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Bruce Power Expresses Support for POGO’s Survivorship Initiatives

Posted on October 31, 2019 by admin

L to R: Dr. Mark Greenberg, Senior Clincal Lead, Strategic Initiatives and Founder, POGO; Mike Rencheck, President & CEO, Bruce Power; Bill Walker, MPP, Associate Minister of Energy; Jill Ross, CEO, POGO; James Scongack, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Operational Services, Bruce Power; Dr. David Hodgson, Medical Director, POGO; Dirk Noyahr, childhood cancer survivor and client in POGO’s school and work counselling program

Tiverton, ON (October 30, 2019) — Bruce Power announced today that it is fully committed to supporting the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario’s initiatives to provide children with cancer, their families, and survivors of childhood cancer, with access to ongoing treatment, care and financial support.

The announcement, made at the MaRS Centre in Toronto, reinforces a $300,000 commitment made by Bruce Power to POGO on February 15 – International Childhood Cancer Day. Bruce Power, a leader in the production of medical isotopes that are used around the world to improve people’s lives, will provide the funding over the next five years as a key element of the company’s Community Investment and Sponsorship Program.

“Our commitment to the people of Ontario crosses many paths,” said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power President and CEO. “We provide 30 per cent of the province’s electricity at 30 per cent less than the cost to generate residential power. We inject $4 billion into Ontario’s economy every year, and we contribute $2 million annually to grassroots initiatives, events and organizations that improve the lives of children, adults, Indigenous peoples and military veterans.

“The continuing efforts around our production of medical isotopes are heavily focused on working with the medical community and other partners to find new ways for treating cancer. We share the values of POGO in providing state-of-the-art care to those afflicted with cancer in their childhood years, and doing what it can for families dealing with this life-changing diagnosis.”

One program supported by the Bruce Power funding is POGO’s school and work counselling service for childhood cancer survivors (SAVTI). POGO launched this program in 2002 to address a significant gap in survivor care, helping survivors, aged 16 plus, with neurocognitive challenges receive the necessary support to set and attain realistic educational and employment goals. POGO provides one-on-one counselling tailored to a student’s medical past and subsequent cognitive profile to help them bridge the gap between high school and whatever comes next for that student. POGO counsellors, specialists in their field, support clients in London, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston and the surrounding areas. Together with neuropsychologists, they also help young people identify and access the accommodations they need, connect to resources in the community, and receive guidance to empower them to become self-advocates at school and at work. POGO counsellors provided services to over 400 cancer survivors last year.

“Bruce Power’s multi-year commitment provides stable funding that will allow us to plan long-term for initiatives that support childhood cancer survivors, as well as Ontario families with children in cancer treatment,” said Jill Ross, POGO’s CEO. “Our work with community partners like Bruce Power, who share our commitment to helping people deal with cancer, plays an important role in ensuring a high-quality, safe and coordinated system of care that addresses both their physical and emotional well-being.”

“In addition to being the backbone of our province’s energy system, Bruce Power is now also an important partner in Ontario’s health care system, producing life-saving medical isotopes and providing financial and other supports to help fight childhood cancer,” said Bill Walker, MPP, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound and Associate Minister of Energy. “I commend your commitment and look forward to the great work from your new partnership with the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario.”

About Bruce Power
Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an electricity company based in Bruce County, Ontario. We are powered by our people. Our 4,100 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable, low-cost nuclear power to families and businesses across the province. Bruce Power is also a significant source of Cobalt-60, a radioisotope used for the sterilization of medical equipment around the world as well as a specialized form of cancer treatment called the Gamma Knife. Learn more at www.brucepower.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario
In 1983, a group of passionate and visionary pediatric oncologists founded the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO). Today, inspired by the children and families whose lives we strive to improve, we champion childhood cancer care on behalf of the childhood cancer community. POGO is the official source of advice on childhood cancer to the Ministry of Health; a trusted source of information among colleagues, parents, survivors and the public; and the longstanding leader of a collaboration among the five academic pediatric oncology programs and other stakeholders, which has resulted in a highly integrated childhood cancer system. Learn more at www.pogo.ca and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube

When Your Tumour Leaves You With a Disability – by Noah Severino

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Kelly Zorzi

Noah Severino

I was 9 years old when I was diagnosed with late stage rhabdomyosarcoma. I had been experiencing chronic fatigue, migraines and tingling in my face for over two months, but none of the doctors could find anything wrong. Then one morning I woke up and I was completely blind in my right eye.

The ophthalmologist found no reason for me to lose my sight so he ordered an emergency CT scan. I remember the pediatrician on call coming out of the viewing room and saying to my mom, “You need to get to SickKids Hospital right now; they are waiting for you.”

A tumour had basically encapsulated my brain and was moving; the doctors thought I was 24 – 48 hours away from dying. They started me on emergency chemo and radiation before they could even put a name to what I had. All in all, I had a total of 50 rounds of chemo and 30 rounds of radiation over the course of a year. Radiation caused third-degree burns on my cheek, head, in my mouth and down my esophagus, so eating was a real challenge. I used to drink coffee creamers to keep my weight up and because my mouth was so raw.

My tumour was so aggressive and advanced when I was diagnosed, that doctors wondered whether I would be able to overcome it. They wondered if I would be functional or articulate after such intense treatment, but here I am, 17 years later, a graduate of the Master of Management program at the Schulich School of Business, and thankfully cancer-free.

Anyone who knows a childhood cancer survivor knows that life doesn’t just return to normal when you are declared cured. The tumour severed my optic nerve and I am completely blind in one eye. The radiation permanently damaged my thyroid and my pituitary gland, and for a long time my tear ducts and salivary glands were not functional. I still live with daily headaches that range from two to nine on the pain scale.

I have annual checkups at my POGO AfterCare Clinic. They are monitoring me for secondary cancers (because of all the radiation) and cardiac issues that may arise due to the type of chemotherapy I had. I get regular MRIs to look for brain tumours and I am thankful that my results have been clear.

As you can imagine, a tumour around my brain, radiation to the head and a year out of school can put a kid at a disadvantage academically.

I was luckier than other childhood cancer survivors in the same situation in that a neighbour who was a retired teacher offered to be my private tutor to help me catch up—I was actually working at a higher level than my peers at one point. Still, I found school challenging (albeit a welcome one) and used special accommodations, like a note taker to help supplement my own notes in case I experienced writing fatigue or a migraine.

Watch Straight Talk: Assistive Technology after Childhood Cancer

Counsellors in the POGO School and Work Transitions Program (Transitions Program) work one-on-one with survivors like me to help us achieve our academic and employment goals. A HUGE challenge for me has been disclosing my disability when applying for a job. No one wants to hear that a potential employee isn’t going to be able to type quickly, or won’t show up for work some days because of the headaches and chronic pain he has to deal with.

The Transitions Program is funded entirely by donations from the private sector. DONATE TODAY.

Between some of the workshops I have attended, help from my family and talking one-on-one with my counsellor, I have the tools I need to advocate for myself. It is very intimidating to put yourself out there, but I have gained the confidence I need to say, “I’m a childhood cancer survivor and as a result of my treatments this is what I have to deal with, but I promise you I’m a hard worker and you will be happy with what I can do.”

I can honestly say that if I could go back in time and take away my cancer experience, I don’t think I would. It has shaped my goals and made me who I am. My hope is to one day work with other childhood cancer survivors or kids with serious illnesses to help them grow and be the best they can be.

Through his work with his POGO Counsellor, Noah received a number of post-secondary scholarships and graduated with a (Honours) Bachelor of Humanities from Carleton University and a Master of Management from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Noah is currently working at the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Life After Childhood Cancer – A Conference for Survivors

Posted on August 27, 2015 by admin

From setting life goals and dealing with the long-term health effects of treatment, to telling a new love interest about their experience with cancer, survivors of childhood cancer may struggle with many issues.

From October 16 – 18, 2015, POGO and Camp Oochigeas will present Life After Childhood Cancer, the third POGO survivor conference to address key issues survivors themselves have identified as being important to their health and well-being.

Matthew is a proud high school graduate, a college grad and a survivor. He has ongoing physical and cognitive challenges brought on by his disease and its treatment. He has difficulty with fine motor coordination, and a hard time listening and translating that information on paper. But he is driven to succeed and perseveres. Instead of taking notes by hand, he uses a laptop. If he doesn’t understand something, Matthew has no problem asking for help or researching until he figures it out. Matthew will attend the survivor conference for the first time this year.

“I’m looking forward to the survivor conference,” says Matthew. “I’m curious to hear from other survivors about their experiences and to share mine.”

In past years survivors of all ages have attended the conference and say it has helped them to better answer questions from others who have not experienced cancer.

“The conference aims to address educational and information needs in the context of social and recreational interaction – a combination we have found addresses survivors’ needs in a unique fashion, directly applicable to their daily life,” says Dr. Mark Greenberg, Senior Adviser, Policy & Clinical Affairs at POGO.

Practical approaches to their issues, like fertility and the disease’s impact on their families, are presented by leading experts, and also by other survivors. Survivors leave the conference knowing what questions to ask of their family doctor, who may never see another survivor in their practice.

“I’m happy that some sessions are run by other cancer survivors because it’s good to know I’m not the only one going through this,” says a past conference participant.

As for Matthew, his list of questions is building.

“I’m very interested to see what I can learn that will help me in the future,” he says.

While no one wants to think about cancer after they have beaten it, the thought of attending Life After Childhood Cancer would be one that is not wasted.

Get details about the 2015 Ooch/POGO Survivor Conference.

POGO

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Bruce Power Expresses Support for POGO’s Survivorship Initiatives

When Your Tumour Leaves You With a Disability – by Noah Severino

Life After Childhood Cancer – A Conference for Survivors