer can save lives, that men deserve to know where
they stand to have a fighting chance and that with early detection, and that the survival rate for
prostate cancer can exceed 90 per cent.
At the November 2014 Central Canada PCA support group leaders retreat at Huntsville, Rossi
asked us to have our members register for the PCC Updates so that he can actually state how
many people he speaks for when he approaches governments and sponsors. These support
group leaders agreed that a special signup procedure that would allow gun-shy members to opt
out of fund raising emails would be desirable.
Yaz Maziar, PCC director of digital marketing, has created a link on PCCN’s web page
www.prostatecancer.ca/PCCNSubscribe; all contacts will be counted as supporters. However,
while I totally agree with this idea, my feeling is that many men of prostate cancer age- at least
in my region – are not using computers, or are not yet comfortably computer-literate. Using
information technology to increase membership has worked for the Heart and Stroke Foundation
of Canada; under Rossi’s directorship, their mail out listings jumped to 35,000 from just 400.
One particular statistic that I’ve heard for many years indicates that 25,000 men in Canada are
diagnosed with prostate cancer annually, 4,000 of whom die from this disease each year.
I don’t know how the bean counters determine these numbers, but they represent a significant
number of voters who could benefit from PCC support and research dollars to eliminate this
plague.
I believe that PCC speaks for them. Don’t quit on PSA screening; early detection can save lives
and boost survival rates.
Recommended reading: Google - Toronto Star Nov. 2 2014 and read an article by Dr. Larry
Goldenberg, chair of Canadian Men’s Health Foundation and UBC professor of urology sciences.
Spring Newsletter 2015
5
Visit us at pccnthunderbay.org, or look us up on Facebook.
Our newsletters are now available on our website www.pccnthunderbay.org
If you would like to receive your copy by email, please email [email protected]
Upcoming Events
Thursday, April 16: Dr. Jaro Kotalik on “How To Talk To Your Doctor”
7:00 pm, 55 Plus Centre, 700 River St.
Note: This presentation will be live streamed from our website.
Thursday, April 23:
55 Plus Centre Health & Wellness Expo
10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Thursday, May 21:
Michael Sargent on
“Talking With The Funeral Director Before You Have To”
7:00 pm, 55 Plus Centre, 700 River St.
Thursday, June 18:
Annual Beef On A Bun Social
(PCCN Members & Families)
5:00 pm, 55 Plus Centre, 700 River St.
Newsletter Committee
Email: [email protected]
Beth Long 983-2353 Brian Scott Grant & Marilyn Arnold Marcel Girouard Ed Long 983-2033
933-4214 (705) 362-8154
983-2353
TRURO & AREA
Board Members
Ed Long
Grant Arnold
Bill Bartley
Ray Dafoe
Jim Holmes
Bill Horde
Denis Perron
Lorne Sampson
President
Secretary/Treasurer
Director
Director
Contact Us
Bill Vantour
Vice President
Past President
Bob Danylko
Director
Director
Director
Director
Bob Lavoie
Director
Thunder Bay
1100 Memorial Avenue - Suite 374
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 4A3
807.627.0333
[email protected]
www.pccnthunerbay.org
Thunder Bay
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