Watch above: As women struggle through the effects of cancer treatments, Saskatoon-based uranium giant Cameco helps make dreams come true. Meaghan Craig finds out the importance of the Touchdown for Dreams program and why Cameco feels the need to reach out to more women.
SASKATOON – More women in Saskatchewan with life-threatening cancer will get the chance to take a break from their reality and fulfill a dream. The Cameco Touchdown For Dreams is expanding and is now accepting applications for this year’s dream recipients.
On hand at Wednesday’s announcement was Marilyn Young, a volunteer at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency who said she was in shock when she found out in 2011 she had ovarian cancer. She will undergo her seventeenth chemotherapy treatment Thursday.
“My daughter had leukemia and she fought it and did well. My husband had colon cancer, he fought it and did well so I kind of thought now it’s my turn, get going, get on that horse and here we are we’re still riding,” laughed Young.
It’s a ride that’s had its share of lows but also some highs. In June 2014, Young was granted a wish and she and her husband were sent on an Alaskan cruise, courtesy of the program.
“There’s not a really happy moment when you’re diagnosed with cancer but when you get this dream, you tend to forget that negative impact for a little while and the positives totally outweigh the negatives,” said Young.
Over the next two years, the program will grant up to 10 wishes each year to Saskatchewan women who have been diagnosed with life-threatening cancer. This is up from 16 over the last three years.
The goal will be to direct $7,500 to $10,000 towards each dream as opposed to the previous $5,000 price range.
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“For us it’s important that we give back to the community, that we tried to make a difference and we found this to be a good way to do that,” said Tim Gitzel, Cameco’s president and CEO.
Applications for potential 2015 dream recipients can be submitted through the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency website. The deadline to apply is March 31.
Once the application is filled out the organization will:
- Contact the woman’s oncologist for authorization that the woman meets the medical criteria for a wish. The oncologist also determines if the dream is appropriate for the woman’s medical condition.
- A small committee makes the determination of who will receive the dream.
- Once the individuals are selected the woman will be contacted and the process to make the dream come true begins.
While the program supports women during their difficult journey, its goal is to also raise awareness about the importance of early detection and prevention. Over 50 per cent of new cancer cases in the province are still diagnosed at a later stage in the disease.
“It’s really the way we stop having people have cancer is if we prevent it or catch it in early stage where it’s highly treatable that’s really how we make cancer more sustainable in the province and actually prevent people from having terminal disease,” said Scott Livingstone, president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency.
According to Livingstone, the four most common types of cancer in the province are prostate for men, breast cancer for women and lung and colorectal for both.
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