Fall is here and our program planning is doing very well; so, things are looking good.  The following is a quick summary of some relevant information and a link to the latest National Group’s monthly newsletter.

UPCOMING/CURRENT EVENTS

Tuesday 12 November Meeting – Dr. Junaid Yousuf (Windsor Radiation Oncologist)

Dr. Junaid Yousuf will be presenting. His focus will be radiation options for treating prostate cancer with an emphasis on Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), which was recently initiated at Windsor regional Hospital. Again, special thank-you to Dr. Sorensen for arranging.

Dr. Yousuf is a Radiation Oncologist at the Windsor Regional Hospital where he leads a busy clinical practice across a number of disease sites including GU, breast, GI, thoracic, cutaneous and hematologic malignancies.  

He is an award winning medical educator and is actively engaged in training the next generation of physicians and allied health care professionals.  Dr. Yousuf is a sought after and dynamic speaker on various topics within Oncology.  He is a spirited leader and seasoned mentor who takes a keen interest in topics related to physician wellness and clinician burnout.  

Dr. Yousuf is a graduate from the University of Ottawa with his MD, and completed his residency in Radiation Oncology at Queen’s University.  He is currently an Assistant Professor at Western University and Adjunct Professor at the University of Windsor.

As always, this meeting starts at 7pm at the Hospice (Empress St.). For those who would like to attend remotely, please access via ZOOM.

For Zoom—click the following Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6953623178

Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Grown On Campaign – Through the month of November, we are helping out with the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Grown-On Campaign that is raising funds for the new DaVinci Surgical Robot at Windsor Regional Hospital.

The DaVinci Surgical Robot has been a key factor in the treatment and survival of several of our members and this campaign will directly benefit local prostate cancer patients going forward. The WCCF also provides direct support to our group by helping us defray some of our operating costs. We strongly encourage our members to support the Grow On Campaign by joining our PCSWE Grow On Team, and/or donating what you can at this link:

https://fnd.us/a2SK0d?ref=sh_cDiXx1

RECENT EVENTS

Tuesday 8 October Meeting – Dr. Chris Langley (Chatham-Kent Urologist) – October’s monthly Hybrid-ZOOM meeting was excellent.  Dr. Chris Langley (Chatham Urologist) presented to the group on the Contemporary Surgical Management of Prostate Cancer.  The Sarnia/Wallaceburg, London, and Burlington groups also joined in.  We would like to thank Dr. Sorensen for arranging this speaker.

FUTURE EVENTS

Tues 17 Dec 24 (NOT 10 December) Xmas Dinner – We have decided to have an Xmas dinner at 5pm coincident with the Legion 594 bi-weekly all-you-can-eat Spaghetti Dinner.  This has previously proven to be an excellent event.  We will provide more details in next month’s communique.

January 2025 – We do NOT meet in January.

Tues 11 Feb 25 Meeting – Dr. Fernanda Berto (Chatham-Kent Urologist) will speak about complications following radical prostatectomy/radiation therapy and the treatment including urine and continence and all dysfunction and structure.  And once again, special thanx to Dr. Sorensen arranging.

Tues 11 Mar 25 Meeting – Dr. Ryan McLarty (Windsor Urologist) – Ryan McLarty will be giving an update on Robotic Prostatectomy.  And once again, special thanx to Dr. Sorensen arranging.

OTHER NEWS

Facebook Group – Olav is currently developing a Facebook Group for Prostate Cancer Support Windsor/Essex.  If you are a Facebook afficionado, please search for our Group. Prostate Cancer Support Windsor/Essex

If you have any suggested changes or ideas for what you would like to see on a Facebook Group, please let us know.

Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (PCFC) National Conference – PCFC hosted a national conference on Saturday 26 October.  The following summarizes the main points of discussion:

• PCFC Plans for 2025 (and beyond) by the new Executive Director (Dr. Abby Collier).  The appointment of Dr. Abby C. Collier as the new Executive Director. She joins PCFC from the University of British Columbia where she has been a member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences since 2013;
• National Programs and How they Complement the work of Prostate Cancer Groups;
• “First Aid” Kit Developed by The National Support Group Council; and
• Open Forum.

Please remember that Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (www.prostatecanada.ca), does an amazing job and provides significant valuable support to our group and support groups across the country.   We encourage you to visit their web-site; it is a mint of information and help that directly helps individuals.  The following is a link to their latest monthly newsletter:

Your Monthly Debrief for October 2024 (mailchi.mp)

The following summarizes some of the more significant subjects:

Prostate Cancer Supportive Care (PCSC) Program:

The PCSC Program is a comprehensive survivorship program developed in 2013 at the Vancouver Prostate Centre for men with prostate cancer, their partners, and families from the time of initial diagnosis onwards.  Men can self-refer to this program or be referred by their doctor. 

The PCSC Program is a clinical, educational, and research-based approach to care, addressing the challenges of decision-making and coping along the entire disease trajectory to serve both the patient and their partner’s physical and psychological needs.

The PCSC Program currently includes eight modules which men can take part in with more modules in development.  These modules include group educational sessions and clinical services in the following areas:

• Primary Treatment Options;
• Sexual Health;
• Exercise;
• Nutrition;
• Androgen Deprivation Therapy;
• Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy for Bladder and Bowel Concerns;
• Counselling Services; and
• Metastatic Disease Management.

University of British Columbia Bone Metastases and Exercise Hub

The Bone Metastases and Exercise Hub provides access to resources on exercise recommendations for people with bone metastases.  These resources created by the Bone Metastases and Exercise Knowledge Mobilization Team are intended to work together to inform and support patients, exercise professionals and health care professionals. 

Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials in Canada

National Support Group Meetings including:

National Active Surveillance Support Group Meeting

National GBTQ Support Group Meeting

National Partners in Prostate Support Group Meeting

National Advanced Prostate Support Group Meeting

Fall has arrived and we are looking forward to a fruitful program.  The following is a quick summary of some relevant information and a link to the latest National Group’s monthly newsletter

RECENT EVENTS

New Steering Committee Member and Facebook – We are very pleased to announce that Olav Kitchen has agreed to join your Steering Committee.  Olav has been managing our ZOOM requirements for our monthly meetings and he is currently developing a Facebook Group for Prostate Cancer Support Windsor/Essex.  If you have any ideas for what you would like to see on a Facebook Group, please let us know.  Thank-you Olav for agreeing to help our group!

VistatPrint Health/Wellness Fair – We recently manned a booth at the annual VistaPrint Health/Wellness Fair on Friday 13 September.  This was a very important activity for us due to the significant printing cost savings that directly benefit us.

Life After Fifty Be-Well Expo – We recently manned a booth at the annual Life After Fifty Be Well Expo on Saturday 28 September.  We also gave a presentation.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The following summarizes some of the presently known fall program activities:

Our Tuesday 8 October Meeting – Dr. Chris Langley (Chatham Urologist)

October’s monthly Hybrid-ZOOM meeting is planned for Tuesday 8 October.  Our featured speaker, Dr. Chris Langley, a Urologist with Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, will present to the group on the Contemporary Surgical Management of Prostate Cancer. 

After completing his urology residency training at the University of Ottawa, Langley completed a fellowship in advanced laparoscopy, robotics and endourology at McMaster University. Born and raised in Southwestern Ontario, Dr. Langley was pleased to move back to this area and join CKHA in 2023.

It is our intent to invite Chatham area folks and others across the country to this meeting.  We would like to thank Dr. Sorensen for arranging this speaker.

The meeting starts at 7pm at the Hospice (Empress St.).  For those who would like to attend remotely, please access via ZOOM with the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6953623178

Tuesday 12 November Meeting – Dr. Junaid Yousuf (Windsor Radiation Oncologist) – Dr. Junaid Yousuf (Windsor Radiation Oncologist) will be presenting to our group on Tuesday 12 November.  His focus will be radiation options for treating prostate cancer with an emphasis on Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), which was recently initiated at Windsor regional Hospital.  We are very enthusiastic about hearing about this newly evolving program and the patient selection criterion.  It is our intent to invite folks across the country to this meeting.  We would like to again thank Dr. Sorensen for arranging this speaker.

December Xmas Party – It is our intent to have another Xmas get-together again this year, likely coincident with Legion 594’s bi-weekly all-you-can-eat Spaghetti Dinner.  We shall provide more details as we draw closer.

Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (PCFC) National Conference – PCFC will be hosting a national conference on Saturday 26 October.  We will be participating.  Please let us know any ideas you might have on national-level strategic initiatives you feel are important.  They will be looking for ideas on what they should focus on this year.  Initial thoughts are advocacy/lobbying at the National and Provincial levels such as for having:

• PSA tests publicly funded;
• PSMA-PET testing publicly funded; and/or
• National Urologist organizations “advertise” promote groups’ existence.

Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Grown On Campaign – Over the next two months, we will be helping out with the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Grown-On Campaign that will be raising funds for the new DaVinci Surgical Robot at Windsor Regional Hospital.

The DaVinci Surgical Robot has been a key factor in the treatment and survival of several of our members and this campaign will directly benefit local prostate cancer patients going forward. The WCCF also provides direct support to our group by helping us defray some of our operating costs. We strongly encourage our members to support the Grow On Campaign by joining our PCSWE Grow On Team at this link:

Register to fundraise – FundRazr

Please remember that Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (www.prostatecanada.ca), does an amazing job and provides significant valuable support to our group and support groups across the country.   We encourage you to visit their web-site; it is a mint of information and help that directly helps individuals.  The following is a link to their latest monthly newsletter:

Your Monthly Debrief for September 2024 (mailchi.mp)

Some of the more noteworthy points for this month include:

• National Conference (“Hub”);

• Speaker Events Still to Come The Prostate Cancer Experience – Six Stories of Inspiration and Resilience. How Drugs are Discovered, Developed and Approved for Prostate Cancer with Dr. Abby Collier

• Light Up in Blue Continues:
  • 200+ landmarks lighting up nationwide reminding men to get checked
  • Thanks to the generous support of J&J and hundreds of Canadians nationwide, Light up in Blue is exceeding even last year’s successes.

• New and active clinical trials with sites in Canada
  • 108 active trials are approved or recruiting, click through for information

• One-on-one is up and running – information and contact details:
  • Training is free, online, and offered in a work-at-your-own-pace format, so you’re ready to start supporting within weeks.
  • One-on-one offers patients and partners the opportunity to give back and gain a sense of empowerment over their own journeys, through the sharing of their lived experiences with those needing support.
  • If you’re interested in offering, or receiving, One-on-One support, learn more and sign up at the link below.

September’s monthly Hybrid-ZOOM meeting is Tuesday 10 September.  We welcome, via Zoom, our guest speaker, Marc Seguin who is a cancer survivor, author, and motivational speaker (www.AdvocacyInAging.com).  He will discuss a planning framework, allowing all to live with peace of mind, knowing affairs are well organized, communicated and ready for transition to trusted advocates.

The meeting starts at 7pm at the Hospice (Empress St.).  For those who would like to attend remotely, please access via ZOOM with the following link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6953623178

Shine a light on Prostate Cancer

Light Up in Blue is an annual awareness campaign held every September in which landmarks and buildings across Canada light up in blue for prostate cancer awareness month.

• Check out the map of 2024 locations from BC Place to Niagara Falls to parliament buildings across Canada.
• Our thanks to The City of Windsor who will show their support by lighting up Windsor City Hall in blue on the evening of Monday, September 9th
• Visit a location near you and tag us in your photos! We’d love to see them!

MORE ABOUT THIS EVENT, PLEASE VISIT: https://lightupinblue.ca

September 13th

VistaPrint Health/Wellness Fair – We appreciate the opportunity to spread our “Get Checked” message once again via our booth at the annual VistaPrint Health/Wellness Fair on Friday 13 September.  In addition to getting our message out to over 1,000 team members, we benefit from significant printing cost savings due to our involvement. There are three (3) shifts beginning at 4:00am – 6:00am, 9:30am – 12:00pm and finishing 5:45pm – 7:00pm.

Please offer to help out, as this has become a very long day for the few members who volunteer. Contact Garry.

September 28th

Life After Fifty Be-Well Expo – We will be manning a booth at the annual Life After Fifty Be Well Expo on Saturday 28 September.  The organizers may also want us to give a presentation.  Please also consider volunteering for this event as this should prove to be an excellent opportunity to get our messages out to a target-rich audience.

This time of year has been and continues to be very busy with your Steering Committee having been very active with a variety of activities and planning for upcoming events.  There are lots of volunteering opportunities coming up, many entailing food.  If you have a few hours to spare, please consider helping out with some of the upcoming events listed below.  If you have other thoughts on events for us to participate in, please let us know.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Tuesday 14 May 2024 Meeting – Windsor Motorcycle Ride for Dad

For the upcoming monthly meeting Tuesday 14 May, Cori Miles will give a presentation on the Windsor Motorcycle Ride for Dad (MRfD) Prostate Cancer fundraising campaign.  Cori and her husband (Shane) are co-chairs of this annual local event.

Established in 2000, the MRfD fight against prostate cancer is committed to help save men’s lives and improve the quality of life for men and their families living with the disease.  Every year, thousands of participants, supporters, and friends raise funds for the MRfD initiatives held in communities from coast to coast to coast across Canada.  Proceeds are received by its charity, the Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation, to fund ground-breaking prostate cancer research and life-saving awareness campaigns to benefit the area where the money is raised.

Cori’s presentation is expected to touch on the following topics:

• Background of Cori and Shane and their motivation for running the local MRfD;
• History of Windsor’s MRfD;
• A run down of all the preps, resources, & volunteer horsepower make it happen;
• The typical event schedule;
• Some statistics on number of participants and money raised over the years;
• Examples of things that the MRfD donations have funded;
• Their vision for the future of MRfD; and
• The need for volunteers.

We hope you can join us at 7pm Tuesday 14 May.  As usual, this will be a Hybrid-ZOOM event.  You can meet in-person at the Hospice (Empress St.) or via ZOOM at the link below:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6953623178

Tuesday 11 June 2024 Spring Get Together

It is proposed to have another “BBQ” get-together for the June meeting.  This needs to be discussed to confirm and flesh out details on a venue – possibly at Legion 594.  Unfortunately, the Legion’s bi-weekly spaghetti night coincides with our June meeting.  Consequently, if we choose the Legion, it would have to be a spaghetti dinner like the Xmas dinner.  If the weather is good, we could have our spaghetti on the patio.

If folks would prefer something different, we can either:

• Change the date;
• Change the venue; or
• Not have a BBQ.

Please let us know your thoughts.

RECENT EVENTS

Play for a Cure – Friday 17 April 2014

Thanks to all of you for participating in this year’s Play for a Cure event.  It was another tremendous success, raising over $400,000 for local cancer research.  It was also a great opportunity for us to promote awareness of our group, and get our message of “Get Checked” across to a key demographic for us. 

Volunteers included Garry, Josephine, Ed, Murray, Dennis, Don, Greg, Noel, Wayne, and Steve.  Bravo Zulu to Jim for taking the lead.  Event organizers were very appreciative of our involvement.

City of Windsor – Firefighters

We approached The City of Windsor last year to request that we give a lunch/learn presentation to City staff.  After several postponements, Sarah Fox, a Wellness Specialist in Human Resources for The City of Windsor arranged four (4) daily webinar sessions (15-20 attendees each) with Windsor Firefighters, April 23-26. The briefings went very well.

Hospice Dove Pin Campaign – Thursday 25 April to Sunday 28 April 2024

Thank-you to all who volunteered for the Hospice Dove Pin campaign.  The Hospice, who lets us use their facility for free, very much appreciated the effort by all our members who helped.

CURRENT EVENTS

Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) Foundation DaVinci Campaign

The WRH Foundation has launched the new campaign April 18th to raise funds for an update of the DaVinci Robotic Surgery Machine.  The campaign literature (email and mail) includes Jim Fair’s story of having to go “up the road” for robotic surgery that can now be done locally.  Thank-you Jim for offering to share your story with all of Windsor/Essex.

FUTURE EVENTS

WRH Foundation Golf Tournament – Wednesday May 22, 2024 at Essex Golf & Country Club

The WRH Foundation golf tournament is planned for Wednesday May 22, 2024 at Essex Golf & Country Club.  Funds from this year’s tournament will once again support the Dr. Richard Boyd Men’s Health Program, specifically with funding being directed to assist with the purchase of a new DaVinci Robot for Windsor Regional Hospital.  The current machine has reached the end of its lifespan and the WRH is in need of a new machine, so funds from the tournament will assist with that purchase.

We are looking for volunteers to spend about three (3) hours as witnesses for the “Hole-in-One” and “Beat the Pro contests.”  The golf course is beautiful and volunteers are welcome to a nice brunch beforehand or cocktail reception afterwards.

Please let us know if you are interested in participating.

Motorcycle Ride for Dad (MRfD) – Sunday 26 May 2024

The Motorcycle Ride for Dad (MRfD) event is always amazing and all funds remain local.  This has always been a fun day for all who volunteered and your day also includes a meal at the end.  If you are able to help out, please let us know.  Just a reminder that the event time is from 7am to 10am Sunday morning; if you are able to volunteer this year, please show up at Thunder Road Harley Davidson for 6AM.  If you can’t make it that early, please arrive before 9am as the motorcycles “launch” at 10am and we are required for that.

OTHER VOLUNTEER NEEDS

We are also still looking for help such as financial manager and web-site support.

NETWORKING FOR NEW MEMBERS

The Steering Committee believes that most of our recent new members found out about our group through word of mouth.  It is proposed to mail a handful of our business cards to a hockey-sock of members with a covering letter requesting that you pass on our business cards to anyone you encounter who may be interested in our group or just getting advice.

If you receive business cards in the mail, please pass on to anyone you are aware of who are touched by prostate cancer.  If you don’t receive business cards, but would like some, please let us know.

PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION CANADA LATEST NEWSLETTER

Please remember that Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (www.prostatecanada.ca), does an amazing job and provides significant valuable support to our group and support groups across the country.   We encourage you to visit their web-site; it is a mint of information and help that directly helps individuals.  The following is a link to their latest monthly newsletter:

News | Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (prostatecanada.ca)

Your Steering Committee hopes that everyone is well, and having a wonderful New Year so far.

Tuesday 9 April 2024 Monthly Meeting
Our upcoming meeting is planned for a 7:00pm start on Tuesday 9 April 2024. It will be a  Hybrid-ZOOM meeting; please join us in person at the Hospice (Empress St.) or remotely at the following ZOOM Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6953623178

For those attending in person, please bring pot-luck desserts if possible.

For this month’s meeting, we will view a YouTube Video presentation by Dr. Jack Barkin, on High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for prostate cancer treatment (https://youtu.be/XXI8NteEllE). HIFU is a minimally invasive medical procedure that uses ultrasound waves to treat certain conditions, such as tumors, uterine fibroids and tremor. The very high-intensity and highly focused sound waves interact with targeted tissues in your body to modify or destroy them.

Dr. Jack Barkin, the founding partner and medical director of Can-Am HIFU, who performed the first Canadian HIFU treatment in 2006, speaks about this ‘most effective, minimally invasive’ localized prostate cancer treatment. He has authored over 100 papers on different aspects of urology in medical and urologic journals, worked on over 250 clinical trials, served as a medical advisory board member for many organizations, and speaks in countries around the world.

Dr. Sorenson will also be available (via ZOOM) to answer any questions.

Future Meetings
We will be working with Dr. Sorensen for presenters for our May meeting. We also hope to have a spring BBQ for the June meeting. We had a get-together last June at Legion 594 (Howard Ave). We would welcome any ideas on this or other venues for a Spring BBQ. We look forward to seeing as many folks as possible. Please remember to “advertise” our group and meetings to anyone you are aware of that is dealing with prostate cancer.

Volunteering Opportunities

Thanks to those who offered to lend a hand at this year’s Play for A Cure event, Friday April 19th at Vollmer Centre, LaSalle. You can still show your support by attending the evening All-Star Game. Details and tickets available through this link: 2024 All-Star Game – Play for a Cure

We are still a few weeks away from some other events needing our support including:

Hospice Dove Pin Campaign – Thursday 25 April to Sunday 28 April 2024. Details and volunteer sign-up at this link: Events for April 2024 – Windsor Essex Hospice (thehospice.ca)

WRH Foundation Golf Tournament – Wednesday May 22, 2024 at Essex Golf & Country Club. This will be a fundraising event for a new DaVinci Surgical Robot Machine for the WRH;

Motorcycle Ride for Dad

Sunday 26 May 2024. Details/sign-up/pledge at this link: Windsor – Ride For Dad

If you are interested in participating in these or other events, please let us know. They are very worthy campaigns that are important to us in helping spread the word of early detection and our existence as a support group.

A few hours of your time are very valuable to us and our cause.

Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada Latest Newsletter
Please remember that Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (www.prostatecanada.ca), does an amazing job and provides significant valuable support to our group and support groups across the country. We encourage you to visit their web-site; it is a mint of information and help that directly helps individuals. Monthly newsletters can be accessed through this link:

News | Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (prostatecanada.ca)