OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2006
We invite all members and their spouses to a double-barreled session. Laura Natale of the Yoga Loft in Brampton will speak about 'Yoga and Prostate Health'. Kelly Nolan, Naturopath and Pharmacist, will join her. Details of Kelly's presentation are not available at this time. (Arlene Dalton, who was originally scheduled to make her third presentation to Us Too!, had to cancel and was able to persuade Laura and Kelly to take her place.)
The practice of Yoga has been universally recognized and is now a widely accepted alternate health strategy. Indeed, a few of our previous (medical) presenters have advocated relaxation training as a coping mechanism. Many researchers are striving to prove that there is a definite link between stress and cancer and other diseases.
Come and join Laura and Kelly and take some positive steps towards healing through improved mind-body integration. You can be assured of a stimulating experience! Send any questions for Laura and Kelly to: Fred Norris, Chairman, 905-877-8092 or e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com .
We look forward to seeing you in Room #2, The Terry Miller Recreation Center, 1295 Williams Parkway at the southwest corner of Williams Parkway & Bramalea Road. Parking is free.
 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2006 DR. ANDREW MATTHEW, "NAVIGATING the EMOTIONAL SIDE-EFFECTS of PROSTATE CANCER "
This far-ranging and informative session by Dr. Andrew Matthew opened our 2006-2007 season, attended by around 60 members, wives and guests.
Dr. Matthew is a clinical psychologist at the Prostate Center, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, a clinician investigator in the Departments of Surgery, Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto.
All of us - members and spouses alike - have been there in our own way, so it was a real mind opener to hear Dr. Matthew offer fresh perspectives and insights into the psychological effects of the prostate cancer (PCa) journey.
As he walked his audience through the many stages from diagnosis through to acceptance of mortality, Dr. Matthew suggested that PCa makes victims of the patient and his entire family. Any or all involved can suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which leads to characteristic symptoms typically arising from an individual's first exposure to actual or threatened death. It was obvious that many of us in the audience identified with the symptoms and side effects that he so clearly described.
The bad news is that few of us have ever been offered any psychological support and as a result many of us probably still suffer some or all of the symptoms that he described. The good news is that there are now programs available to help the victims of PCa recover emotionally as well as physically.
One such program, The Healing Journey Program, has been developed at Princess Margaret Hospital under the leadership of Dr. Alastair Cunningham. Dr. Matthew provided the link to Dr. Cunningham's web site: http://www.healingjourney.ca/main.htm . This site lists useful books and other resources.
The Question and Answer Session included many compliments on his excellent talk, clear evidence of how much Dr Matthew had touched his audience.
In response to member requests for books related to the subject, Dr. Matthew suggested the following:
1. Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn. ISBN 0-385-30312-2.
2. The Healing Journey: Overcoming the Crisis of Cancer by Dr. Alastair Cunningham ISBN 1-55013-440-X
We are pleased that we can offer the complete Audio Recordings of Dr. Matthew's session as well as his presentation slides. The links to these resources have been posted to our web site, ustoo-brampton.com .
Our thanks to Dr. Matthew for an excellent evening - we hope that we can have him back in the future.
 

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Our new season got off to a great start on September 12 with a first-class presentation by Dr. Andrew Matthew. Once again we learned of some of the new services that are available to prostate cancer patients who need them.
We have also learned that scientists at Princess Margaret Hospital are working on a new more accurate screening method that will replace the PSA test.
Last Thursday, I joined Michelle Karker, Canadian Cancer Society Manager Brampton Unit to make a presentation to 33 caregivers at Woodhall Park Retirement Village. We stressed the importance of early detection and regular check ups. The group, mainly female, eagerly took the books and brochures provided and asked many questions.
At the September meeting we announced the Theatre Night that the Brampton Live theatre has graciously set aside for us on November 1st. Tickets are $15 each and it is imperative that we sell as many tickets as possible.. We need your individual help to sell as many tickets as you can. If everyone sold 10 tickets we could easily fill the entire theatre. The money garnered from this project will be assigned to buy equipment that is urgently required by some of the urologists at our local hospitals.
So let's go to it and fill the theatre!
Fred Norris, Chairman, 905-877-8092 or e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com .

2005-2006 GUEST SPEAKERS & EVENTS
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - Dr. Padraig Warde (Topic to Be Announced).
Tuesday, December 12,2006 - Our Annual Christmas Pot Luck Social and Lucky Draw.
Future Speakers - Your suggestions and recommendations for future speakers are always welcome!
Mukul Luthra, Speaker Committee, 519-853-4075, e-mail mukul.luthra@ustoo-brampton.com .

RECENTLY DIAGNOSED? CONTACT Us Too! Brampton
If you have been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and would like to talk to someone who has been there, please call ahead and we will arrange to meet you at a convenient time and place. Alternatively, come early to one of our monthly meetings and inform the front desk of your arrival. One of our counselors will welcome you and listen to your concerns.
Our monthly meetings are held on the 2nd TUESDAY of each month except July & August but we accept calls all through the year. Family members or friends and supporters are welcome!
There is no obligation to join anything. We have been there and we think we can help you deal with this very difficult period in your life.
If you would like our support, please call any one of the following to obtain meeting dates and locations: John Sleath, Awareness Coordinator at 905-456-9943 e-mail john.sleath@ustoo-brampton.com , Sean Butterly, Counseling Associate at 905-454-4237 or Fred Norris, Chairman, at 905-877-8092 e-mail fred.norris@ustoo-brampton.com .

FINANCE
Recently, I delivered the Annual Financial Report of Us Too! Brampton to your Steering Committee.
One notable item was that the voluntary $2.00 donations at the door more than offset the cost of room rental at Terry Miller, giving us a surplus of $83.35 which helped cover the cost of general meeting refreshments.
Total receipts for the year exceeded expenses by $1,315.05, which although admirable, does not give your committee much leeway to advance our most urgent commitment, namely Increasing Awareness of Prostate Cancer. Needless to say, items such as web site costs, speakers, equipment and printing requirements must be met in order that we survive as a group.
Last year's most disappointing item was THEATRE NIGHT where only 94 tickets were sold, thereby reducing our potential funding considerably. I am obliged to report that if we cannot do better this year, we will lose our support from Bramalea Live Theatre. There are apparently more enthusiastic charitable group waiting to take advantage of this outstanding opportunity.
The Steering Committee is considering dropping the FREE PSA CLINICS for two outstanding reasons:
(1) Costs cannot be estimated due to unknown numbers of participants, thus making each clinic a potentially costly operation.
(2) The local shopping plazas are reluctant to host these events due to factors such as suitable locations and insurance costs.
Instead of offering free PSA clinics, we are suggesting that surplus funds could be more effectively used to purchase equipment needed by local hospitals geared to treating PCa.
I would therefore remind the membership that we only have two major fund raising events during the year - the GOLF TOURNAMENT and THEATRE NIGHT.
Please get behind the Theatre Night as never before. We have 350 tickets on hand. I will mail out tickets by request, or any other method you prefer.
As a further reminder, the show is at THE LESTER B. PEARSON THEATRE, in the Civic Centre (next to Bramalea City Centre), and is on Wednesday, November 1st at 8 PM, seating undesignated. Price, $15 per ticket.
The play is Agatha Christie's much seen and revered London stage mystery "AND THEN THERE WERE NONE" (also known as Ten Little Indians) and is based on her detective novel of the same name, first published in 1939.
SO... Lets jump on this fundraising opportunity now, while we still have it available to us. Your presence, your family's and your friends' attendance at this fun night, will be much appreciated. Come and Enjoy!
Sincerely, Gerry Brunjes, Finance, 905-791-3043, e-mail gerry.brunjes@ustoo-brampton.com .

AWARENESS
As mentioned in last month's Newsletter, John Sleath has volunteered to become Awareness Coordinator in addition to the other responsibilities that he has so cheerfully shouldered since joining our group last November.
If you know of any group that could benefit from our expertise in dealing with the effects of Prostate Cancer, you can contact John at 905-456-9943 or e-mail john.sleath@ustoo-brampton.com .