Cancer Olympics

Humans like to compare themselves against others, like money, career and family. Cancer patients are not exceptional. Some patients derided as the “Cancer Olympics”. Is it true? Pleae see https://lungcancer.net/living/cancer-olympics

You can see other episodes about my lung cancer journey on @ChristineQiongWu (YouTube) or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwf-i5S2JlyBy-S2ZWZHZWQ

Anonymous picture from the website

Highlights of My Cancer Advocacy and Life for the Year 2023

As 2023 comes to an end, I look back at the past year that has left great memories. They are:

#10 I Became one of the 12 Cancer Grand Challenge Advocacy Panel members (photos below), which was established by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute, USA. The panel is instrumental in helping develop how we embed advocacy within the initiative. We provide feedback on the approaches proposed to involvement and engagement with patients and the public more broadly.

#9 I joined the Patient Working Group (PWG), Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN), Terry Fox Foundation, Canada (2023-). We had PWG Learning Exchange Event in November in Halifax. The theme is why and how we’re working together to accelerate precision medicine for cancer treatments.

#8 I’m a grant reviewer for several grants administered by the Canadian Cancer Society and I lead a 6-member patient-partner team to get involved and engaged with the cancer researchers at the University of Montreal (Canada) funded by the Canadian Cancer Society ($7.5M for 5 years).

#7 I attended the AACR Annual Meeting 2023, the Scientist & Survivor Program. AACR is the focal point of the cancer research community, where scientists, clinicians, survivors, patients, and advocates gather to share the latest advances in cancer science and medicine.

#6 I’m a Patient and Family Representative to the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) Board, Canada. I also took part in the CAPO Annual Meeting 2023 in June.

#5 I’m a member of Conquer Cancer Grants Selections Committee (ASCO). We mainly reviewe the Layperson Abstract, Patient Advocate Form, and the patient advocate letter of support, and providing constructive comments and reflective scores.

#4 I led a research project on worry and fear experienced by Canadian lung cancer patients early this year. The research was presented in different conferences.

#3 I learned to make video clips for cancer advocacy. The outcome was great. So far, I posted 20 episodes of video clips (one per week) and have more than 10K viewers.

#2 My husband and I took 3 trips this year to Orlando, FL in April, Montreal in June and a Beach resort in Sarasota, FL in October. I love travel.

#1 As part of Winnipeg Lung Cancer Patient Support Group, we had several parties

Reflecting on Smoking and Lung Cancer

When I reviewed the research grants about quitting smoking, I was surprised that quitting smoking is such a big deal and so many psychologists, social workers and medical doctors are involved. Two recent events I encountered made me really understand quitting smoking is not easy, and that the best thing is never to lighten up the first place. Please see https://lungcancer.net/living/smoking

Breathtaking styling of trees of Masahiko Kimura, a widely recognized Bonsai master.

Halifax Trip to Attend PWG Learning Exchange Event

I attended the Patient Working Group (PWG) Learning Exchange Event in person from Nov 13th to 15th, 2023, in Halifax, NS, Canada. PWG is a patient group newly established by the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centre Network (MOHCCN) and the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI).  TFRI, the research arm of The Terry Fox Foundation, invests and manages approximately $27 million in combined funding for discovery and translational research and training for future scientists and clinicians in cancer research. As a Canadian, who doesn’t know Terry Fox and participates in the Terry Fox run? I’m very honoured to be a member of PWG by MOHCCN. Here is my experience of attending the PWG event.

Meeting with PWG

Visite with Peggy’s Cove and other historical sites

Different cuisines

Travel to Sarasota, FL

We travelled to a beach resort in Sarasota, FL, last week. We stayed on the white-sanded beach, listened to the waves, and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. We also visited The Dali Museum, which is about the life and work of Salvador Dalí, a surrealist sensation. As usual, we tried different cuisines in and around Sarasota. I enjoy travel, especially after my diagnosis. Please see the photos below:

Enjoying the white-sanded beach, beautiful sunshine and the waves

Visiting The Dali Museum

Trying different cuisines in and around Sarasota, FL