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Help Suzanne Aucoin
March 10, 2006 - The St. Catharines
Standard
Teamwork pays off: Supporters rally to help Suzanne fight cancer
The Standard (St. Catharines)
Friday, March 10, 2006
Page: A1 / FRONT
Section: News
Byline: Peter Downs
Source: The Standard
Series: Suzanne's Story
She thought she had beaten it. But in late 2003, Suzanne Aucoin was rediagnosed with
a terminal case of colorectal cancer. The Standard is following Suzanne's fight with
cancer in this continuing series.
Part 5
- - -
To anyone else in the hotel, the gathering would look like a typical party.
It's a Friday night.
The men and women mingling in the foyer outside the banquet rooms are well-dressed.
They're clearly enjoying themselves.
They talk and laugh over glasses of wine and plates of cheese and crackers.
And it's true. The crowd of about 75 or so is there to celebrate.
But it's not your average party.
The guests aren't there for a big family anniversary or a corporate dinner.
Everyone in the room is there for a single purpose. To fight the cancer inside Suzanne
Aucoin's body.
Some have given money to help the Port Dalhousie woman pay for expensive
medications that are not covered by the provincial government through OHIP. Some
have volunteered their time organizing fundraising events. Some have prayed for her.
At some point, each of them has done something for Suzanne since her colon cancer
returned in November 2003 and she was told it was terminal.
And on this night -- two weeks ago -- the crowd is brought together at White Oaks
Conference Resort and Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake to celebrate the remarkable
achievements of two of Suzanne's supporters.
Last summer, Andre and Louise Blais rode across the Canadian Rocky Mountains in a
gruelling seven-day mountain bike race.
The Grimsby couple competed in the punishing race for the physical and mental
challenge.
But they also did it to help Suzanne.
With the assistance of donors and sponsors, they raised $17,696.
The ride is just one of several fundraising events Aucoin and her supporters have
mounted over the past two years, raising approximately $130,000 for her medical
expenses.
But as light and festive as the mood is at the wine and cheese party, the underlying
reason behind it is a matter of life and death.
The drugs Suzanne needs to prevent her cancer from spreading and killing her cost
thousands of dollars per month.
Suzanne, 35, had been paying $14,000 US per month for treatment with Erbitux at a
clinic in West Seneca, N.Y. since last October. In December, Health Canada granted
her special access to receive the drug on this side of the border.
She became the first person to be treated with the drug at the Hamilton cancer
centre. The drug cost her approximately $6,400 per month -- about a third of the
price she was paying in the U.S.
Much of the money donated to Suzanne's treatment fund has been spent.
The wine and cheese party two weeks ago served a dual role. It was also a primer for a
number of fundraising events in the works for this spring and summer to help Suzanne
continue paying for expensive cancer drugs that are not covered by the provincial
government through OHIP.
Suzanne and her fundraising team have set a goal of raising $100,000 through a number
of events, including a spin-a-thon, golf tournament, gala dinner and a volleyball
tournament.
It's a humbling and sometimes uncomfortable experience to appeal to others for
financial help to pay for treatment, but Suzanne sees no other choice.
"I know what I need and I'm determined to get it. And I know how to get. I'm not afraid
to go ask for it," she says in the days prior to the wine and cheese party.
And Suzanne is far from alone.
A growing number of cancer patients in Ontario are being forced to pay for treatment
out of their own pockets, says the Canadian Cancer Society.
"Unfortunately, what is happening is that not all drugs the minute they're released or
are available are covered by the Ontario government," says Rowena Pinto, the
organization's senior manager of public issues.
"That's leaving some people ... with few options in terms of coverage, which is too bad."
The financial toll of living with cancer can be very high, says Pinto.
On top of drug costs, patients who are often unable to work also rack up bills for
home care, child care, homemaking, hospital parking and other expenses.
"It can be a very, very expensive disease" says Pinto.
"The last thing cancer patients should be having to worry about is money when they're
already going through such a stressful experience."
After she was rediagnosed two years ago, Suzanne took a leave of absence from her
job as a chaplain at Denis Morris High School to focus full-time on her health.
She's turned taking care of herself and keeping her cancer at bay into a cottage
industry of sorts.
"I feel like a CEO running my own business. That's exactly what I feel like," she says.
In addition to undergoing weekly treatment sessions and researching new medical
options, Suzanne spends much of her time planning events to raise money for her
medical costs.
Two years ago, she struck a committee to help her oversee and co-ordinate the
benefits organized on her behalf.
The group -- dubbed the Living Life Large committee or L3 for short -- is made up of
friends she made through her interest in cycling and working out at the gym at White
Oaks.
The committee members -- Suzanne, Gary Bellhouse and son Sam, Carrie Morris and
Kelly Dickenson -- meet regularly to plan fundraising activities.
They also help co-ordinate events organized by others, such as the staff and students
at Denis Morris, who have raised thousands of dollars for Suzanne over the past two
years.
"Suzanne is fighting for her life and our attitude is that we don't think anything but
that," says Gary Bellhouse, 62, a business owner from Wainfleet. "We think through our
efforts that eventually she is going to find that magic formula that's going to make her
a healthy young lady again."
Dickenson, a software developer from Niagara Falls, said the committee focuses on
fundraising events that are enjoyable and relatively easy to organize.
The formula has been working well so far. Three events last year -- a golf tournament,
dinner dance and a spin-a-thon -- raised $60,000 combined.
"We try to make all our fundraising events as fun as possible," says Dickenson, 45. "That
way, the participants get the benefit of helping Suzanne and they get the benefit of
being together with people they enjoy."
Seeing the challenges Suzanne has faced to get the medication she needs has opened
Dickenson's eyes to deficiencies in Ontario's health system.
"I wonder what happens to people who listen to the doctor when they say there's
nothing we can do for you," she says.
"I would hope that if I got that news that I would be like Suzanne and put up a fight
and try to do whatever I could to change things."
Niagara Falls businessman Al Filer had never heard of Suzanne until last June.
But once he learned of her story, Filer and his company -- Lifetime Financial Planning
Group -- quickly offered support.
The firm raised about $3,500 through a quickly organized client picnic and also
provided nearly $4,000 in sponsorship for the Rocky Mountain bike race Andre and
Louise Blais did.
"I think Suzanne has got an amazing story," says Filer.
"She's fighting for her life. Not only is she fighting for her own life, but she may
possibly make changes in the system that can benefit so many other people."
Suzanne says she's constantly amazed by the generosity of those who've joined her
cancer fight -- many of them strangers.
"It's a huge feeling of gratitude," she says. "It's very humbling that people want to help
me this much. I kind of feel like I owe then. I say to myself, 'You helped me raise this
money -- I want to live long enough to repay you for supporting me.' I feel indebted to
them."
But Suzanne and her strong network of supporters are not the norm, says Colleen
Savage, president and chief executive director of the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of
Canada.
The majority of cancer patients simply don't have the fundraising knowhow, the
energy or the connections to come up with the money they need to cover the cost
of non-funded drugs, she says.
Savage says two unpalatable options confront a large number of cancer patients told
by their physicians that their best hope for survival lies with drugs that aren't paid for
by OHIP. They can either sell their houses and cash in investments they have to buy
the drugs, or do without treatment.
And those who forego treatment lose the opportunity to prolong their lives.
"If Ontario will not pay for their cancer treatment and they have no other choices,
their cancer goes untreated. There's no mystery about what happens if the cancer
goes untreated," says Savage.
Savage's national advocacy coalition has been calling on the Health Ministry to give
cancer patients in dire need access to new drugs that have been approved for use by
Health Canada but have not yet been approved for funding by the provincial
government.
"I wish the minister would understand that this dilemma is real. It's devastating and it's
exactly what medicare was supposed to prevent," she says.
Standard
Teamwork pays off: Supporters rally to help Suzanne fight cancer
The Standard (St. Catharines)
Friday, March 10, 2006
Page: A1 / FRONT
Section: News
Byline: Peter Downs
Source: The Standard
Series: Suzanne's Story
She thought she had beaten it. But in late 2003, Suzanne Aucoin was rediagnosed with
a terminal case of colorectal cancer. The Standard is following Suzanne's fight with
cancer in this continuing series.
Part 5
- - -
To anyone else in the hotel, the gathering would look like a typical party.
It's a Friday night.
The men and women mingling in the foyer outside the banquet rooms are well-dressed.
They're clearly enjoying themselves.
They talk and laugh over glasses of wine and plates of cheese and crackers.
And it's true. The crowd of about 75 or so is there to celebrate.
But it's not your average party.
The guests aren't there for a big family anniversary or a corporate dinner.
Everyone in the room is there for a single purpose. To fight the cancer inside Suzanne
Aucoin's body.
Some have given money to help the Port Dalhousie woman pay for expensive
medications that are not covered by the provincial government through OHIP. Some
have volunteered their time organizing fundraising events. Some have prayed for her.
At some point, each of them has done something for Suzanne since her colon cancer
returned in November 2003 and she was told it was terminal.
And on this night -- two weeks ago -- the crowd is brought together at White Oaks
Conference Resort and Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake to celebrate the remarkable
achievements of two of Suzanne's supporters.
Last summer, Andre and Louise Blais rode across the Canadian Rocky Mountains in a
gruelling seven-day mountain bike race.
The Grimsby couple competed in the punishing race for the physical and mental
challenge.
But they also did it to help Suzanne.
With the assistance of donors and sponsors, they raised $17,696.
The ride is just one of several fundraising events Aucoin and her supporters have
mounted over the past two years, raising approximately $130,000 for her medical
expenses.
But as light and festive as the mood is at the wine and cheese party, the underlying
reason behind it is a matter of life and death.
The drugs Suzanne needs to prevent her cancer from spreading and killing her cost
thousands of dollars per month.
Suzanne, 35, had been paying $14,000 US per month for treatment with Erbitux at a
clinic in West Seneca, N.Y. since last October. In December, Health Canada granted
her special access to receive the drug on this side of the border.
She became the first person to be treated with the drug at the Hamilton cancer
centre. The drug cost her approximately $6,400 per month -- about a third of the
price she was paying in the U.S.
Much of the money donated to Suzanne's treatment fund has been spent.
The wine and cheese party two weeks ago served a dual role. It was also a primer for a
number of fundraising events in the works for this spring and summer to help Suzanne
continue paying for expensive cancer drugs that are not covered by the provincial
government through OHIP.
Suzanne and her fundraising team have set a goal of raising $100,000 through a number
of events, including a spin-a-thon, golf tournament, gala dinner and a volleyball
tournament.
It's a humbling and sometimes uncomfortable experience to appeal to others for
financial help to pay for treatment, but Suzanne sees no other choice.
"I know what I need and I'm determined to get it. And I know how to get. I'm not afraid
to go ask for it," she says in the days prior to the wine and cheese party.
And Suzanne is far from alone.
A growing number of cancer patients in Ontario are being forced to pay for treatment
out of their own pockets, says the Canadian Cancer Society.
"Unfortunately, what is happening is that not all drugs the minute they're released or
are available are covered by the Ontario government," says Rowena Pinto, the
organization's senior manager of public issues.
"That's leaving some people ... with few options in terms of coverage, which is too bad."
The financial toll of living with cancer can be very high, says Pinto.
On top of drug costs, patients who are often unable to work also rack up bills for
home care, child care, homemaking, hospital parking and other expenses.
"It can be a very, very expensive disease" says Pinto.
"The last thing cancer patients should be having to worry about is money when they're
already going through such a stressful experience."
After she was rediagnosed two years ago, Suzanne took a leave of absence from her
job as a chaplain at Denis Morris High School to focus full-time on her health.
She's turned taking care of herself and keeping her cancer at bay into a cottage
industry of sorts.
"I feel like a CEO running my own business. That's exactly what I feel like," she says.
In addition to undergoing weekly treatment sessions and researching new medical
options, Suzanne spends much of her time planning events to raise money for her
medical costs.
Two years ago, she struck a committee to help her oversee and co-ordinate the
benefits organized on her behalf.
The group -- dubbed the Living Life Large committee or L3 for short -- is made up of
friends she made through her interest in cycling and working out at the gym at White
Oaks.
The committee members -- Suzanne, Gary Bellhouse and son Sam, Carrie Morris and
Kelly Dickenson -- meet regularly to plan fundraising activities.
They also help co-ordinate events organized by others, such as the staff and students
at Denis Morris, who have raised thousands of dollars for Suzanne over the past two
years.
"Suzanne is fighting for her life and our attitude is that we don't think anything but
that," says Gary Bellhouse, 62, a business owner from Wainfleet. "We think through our
efforts that eventually she is going to find that magic formula that's going to make her
a healthy young lady again."
Dickenson, a software developer from Niagara Falls, said the committee focuses on
fundraising events that are enjoyable and relatively easy to organize.
The formula has been working well so far. Three events last year -- a golf tournament,
dinner dance and a spin-a-thon -- raised $60,000 combined.
"We try to make all our fundraising events as fun as possible," says Dickenson, 45. "That
way, the participants get the benefit of helping Suzanne and they get the benefit of
being together with people they enjoy."
Seeing the challenges Suzanne has faced to get the medication she needs has opened
Dickenson's eyes to deficiencies in Ontario's health system.
"I wonder what happens to people who listen to the doctor when they say there's
nothing we can do for you," she says.
"I would hope that if I got that news that I would be like Suzanne and put up a fight
and try to do whatever I could to change things."
Niagara Falls businessman Al Filer had never heard of Suzanne until last June.
But once he learned of her story, Filer and his company -- Lifetime Financial Planning
Group -- quickly offered support.
The firm raised about $3,500 through a quickly organized client picnic and also
provided nearly $4,000 in sponsorship for the Rocky Mountain bike race Andre and
Louise Blais did.
"I think Suzanne has got an amazing story," says Filer.
"She's fighting for her life. Not only is she fighting for her own life, but she may
possibly make changes in the system that can benefit so many other people."
Suzanne says she's constantly amazed by the generosity of those who've joined her
cancer fight -- many of them strangers.
"It's a huge feeling of gratitude," she says. "It's very humbling that people want to help
me this much. I kind of feel like I owe then. I say to myself, 'You helped me raise this
money -- I want to live long enough to repay you for supporting me.' I feel indebted to
them."
But Suzanne and her strong network of supporters are not the norm, says Colleen
Savage, president and chief executive director of the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of
Canada.
The majority of cancer patients simply don't have the fundraising knowhow, the
energy or the connections to come up with the money they need to cover the cost
of non-funded drugs, she says.
Savage says two unpalatable options confront a large number of cancer patients told
by their physicians that their best hope for survival lies with drugs that aren't paid for
by OHIP. They can either sell their houses and cash in investments they have to buy
the drugs, or do without treatment.
And those who forego treatment lose the opportunity to prolong their lives.
"If Ontario will not pay for their cancer treatment and they have no other choices,
their cancer goes untreated. There's no mystery about what happens if the cancer
goes untreated," says Savage.
Savage's national advocacy coalition has been calling on the Health Ministry to give
cancer patients in dire need access to new drugs that have been approved for use by
Health Canada but have not yet been approved for funding by the provincial
government.
"I wish the minister would understand that this dilemma is real. It's devastating and it's
exactly what medicare was supposed to prevent," she says.