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Support For New Gyne Cancer Patients ON THE WAY!

I want to send big the biggest and warmest heartfelt thank you to all the Saskatchewan women who came forward to help women with gynecologic cancers. Today, we celebrate a dream come true. Last year we wanted to find a way to deliver support to gyne cancer patients by other patients. OCATS, with the help of many, raised over $10,000 towards the development and assembly of New Patient Care Kits to be delivered to patients directly upon diagnosis by our gyne oncologists. We have started assembling the kits and today are making our very first delivery. Today, it feels really good to be a volunteer! Thank you everyone who helped make this dream come true - the work continues. Love, Darlene xxxx and OCATS

It is very difficult to report to you all that Dr. Brydon, Gynecologic Oncologist for Regina area will be closing her private practice this spring, likely at the beginning of April. This is the news we have been anticipating and dreading. And this is the very situation we have all worked so very hard to avoid. However, it is impossible for Dr. Brydon to continue in gynecologic oncology. For over two years Dr. Brydon has alerted everyone within the system as to the working conditions and has prepared for her departure. It's just so sad to see it happen, when it could have been avoided. For current patients, Dr. Brydon, on her 1 day a week contract (which will continue) with the Allen Blair Cancer Centre, will see you throughout and she will be available for your surgery, your treatment and for your follow-up although I am not certain the Allen Blair Cancer Centre will facilitate this. Upon the closure of her office, she will not see any new gynecologic oncology patients and she will not be on the schedule to do surgeries for new patients. We are now short one gynecologic oncologist, have dreadful working conditions and no gynecologic oncology program in order to recruit a replacement. It is my concern that the working conditions in this new situation can only make the issue of retention of the remaining gynecologic oncologist in Regina more delicate. This is a tragic scenario for women in Saskatchewan. It is important for us to ensure support of current patients - and current patients have no reason to be concerned, your treatment and care will proceed. It is important for us to not alarm anyone unnecessarily. However, it is also important for the women of Saskatchewan to know the truth. The truth is Saskatchewan has been unable/unwilling to provide appropriate working conditions to retain our specialists, and now recruitment of a replacement specialist is going to prove even more difficult. The truth is that 3 gynecologic oncologists probably can't handle this workload. The truth is that some Regina area patients will be forced to go to Saskatoon for treatment. We cannot advocate for our own health, and that of our sisters, without knowing the truth. Together, with the truth behind us, we are very powerful. It was always our intent to prevent this situation rather than deal with the consequences and all our hard work was directed to that goal, but that is now the past. Rather than do a Media Release at this moment, we are going to give the benefit of the doubt to the powers that be to respond; we will be watching for concrete evidence. It is hoped that the current situation will convince the Medical Services Branch (i.e. the "secret committee") to implement an immediate solution within the next 30 to 60 days. However, once Dr. Brydon's office is closed we will have no choice but to educate the public about the situation and we will need your support to do so. Darlene Gray, Director OCATS