It was so much fun to shoot this promotional video on our upcoming public and virtual event “A Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion Event on Transgender Individuals and Cancer“
May 16th, 2024
REGISTRATION: https://shorturl.at/gsuKY
We gratefully acknowledge that this video is created by Shamila Yazdanpanah using Canva Pro. We are grateful for our funder (Office of Public Engagement at Memorial University) and our project partner, Quadrangle NL.
We are pleased to air our latest podcast today!
In this episode, we talked with Bonnie Morgan and Alana Walsh-Giovannini.
Together we talked about ovarian cancer, lived experience, messages of hope, the charity organization they have founded (Belles with Balls), and most importantly how a dedicated team of 8 women have raised more than half a million dollar to support ovarian cancer education and research in Newfoundland and Labrador!!
We thank every volunteer and donor who are working towards a better future for women.
Our special guest today was Dr. Maisam Najafizada 😊
Dr. Najafizada is the interim Assistant Dean of Social Accountability and an assistant professor of Health Policy at the Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University.
In this episode:
Please listen to our great chat here:
Our kids also get cancer – let’s not forget them when we talk or think about how to control and win over cancer.
In Canada, every year around 1,000 kids will be diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, we will also lose around 200 kids to cancer annually.
Pediatric cancers have impacts on the kids, their parents & siblings, friend, and extended family.
In this podcast, we talked with Alan Winnett, a parent of a child with a history of cancer and a board member for NL CandleLighters, a local charity and community support organization in NL focusing on pediatric cancers.
Check this podcast to learn the perspectives and experience by Alan and the many support programs available to families affected by pediatric cancers through the NL CandleLighters.
We are pleased to say that the registration for the “DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AND PANEL DISCUSSION EVENT FOCUSING ON TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS WITH CANCER” is now open!
Registration is free – please register here: https://www.med.mun.ca/oped/programs/4742
We cannot wait to screen the documentary called Trans Dudes with Lady Cancer and have discussions with a panel of transgender folks with a lived cancer experience, healthcare providers, and advocates.
Come join us.
This event is organized by The Public Interest Group on Cancer Research and Quadrangle NL, a local 2SLGBTQIA+ organization.
We gratefully acknowledge Office of Public Engagement for funding and NLSUPPORT for supporting this event.
Our special guests today is Geoff Eaton, the Director of Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC).
In this episode:
Take a look and hope you will enjoy this episode as much as Geoff and Sevtap have.
I write this blog post as a part of our latest project where we (The Public Interest Group on Cancer Research) aim to create digital resources and stories about cancer in the form of blogs, video recordings, and podcasts.
Today, I focus on the guest blogs.
These guest blogs are written by folks affected by cancer – either directly or indirectly. You can find them here, here, here, here, and here.
I read all of them multiple times.
And all of them have left prints in my memory.
Being a cancer scientist does not make me immune to cancer’s effects.
In this blog, I open a bit about the impact of reading the stories of cancer patient and family members.
Reading Jenna’s blog, I felt an extraordinary pride for this young person and their resilience and advocacy. It must have been hard to go through her mom’s diagnosis. I cannot imagine facing this experience at a young age. But she is resilient and very informed. Her powerful words make me so much hopeful that things will change in healthcare. Wishing Jenna, her partner, and her mom happy and healthy decades ahead.
With Deanna’s blog, I felt pain, but also tremendous hope for Deanna and all other folks who were young but got late stage cancers, and went through a lot during their journey. We recorded Deanna’s talk (as per her preference) and then turned the transcript into her blog. Remembering Deanna’s voice and the way she spoke during that recording makes me cry each time.
It does.
This is how impactful her words and story are.
Darrell’s two blogs pierced my heart. I got to remember the hopelessness the family members and caregivers in my family may have experienced during our cancer journeys. When someone dear to you is diagnosed with a disease like cancer, you want to do everything in your power to get them better. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. But sometimes all what matters is whether you have tried enough. RIP Darrell’s dad – know that you have a wonderful family who continues to advocate on behalf of the folks affected by cancer.
And with Namiko’s blog, I felt that pride again. Being proud of knowing this person and admiring their messages and words. Namiko describes her cancer journey and gives us hope with her story. Her transformation – from shocked new patient to someone recovered, stronger, and doing advocacy – must inspire many folks.
And personally, Namiko also represents folks like me, who are not from here but made here home and are non-native English speakers in the clinic. Do we get to express ourselves well as non-native English speakers? Do we have opportunities to communicate better in the clinic, for better health care, treatment, and recovery? She made me appreciate her representation and advocacy at a whole new level. Thank you Namiko. Thank you so much.
———————————————-
In addition to these guest blog posts, we also chat with folks in our podcasts.
I hope you all will find something interesting or resonating while reading our blogs and listening to our podcasts.
Whatever happens, I want you to know that you are not alone.
If you are a member of the cancer community, join us and other advocates so that the next person, the next family, the next patient will have better chances and conditions.
With much love,
Sevtap Savas, March 29, 2024. St. John’s
Excited to present our 4th podcast!
Kayla Crichton and Sevtap Savas, PhD talked to two young MUN students who are co-chairing the Relay For Life 2024 event for Memorial University of Newfoundland: Emma McIsaac and Sophia Ryan
Relay for Life is organized by Canadian Cancer Society to raise funds and awareness about cancer.
These two young leaders have given us a future vision without cancer, & hope with their enormous motivation and interest to help others going through cancer, and their leadership.
We also share information about Canadian Cancer Society’s importance and contributions to cancer research funding and support provided to cancer patients and families.
On behalf of the entire Public Interest Group on Cancer Research, Thank you Kayla, Thank you Emma, and Thank you Sophia.
FUTURE IS BRIGHT 
Episode 4 – “There is a future where we do not have to worry about cancer”: Vision by two young leaders – Sophia Ryan and Emma McIsaac
#NewfoundlandAndLabrador#Cancer#YoungLeaders#Podcasting#PublicEngagement#PublicOutreach#RelayForLife#FutureVision#Leadership#FutureIsBright
Have you ever wondered how genetics research was able to provide answers to affected families, including in the case of cancer?
How do the researchers and individuals affected by cancer see this through their eyes and experience?
How did Newfoundland and Labrador families help with identifying the cause of certain diseases?
Take a look at this conversation with Derrick Bishop and Dr. Jane Green!
We talked about a lot of things – please enjoy this cozy and informative conversation 🙂
Sevtap Savas, PhD. February 26, 2024 St. John’s. Newfoundland and Labrador
UPDATE (March 4, 2024): For a podcast version of this conversation, please see here: spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/JbcK2x8ZGHb
Disclaimer: This conversation is posted publicly for the purposes of education and/or sharing perspectives. The information shared by speakers should not be interpreted as medical advice. All health information should be discussed with your health care provider. The website owners are not responsible for the contents of the guest speakers.
This conversation is generated as a part of a public – scientist collaborative project led by the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. For further information, please see here: mun.yaffle.ca/projects/15039.
Almost 3 weeks since this award ceremony, and I am thinking about it EVERYDAY.
Why did this recognition by My East Coast Experience Media boost my morale so much?
I kept working on this question.
I came to conclusion that prior to this award, I have never been recognized in a positive way AS AN IMMIGRANT, someone not from here, in Canada .
Not even once.
I moved to Canada on Feb 25, 2022 – almost 22 years now. This is a long time.
This award hence completed something in my life, in how I experience life as an immigrant. Thanks you My East Coast Experience for this. It healed something.
It also made me more interested in lifting other under-served and under-appreciated folks.
Whether they are immigrants, refugees, folks affected by wars and conflicts, international students, elderly, homeless, sick, disadvantaged for any reason, individuals with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Indigenous Peoples, or racialized people.
We must recognize everyone and everyone’s contributions, especially those who are disadvantaged. Despite everything many of them – many of us – do extraordinary things and put extraordinary efforts.
Respect, room, and appreciation for everyone.
We have to lift each other up.
Join me in this journey.
Sevtap Savas, Feb 22, 2024 St. John’s
