Online Advocacy Matters

I am excited to have the opportunity to attend the 2nd Annual Health eMatters Conference in Toronto Oct 27 - 29, 2022.

This conference is organized by Myeloma Canada and is open to all cancer advocates. The statement below is posted on their webpage.

Health eMatters is a program for online Canadian cancer advocates to network, learn, be inspired, and sharpen their skill sets to become better at raising awareness on the issues that matter most to them.

The conversations you have with your audience about cancer puts you in a unique position to make a difference in people's lives.

Health eMatters helps individuals harness the power of the digital world to champion the issues faced by people affected by cancer. You can be a:

Social Media Influencer

• Vlogger
• Blogger
• Website content writer
• Podcaster
• Filmmaker
• Animator

Whatever your method, if you are discussing cancer online and want the public to be more aware of the different issues facing those affected by cancer then we are here to support you.

Target Therapies for CML

What is Targeted Therapy?

Targeted therapy is the standard treatment for CML when the leukemia cells have the Philadelphia chromosome (called Ph-positive, or Ph+, CML). This is usually determined by a bone marrow biopsy (BMB).

Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs to target specific molecules (usually proteins) on the surface of cancer cells. These molecules help send signals that tell cells to grow or divide. By targeting these molecules, the drugs stop the growth and spread of the cancer cells while limiting harm to normal cells. Targeted therapy may also be called molecular targeted therapy.

Thanks to medical research there are now 6 different types of targeted therapy drugs available to help in the fight against CML. Therapies used with CML are referred to as Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors.

When I was first diagnosed we discussed the three main drugs which are Imatinib, Dasatinib, and Nilotinib. We went over some of the "reported" side effects, any issues my Hematologist had seen in other patients, etc. She gave me the option as to which one I wanted to start with. I chose Dasatinib. I have been on it from day one but have had some side effects that I deal with. More on side effects later.

In another post I will list the available drugs for treating CML.

*Photo is copyrighted. Taken and supplied by Amber Noden

Newly Diagnosed with CML.....now what?

 

Firstly I’d say take a deep breath and just breathe. 

I’m sure you have many things going through your mind right now. I’ve been there, I completely understand. 

There are supports available to help you understand your cancer diagnosis. Below is a list of a few websites I am familiar with and that I highly recommend visiting. These websites may also include other resources not listed below.

There are also a number of support groups that can be found on Facebook and you can get support from other people with CML. I personally don’t post much in these Facebook groups but I do visit and read the posts and have had things I’ve thought about answered. Keep in mind this journey is your and only yours, not everyone will have the same experiences in regards to side effects or treatments.

Canadian Cancer Society

https://cancer.ca/en/

Canadian CML Network 

https://cmlnetwork.ca/

CML Advocates Network 

https://www.cmladvocates.net/

CML Society of Canada

http://cmlsociety.org

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

https://www.lls.org/

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada

https://www.bloodcancers.ca/

The National CML Society

https://www.nationalcmlsociety.org/

Know Your CML

Thanks in part to all the hard work by everyone involved with the CML Advocates Network, a new app has been designed to help all CML patients, whether newly diagnosed or not.