We understand this disease much better than before, and treatments have improved remarkably over the past 15 years – patients are living twice as long as they used to, and their quality of life is also much improved. It's also exciting for when we finally reach the point where we can tailor treatments to individuals based on their genetic make-up – reduce the trial and error associated with going through the standard drug regimens.
My mother was diagnosed with colon cancer when she was 50 and she lived with it until she was 81. When people are faced with a diagnosis, they inevitably have a lot of questions. Being able to reach out to a patient navigator just brings people peace of mind and that makes me and my family feel good.
When someone hears the words, “you have cancer,” the priority should be on healing rather than worrying about affording the next mortgage payment, transportation costs or childcare fees. Our patient financial assistance program ensures that patients can concentrate on healing instead of being concerned with making ends meet.
Palliative and end-of-life care is hard to talk about but it is important to support. In the last year, the Alberta Cancer Foundation invested in the development of a provincial strategy to give Albertans at the end of their lives with more options for care and improved co-ordination across the health-care sectors.
