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p 8 weekender apriu8-1995- st stouffville united church couples club presents cancer month mshow at stouffville district secondary school 8rm 272829 ed tickets- cards hardware stouffville printing the tribune ho lmj phifdronmtalii knkr of fyxnmtt annual general meeting wednesday april 12 1995 5402 main street stouffville cocktails dinner 630 pm 700 pm 3500 per person tickets available at the chamber office l po box 1500 stouffville ontario l4a 8a4 support network growing by kate gilderdale correspondent when sally gyton was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990 she felt as if her whole world was falling apart she found the lump at halloween and was sent for a mammogram i was advised just to keep an eye on it she recalled but my doctor who was wonderful sent me to the sur geon immediately a biopsy confirmed that the lump was cancerous and a week later gyton underwent a lumpectomy and node dissection i just thank god that i had the doctor i did he doesnt leave anything to chance while she was grateful for his swift response she found the emotional adjustment to her illness hard to deal with when i heard the c word i just burst into tears and went numb because my parents had both recently died of cancer and all i could see was a death sentence for myself despite her fears gyton decided that the only effective way to cope was to learn about every facet of the disease and to take charge of her own life looking back she believes that her experience with cancer not only changed her life but actually improved it it made me see things in a whole new light i noticed things id never really seen before the green grass birds in the trees flowers everyone has their down moments but i real ly try to live each day as fully as i can now a vital component in her emotional recovery has been her lottery calendar winners march 1995 involvement in setting up a local support group for cancer survivors and their families connecting rain bows is now almost four years old and our mission is to improve the quality of life through support shar ing and caring sharing her feelings with others who had survived cancer was cathartic for gyton because i couldnt talk to my family and friends about it at first and when i tell my story at a meeting it helps people to realize that if i can make it so can they she said i also realized that i hadnt been doing what i really wanted to do so ive gone back to school to study counselling in the human services at george brown college im in a threeyear parttime pro gram because i dont want i to give up all the other things i do much of her time is taken up with advo cacy work delated to cancer and cancer survivors i was at the breast cancer forum in montreal in 1993 and i was proud to be a part of it she noted it was the first time doc tors researchers and sci entists had all come together under one roof with survivors and we had round table discussions with everyone participat- ing gyton also sits on a number of hospital adviso ry committees which are geared towards supporting patients and their families as well as caregivers and friends her goal is to raise awareness of breast cancer and its effect on women- i think its extremely important that we take charge of our lives and thats happening because of events like the forum in montreal she said right from the begin ning i talked about my ill ness i needed everybody on my side to help me through this my family and friends were just won derful evening meetings of connecting rainbows are held on the first tuesr day of each month and day time meetings are held on the third tuesday of each month everything is totally confidential we never give medical advice and we stay away from doctor bashing or naming specific individuals gyton and fellow orga nizer myrna lummiss are now trained facilitators and the group offers a wealth of literature and tapes which members can take home and study for more information call 642- 2329 or 6402306 when she first learned of her illness gyton consult ed medical guides at the library but with the strides being made by researchers assisted by canadian cancer society funds written information can quickly become outdat ed among the many ser vices offered by the society is a tollfree hotline which supplies the latest avail able medical information the number is 1-800-263- 6750 there are a lot more opportunities out there now for people to access information support and help gyton said they just have to know where to go this month when cana dian cancer society can vassers visit your home please give generously your donations will pro vide funds for continuing cancer research patient support- and education and could help to save lives the uxbridge chamber of commerce is going to print a directory to help you network this directory will be reaching the hands of possible clients at uxposition 95 through letters mailed out from the chamber office and other venues a fee of only 2000 will secure you a space in this directory if you wish to be included please fill out the following and mail it with a cheque for 2000 to uxbridge chamber of commerce p o box 640 uxbridge ontario l9p1n1 business name type of business category address phone fax