HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-03-31, Page 49holt
pen
T d
e and
meet,
e ch.'
y pe
only
gla
Fav
de
het
um
moat
ast
rem
y mi
dditl
P, we
re
;alar
t and
of
rse er
nning,
rent*
your
y dia
dies aren't immune after all
Smoking kills women too
ears we've known how
1 cigarette smoking is
Now we're finding out
mful it is to women.
women haven't
as long or as heavily
the - damage has
s
decade
la Crawford is the
orative Chairman
derich Branch of the
Cancer Society.
rawford has been
ble for this part of the
program now for 10
d explains that the
orative donations
t a very important
e local group's fund
"It has been very
ful,". she notes.
the program a
morative Cancer
card is placed in the
home in memory of
ased with donations
and the work of the
Cancer Society,
in the field of
. (staff photo)
Eft
pptf
n(1 incndisease
ouit of dtsraus rhar-
hy the lien} •Wiled
rel;ul;ttel growth oI
I hnrly cells. In tn,uty,
here is ;1 t;tvotirahlc
to modern ntcthuds
ihcnt if diagnosis is
fore signs of spread
et. ti',uu ton trihution
,inaili;in (lancer Soc-
ital hi the work of
<c'ar h trains h;illlin}
tcanrcr.
become apparent more
slowly. Until recently,° we
could cling to the illusion that
women had a built-in
protection from the Con-
sequences of cigarette
smoking.
Unhappily, it- was just an
illusion.
Now the evidence is in. So
grave and so far-reaching are
the findings that they warrant
thoughtful consideration by
women of all ages who
smoke, or are tempted
to—women who care about
their own - bodies and are
concerned about the effect
their actions may have on
others.
Tote bags
What we now know is that
women's smoking patterns
are becoming more like
men's. As they do, women are
suffering the same con-
sequences: lung cancer, for
example..More women are
smoking: more are
developing lung cancer. In
ten years, women's death
rates have doubled for this
cancer which previously
attacked mostly men. In fact,
some researchers say we are
experiencing an "epidemic of
lung cancer in women" which
has not yet peaked, and which
will continue to rage if women
continue to smoke.
Mastectomy Fits
Tote bags are useful no
matter what you put in them.
Whether it be shoes, knitting,
swimwear or mastectomy
kits. Sincb 1972, Ontario
Division has supplied new
mastectomy patients with
attractive hand -made tote
bags.
The tote bags, which were
originally made by the Inner
Wheel of. the Rotary Club of
Toronto, contain mastectomy
kits consisting of : A Canadian
Cancer Society booklet
describing tips on health,
appearance and exercises; a
rubber ball and rope to
perform the exercises; a
WonderBra temporary
prosthesis and fibre fill; a list
of prices and stores where a
permanent prosthesis can be
purchased; and a pattern for
a temporary prosthesis.
Tote bags on a drawstring
are easy to make. Recently,
no one has been supplying
them on a regular basis, and
therefore it has been up to the
various Units to contact
ladies' groups, senior citizens
or church organizations that
would be willing to sew them.
"When a mastectomy
patient later uses her tote bag
for her knitting or shoes, it
serves as a nice reminder of
the Cancer Society," says
Eleanor Bain, Convener of
Mastectomy Services,
Ontario Division.
Wonderbra
works wonders
Wonderful ... wonderful ... WonderBra. So the jingle goes
and for many new mastectomy patients across Canada,
WonderBra does indeed provide a service that is truly won-
derful.
Since 1973, WonderBra has been manufacturing 600 dozen
temporary prostheses each year, free of charge, for the
Canadian Cancer Society.
Ms. Suzanne Perron, Special Projects Coordinator for
WonderBra. located in Montreal, explains how it all began.
"Because we are a bra manufacturer, we would often be
approached by new mastectomy patients asking us if we
produced prostheses, Being sympathetic to the adjustment
these women had to make, and understanding the tremendous
value of such a product, our company decided to manufacture
prostheses upon request for the Cancer Society.
'Originally, the prostheses were rhade by the handicapped or
the mentally retarded, working out Of their homes and paid by
WonderBra. Soon, however, the operation will shift to the
Montreal plant, in an effort to cut down on delays and increase
production. WonderBra will now ,produce prostheses on a
regular basis and stock them so that when an order comes in,
they will have sufficient quantity on hand to fill the order
immediately.
WonderBra also provides this service for "Reach To
Recovery", a non-profit organization that operates mainly out
of Quebec.
When the National Office receives a supply of temporary
prostheses, they -are sent to the various Divisional Offices to be
distributed through the Service to Patients Committee.
Heart _ disease, stroke,
emphysema, cancers of the
mouth and larynx. These are
just a few of the other serious
diseases women smokers are
.prey to. Women who smoke
also spend more days sick in
bed each year with less
serious ailments, and ,lose
nearly three times as many
work days as women who
don't smoke.
For a pregnant woman, the
harmful effects of smoking
also extend to her unborn
child. Nicotine and carbon
monoxide - from cigarettes
can retard the fetus' growth
so that the infant is born
Page 9
busy: go to the movies,
exercise, take long walks.
•Use substitutes, sip water,
chew gum, eat raisins or
carrots, chew a clove.
If you think you need help,
ask your local Unit of the
Canadian Cancer Society.
. Don't be discouraged if you
don't ma1Se it the first time.
i'ry again. Some ex-smokers
say they tried and failed
many times before suc-
ceeding. The important thing
is they did try, and they did
finally succeed.
You can, too.
below normal weight. Small • I NII II II
babies frequently have' dif-
ficulty getting a good start in
life, and their physical and
emotional development
during childhood may be
affected.
in addition, women who
smoke during pregnancy are
more likely to have a stillborn
infant, or a baby who dies
soon after birth.
Teenage girls, too, seem to
he caught in the smoking
spirit. Smoking in this group
is rising sharply. ,Originally
an activity which appealed
primarily to boys, smoking
has now become a habit for
more than 15 percent of girls
between 12 and 18—just a
fraction under the number of
boys the same age who
smoke. Those who start
young tend to smoke heavily,
and it is heavy smokers who
run the greatest risk. Studies
show that children are more
likely to smoke if their
parents or older sisters and
brothers smoke.
Now that the damaging
facts are in, those of you who
smoke may want to rethink
your feelings about
smoking—your reasons for
starting in the first place,
why you still do it, whether
you even enjoy it. Ask
yourself a hard question: is
your cigarette habit really
worth the consequences - and
harder still, shouldn't you try
to quit? Can you quit?
Many people don't find the
actual quitting very difficult,
once they have made up their
minds. Thirty million women
and men have been able to do
it.
If you decide to quit, here
are a few suggestions that
might make it easier: List the
reasons for and against
smoking. Change to a low tar,
low nicotine brand. Select a
day to quit. Chart your
smoking habits for two
weeks: how many cigarettes,
when, which is the most and
least important. Each night,
repeat at least ten times one
of your reasons for not
smoking. Eliminate one
cigarette from your routine:
the most or least desired. Quit
on the day you selected. Keep
Never
had a
.n Test?
What
are you
waiting
for?
The Pap Test is an early
\yarning system.
It can detect abnor-
malities th:It could lead
to Uterine Cancer.
It's so simple to have
one. The only thing you
have to Flo is ask your
doctor. That's all.
And it only takes a
tete minutes.
But, most important,
the Pap Test could save
Your life.
And that's the hest
reason we could think of.
So, xvhat are you
\vaiting for?
e
CANADIAN
CANCER
SOCIETY
Take
good care of
yourself.
This informative publication Is brought to you with the kind co-operation of the following
ALVIN'S TV
162 MARY ST.
GODERICH 524-le119
Peter S. MacEwan
INSURANCE AGENCY
2E ST. DAVID ST.
GODERICH 3244531
RIECK PHARMACY LTD.
14 THE SQUARE
GODERICH 52i-7241