WE-Can Help Support Breast Cancer
Published Monday, October 18, 2021
By Samantha Morris, Prevention and Screening Clinical Services
Every one in eight women living in Ontario will be diagnosed with breast cancer throughout their lifetime. With these stats in mind, chances are that you, or someone you know, is living with or has lived with breast cancer. Thankfully, the survival rates for breast cancer have been improving in Ontario, with the five-year survival rate increasing from 81% in the early 1990s to 88% today. Better survival outcomes have been attributed to advancements in breast cancer treatment and early detection programs. Early detection through routine cancer screening is important to find cancer early, when it is more easily treatable. It is recommended by the Ontario Breast Screening Program that women between the ages of 50 and 74, get screened every two years with a mammogram.
For Debora Prokopich Buzzi, a breast cancer diagnosis changed her life. “In 2007 after a baseline mammogram, two tumours, with two separate origins were discovered in my left breast. Up to this point I had no symptoms. Leading up to this shocking diagnosis, I was a very active woman. Working out five times a week, a non-smoker, a non-drinker; I was in the very best physical shape of my adult life.”
In order to treat her newly found cancer, Debora underwent a bilateral mastectomy, lymph node removal, breast reconstruction, and several rounds of chemotherapy. It was at this time that Debora’s life continued to change. Her level of fitness was not what it used to be and it was hard to stay motivated to move while experiencing constant pain and tingling in her hands and feet. Debora knew she had to do something to improve her health and make her cancer recovery more bearable. In 2009, she discovered the WE-Can exercise and wellness program.
“The WE-Can program changed my life! It enabled me to increase physical functioning, decreased fatigue and improved the quality of my life. The fear of what I couldn’t do was replaced by exercises that were modified for me. The support, encouragement and trust helped me regain the confidence to be a better version of the old me.”
This ten-week community-based, group-based program had a profound impact on Debora’s life and as a result, she continues to advocate for the program and encourage others that have had similar cancer experiences to do the same.
“Cancer is a becoming a chronic disease because people are living longer. Just because the active treatment may be over does not mean your journey has ended. Having support programs such as WE-Can available to women living with breast cancer can not only improve their quality of life during their treatment, but the many prosperous years to come following their diagnosis.”
Debora has now been living cancer-free for 14 years. She admits that it is hard to go a day without thinking about the chances of her cancer coming back. However, like many other breast cancer survivors, Debora continues to stay active and busy within the community.
Although you may hear the words “cancer-free,” the hard truth is that both the mental and physical side-effects of cancer treatment, can persist for many years. Although advancements in treatment have been on the rise, so have the number of cancer cases and thus, survivors. Having programs available such as WE-Can will not only enhance health and well-being, but foster a community of comradery and support. For women who have lived through a breast cancer experience such as Debora, there are always going to be good and bad days. It is how they turn a life-altering experience into a positive health journey that makes these women truly unique.