posted by John Bonnar at
8:15 AM
In 1988 life was good for Sharon Hampson, unfolding in ways she’d never imagined. She was one third of the acclaimed Canadian children’s musical trio of Sharon, Lois & Bram that celebrated its tenth anniversary that year. But during pre-production for the fifth year of the Elephant Show, a mammogram revealed she had breast cancer.
“I was terrified,” she said. “I thought I was going to die.”
She’d spent hours singing to everyone else’s grandchildren and wondered whether she’d live long enough to sing to her own. But she quickly discovered an inner strength and a resiliency that enabled her to spring back into action almost immediately.
Following two surgeries and a couple of weeks rest, she made 13 Elephant shows over the summer. “That was a very good thing for me,” said Hampson. “I was doing something that I loved to do, filled with music and fun.”
Four and a half years later, another mammogram revealed a tumor in the same breast. After consulting with numerous doctors and scientists she chose to have radiation and started taking Tamoxifen to prevent reoccurrence.
But three years ago, after the cancer returned for a third time, she decided to have a mastectomy. “I figured this breast is not doing me a lot of good so it’s time to get rid of it,” said Hampson, one of the founding members of Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada.
In 1993, Hampson was the first woman in
“Once you meet Peter Bregg you can only like him,” she said. “He is such a lovely man and going through this process with him was a pleasure.”
Bregg initially met with Hampson in her home to talk about how they’d collaborate on the photo. He noticed musical instruments scattered throughout the house that belonged to her late husband Joe Hampson, who died a year and a half ago from cancer. Among them was a guitar that Hampson often likes to play.
In the photo, she’s strumming the guitar with a little spotlight on her face, silhouetted against the window of her TV room.
“It’s a quiet moment in a quiet time of her life,” said Bregg. “I was trying to get something peaceful.”
But Bregg admitted it’s always difficult to photograph someone who’s had a brush with death and still have some dignity in the picture. “It would have been easy to say ‘Take your top off and show me your scars,’” he said. “But that’s not what I am, not what she is.”
Bregg purposely met with Hampson a week prior to the shoot to help her prepare mentally for how he wanted to portray her in the shot. “When you’re being photographed it can be tense because you’re worried about how you’re going to look because your personal image is at stake,” said Bregg, a member of Photosensitive since it was founded in 1990 and a news photographer for the past fourty years.
But not with
Bregg kept the lighting simple but confessed he “cheated” on the setup – a little bit. “It was a dark grey day and I wanted the curtain to be light so I put a flash outside with a wire underneath the door,” said Bregg. “So when I took the photograph the curtains would light up.”
Then, using a small spotlight in the living room he brought it forward to light her face so Hampson wouldn’t be a total silhouette.
“By the time we’re finished this project in two years we’ll have 1,000 personal stories,” said Bregg. “Each story is unique in its own. Some of them are so heart wrenching.”
Yet only a year ago, Photosensitive founding photographer Andrew Stawicki asked his family what they thought about the collective doing a project about cancer. “Daddy, you should do it,” they said.
A month later, when Stawicki asked a group of school children if they knew any cancer survivors, all their hands went up. That gave him the idea to move forward with Cancer Connections, not only with professional photographers but with ordinary Canadians too.
“One of the persons who supported me and gave me courage to do this was June Callwood,” said Stawicki, adding Callwood was a good friend of Photosensitive who had earlier inspired the collective to go ahead with the Child Poverty project.
Stawicki was overwhelmed by the compelling stories he received with the images. “The word family and friend were always there,” he said. “Today the family is 300 and I hope it will be much bigger by the time we finish the show.”
The exhibition will be seen in 11 major cities in 10 provinces over a two-year period and will travel nationwide in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society and Chase Card Services, the event's presenting sponsor.
In the past, Photosensitive projects have been restricted to working photographers. But Cancer Connections is accepting submissions from professionals and amateurs alike. “We’re using every single picture, even if it’s out of focus,” said Stawicki. “That’s what people wanted. It’s about sharing and connecting.”
Mayor David Miller, whose mother died of cancer in 2001, still can’t talk about her death in front of a crowd. “One of the things I learned when she was dying was the incredible strength and dignity with which people deal with cancer,” he said during a one on one interview. “That’s why this exhibit hits me so hard. The photos are so incredibly moving, reflecting what my mum went through and speaking in a way that touches all of us.”
“The images before us clearly demonstrate the pain, the frustration and the challenge that cancer brings to people,” said Peter Goodhand, CEO Canadian Cancer Society Ontario Division. “But they also show us the courage, the resolve, the hope and even the joy that people bring to cancer.”
Each year the Canadian Cancer Society connects with and supports tens of thousands of cancer patients on their journey. “Even though cancer is a deeply personal experience, it should never be an isolating experience,” he said.
“Collectively displayed in this exhibit, they are much greater than the sum of the individual photographs. Each picture represents a thousand similar stories that are taking place across
One of those stories belongs to Robyn Smale, who came across information about Cancer Connections through the Toronto Camera Club. Even though she was undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma stage 2 at the time, she decided to participate in the project.
Unfortunately, Smale knew several people around her that were dealing with cancer. “For me it was very hard trying to decide how to sum up one portrait involving all of these people,” said Smale. So she decided to do a self portrait that had her thinking of everyone she knows.
In the portrait, Smale formed a heart with her hands. “The heart resembled the love and the strength of everyone that I know that helped me get through my time with cancer,” she said. “It’s a bit of an aumage to them as well.”
But the process was emotionally difficult for her because it reopened recent memories while trying to convey her feelings to those she cared about. “But I found strength in it and that’s what keeps me moving forward,” she said.
Still, she finds it hard to believe that her photo is part of a cancer survivor exhibition. “Cancer is one of those things where you think it can’t possibly happen to me,” said the 27-year-old.
But she’s met some great people along the way by being a part of what she said people call a “membership that no one ever really wants.”
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The inaugural Cancer Connections exhibition runs from May 20, 2008 through June 9, 2008 at City Hall in Toronto
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posted by John Bonnar at
3:13 PM
In February, Stefan Marinoiu walked 11 days to
On May 4, he began a hunger strike on the front lawn of the provincial legislature to pressure the McGuinty government to make good on their 2003 campaign promise to deliver autism treatment for all children, regardless of their age.
When Marinoiu’s 15-year-old son was ten, he was told the cutoff age for treatment was seven. “It’s frustrating to the point that I have no choice but to take a walk to
Fifteen years ago, two to four in ten thousand children were affected by autism, today one in 165. What was once viewed as a rare disorder is now recognized as the most common neurological disorder affecting children, at least partly due to changes in diagnostic practice.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that prevents individuals from properly understanding and responding to what they see, hear, and sense. This may result in severe problems of social relationships, communication and behaviour.
The cause of ASD is still unknown. It is a neurological disorder, present from (or even before) birth, which affects the way the brain uses information.
Early diagnosis and intervention are critical to improving the outlook for children. Research-supported treatments and individually tailored services that address social, communication and daily living needs are vital for people with autism from childhood to and throughout adulthood.
Even though ten thousand children in
Yet just seven of the 107 MPP’s have bothered to discuss the situation with Marinoiu. “People seem to look at me like I’m invisible,” he said. “I’m a human being and I’ll be here for 365 days.”
The diabetic father of three children said when he is unable to continue the hunger strike his wife and 17-year-old daughter will replace him on the front lawn at Queen’s Park until he recuperates and returns, vowing to stay until all children receive their treatment.
In the past, Marinoiu received “polite” responses to his letters from the McGuinty Liberals. “But they didn’t do anything for my son,” he said.
At fifteen, Simon still has violent tantrums. Marinoiu, no longer able to restrain his son, is worried that Simon might unintentionally hurt a member of the family. But if treated now, Mariniou believes his son (and others like him) has enormous potential, able to become independent and self-sufficient.
At a press conference last Tuesday, Marinoiu demanded that the health, education and social services ministries work jointly to eliminate the treatment waiting lists by November and put Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) into the schools. “If people in
IBI is a structured, rigorous, and labour-intensive treatment for children with autism. Parents want their autistic children to receive IBI therapy while at school but provincial governments have been reluctant to pay. In cases where the costs have been covered, school boards have been resistant to implementing IBI programs.
“IBI’s efficacy has been documented, and among professionals it is accepted as the most successful therapy for autism,” wrote Peter Chaban, a teacher researcher and head of the School Liaison Team, Community Health Systems Resource Group at the Hospital for Sick Children in their AboutKidsHealth News.
But other research has shown that while many children improve, a substantial proportion of children in treatment do not make any significant gains in cognitive ability or behaviour, despite 20 to 40 hours weekly of therapy, at a cost of about $60,000 a year.
That’s left many parents disillusioned and frustrated.
At a Town Hall meeting in March attended by Education Minister Wynne and Social Services Minister Matthews “parent after parent used the term ‘rotting on the vine’ to describe their children,” said Andrea Horwath NDP MPP. “It was a horrific and heartbreaking meeting… where parents had to acknowledge that many of their children were regressing because of lack of service.”
“This government has been in total disarray in dealing with the issue of autism,” said Bruce McIntosh, Ontario Autism Coalition founder. “I don’t think that they themselves, by their words, know what they’re doing.”
According to McIntosh, since 2003 the number of eligible children in
In a survey of wait list parents conducted by the Coalition, 47% had to liquidate assets, 62% had to borrow money, 11% have received money from registered charities and 4.2% declared bankruptcy to purchase IBI services privately.
“This Premier and these Ministers who’ve declared a war on poverty are driving the families of children with autism into bankruptcy at twenty one times the rate of the general population,” said McIntosh. “Many of us, my family among them, have come within a hair’s breath of being counted on one of these numbers.”
McIntosh recalled the week his son was offered a space in the IBI program after two and a half years on the wait list. “They phoned us on a Thursday,” he said. “On the Monday of that same week my wife and I had spoken to a real estate agent about selling our home.”
But other parents like Stefan Marinoiu no longer have assets to liquidate.
“I don’t need houses. I don’t need riches,” said Marinoiu. “I just want my son to be treated.”
posted by John Bonnar at
7:26 PM
The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) in collaboration with the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (RPNAO) launched a public awareness campaign Friday at the Hospital for Sick Children aimed at retaining experienced nurses in the workplace while attracting others to the profession.
At least nine thousand more nurses are needed now to provide front-line care in
Nurses love their profession, said Grinspun, but some have “difficulties” in their workplace that needs fixing. “The fixing is not only in the facility but in the funding so that healthcare facilities can bring more nurses to be there for patients,” she said.
A year ago, the government created a full time employment guarantee for new graduates. Previously, many new nurses were working in two, three or four places to earn a living, which also made it difficult to form vital relationships with their patients. “That’s why we need 70% full time nurses and we need it now,” said Grinspun.
In the mid to late 90’s, only 50% of the nurses in
“That is what will attract new nurses if they continue to know that full time employment is available to them,” said Grinspun.
Otherwise many will seek nursing opportunities outside
“Nurses tell us how much they love what they do,” said Martin. “Yet they’re leaving the profession due to working conditions that they can no longer tolerate.”
They can withstand heavy workloads, excessive overtime requirements and lack of respect for their knowledge base, said Martin, provided they’re supported to provide excellent patient care.
“But as soon as there’s something that stands in the way of delivering that care, then they call it a day,” she said.
Martin added it’s important to bring new people into the profession. “But there’s not much point in all of this unless we address the issues that are already in the workplace.”
Gurjit Sangha, a staff nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children, never thought she would pursue a career in nursing. But when she worked as a research assistant in a hospital she discovered the vital role nurses play on a health care team.
She entered nursing school unsure she had made the right career choice. But during her first clinical placement, she realized she’d made the right decision.
Even though Sangha admitted that nursing can be stressful and busy, she relishes the wide variety of frontline opportunities available to nurses in outpatient services, homecare and teaching.
The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), in collaboration with the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (RPNAO), and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, launched the awareness campaign during National Nursing Week (May 12-18th) to convince more people that nursing is the best career choice.
More than 1,200 posters will be displayed on
“We need to retain the nurses we have and we need many more new ones,” said Grinspun, adding that 15,000 nurses are eligible for early retirement today.
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SEE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
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RNAO’s goal is to retain nurses aged 55 and over - even for a few years - so they can implement an 80/20 program, whereby 80% of the nurses continue to work with patients while 20% mentor new graduates.
The full time employment guarantee has produced an influx of new nurses. “But we don’t have sufficient opportunities to mentor them,” she said. If the 80/20 program is implemented, Grinspun believes the expert nurses will postpone retirement.
Meanwhile, retention problems exist in younger nurses too. In border cities, nurses waiting for full time employment move to the
Grinspun argued that a misguided policy direction from previous government and health care organizations led to a casualized workforce, which they thought would produce cost savings and increased flexibility. “But in the process they forgot that nursing is a knowledge profession,” she said. “Many left and went to the
Unfortunately, very few returned.
Grinspun also conceded that more men are needed to join the profession. Vincent Lee, 29, a recent graduate who is finishing a placement in the heart and vascular program at St. Michael's Hospital, is one of only an estimated 4% of male nurses in
Vincent was strongly influenced by his parents to purse a career in nursing after completing a degree in biochemistry and working three years for a mutual fund company before returning to school for his nursing degree.
“Nursing is still seen as very much a female dominated profession,” said Vincent, who estimated only 8% of his graduating class were male. “But the push towards the baccalaureate degree could be the driving force behind more men entering the profession.”
Yet he said a perception still exists that male nurses will use nursing as a stepping stone to a career in medicine.
RPNAO Executive Director Dianne Martin was an RPN for twenty years before qualifying as an RN at a community college, later returning to university part time to pursue a BSc.N. But due to the recent certification changes, most RPN’s would have to go back to school for four years to obtain their nursing degree.
“We hear from many RPN’s that if they have to back to university, they may choose a different career,” said Martin. “Others say it’s virtually impossible to do financially.”
But for those looking to transition mid-career into nursing, Martin said practical nursing is a fairly accessible program requiring only two years of study.
“We often have placements of students in our office who are experiencing nursing as a second career,” she said.
posted by John Bonnar at
2:19 PM
Campaign 2000 and the
Their joint report, Work Isn’t Working for Ontario Families: The Role of Good Jobs in Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy establishes that many
“Fourty one percent of children in low-income families in the province have at least one parent working full time, all year, and they are still living in poverty,” said Ann Decter, National Coordinator of Campaign 2000. “All but the wealthiest parents are working longer hours than their parents did thirty years ago.”
Although employment rates are high, the increase in part time and contract jobs with low pay and little or no benefit coverage or security leaves many
In March 2008,
In the last century, unionization and regulation helped build a strong middle income base in
Work Isn’t Working for Ontario Families suggests that improving labour market regulation, increasing unionization and stimulating manufacturing for the developing global green economy are strategies to rebuild secure livelihoods for
“Green collar jobs – manufacturing for the developing global green economy – can replace disappearing blue collar work,” said Decter. “American Great Lakes states are fostering alliances between environmentalists, labour and green innovators to rejuvanate abandoned manufacturing capacity. This is a direction
Campaign 2000 has called for a minium 25% reduction in the child poverty rate in the next five years, 50% in ten, saying “labour market improvements that succeed in moving the fourty one percent of low income children out of poverty offer a chance to achieve and surpass the poverty rate reductions" because recent Statistics Canada data shows no improvement in
“The provincial government can lead labour and the private sector into a change process by integrating a good jobs strategy into
Just over a year ago, the
To that end, Cartwright wants the government to play a role in regulating workplace relationships by enforcing employment standards, dealing with precarious work and tackling the growing pandemic of temporary agency work.
“We know that the bad jobs are now being offered to new Canadians and workers of colour,” said Cartwright.
Julio Da Silva, who came to Canada from Brazil six years ago with his wife and daughter, was making less than $10 an hour as a cleaner with a private company before he recently landed a part-time unionized job as a janitor with the Toronto and District School Board (TDSB).
Da Silva, 41, said most cleaners in the city are women and recent immigrants, who work two or three jobs for minimum wage without benefits or pensions in order to support their families. Without access to collective bargaining units, they have no one to negotiate on their behalf for better wages and working conditions.
Two years ago, Da Silva and his co-workers were intimidated and harassed by their employer before they eventually formed a union. Since then, they’ve managed to negotiate yearly wage increases and now have uniforms and safety shoes paid for by their employer.
Without a union, Da Silva said, cleaners are often forced to form their own companies in order to obtain minimum wage jobs without benefits. At the TDSB, Da Silva earns $18 an hour while his wife enjoys benefits at her job with St. Christopher House.
“It’s made a huge difference in our lives,” said the former high school teacher. “Because of that we were able to buy a house two months ago.”
posted by John Bonnar at
5:49 PM
posted by John Bonnar at
12:18 PM
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