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Mother fulfills daughter's dream to make cancer documentary
BC Cancer Foundation presents first public screening of Chasing Rainbows: Young Adults Living with Cancer in Kelowna, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria
March 22, 2007, Vancouver, B.C - Between March 26 and April 2, 2007, the BC Cancer Foundation is presenting the first public screenings of Chasing Rainbows: Young Adults Living with Cancer at the BC Cancer Agency’s regional centres in Kelowna, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria. The film’s producer, Pat Taylor, will attend each screening, along with Mary McBride, a senior scientist with the BC Cancer Agency who is leading a major study of young adult cancer survivors; a local young adult survivor; and a counsellor from the BC Cancer Agency’s patient and family counselling unit. Following the screenings of the film, they will lead a discussion regarding the unique issues and challenges facing young adults diagnosed with cancer, available support services, and current research.
Buy the Chasing Rainbows: Young Adults Living with Cancer DVD online.
Members of the public are invited to attend the free screenings at the following locations:
Monday, March 26, 2007 – 7 to 9 PM
BC Cancer Agency - Centre for the Southern Interior (Kelowna)
Okanagan Room
399 Royal Ave., Kelowna, BC
Wednesday, March 28, 2007 – 7 to 9 PM
BC Cancer Agency - Fraser Valley Centre (Surrey)
Main Floor Conference Room
13750 96th Ave, Surrey, BC
Thursday, March 29, 2007 – 7 to 9 PM
BC Cancer Agency - Research Centre (Vancouver)
Gordon and Leslie Diamond Family Theatre
675 West 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC
Monday, April 2, 2007 – 7 to 9 PM
BC Cancer Agency - Vancouver Island Centre (Victoria)
Conference Room 2
2410 Lee Ave, Victoria, BC
Members of the public wishing to attend the free screening of Chasing Rainbows can RSVP to:
Sacha Lehto: Toll free 1-888-906-2873, Email: slehto@bccancer.bc.ca or Tel: 604-675-8242
Chasing Rainbows features six cancer patients/survivors between the ages of 19 and 29 talking about the reality of being young and facing a life-threatening illness. With humour and passion, they openly discuss relationships, sex, faith, anger, infertility, finances, treatment—and survival. The 43-minute documentary is based on a roundtable discussion hosted by the daughter of producer Pat Taylor, Sara Taylor Gibson.
When Sara was diagnosed with cancer at 23, she found there were few specific resources for young adults in her situation. She envisioned Chasing Rainbows as a much-needed source of information, hope and support for other young adults facing cancer, as well as their families and care providers. When Sara died in 2000, before the film’s completion, her mother vowed to make this dream a reality.
“I’m just doing what Sara wanted—getting a message of hope out to young people living with cancer,” says Taylor. “The title Chasing Rainbows represents the incredible hope my daughter and the other young adults in this documentary have, under the direst of circumstances.”
Taylor is donating proceeds from DVD sales of Chasing Rainbows to the BC Cancer Foundation to support a major study of young cancer survivors led by BC Cancer Agency research scientist Mary McBride.
“The increasingly successful treatment of cancers in young adults—75 per cent survive at least five years after diagnosis—has led to a dramatic increase in the number of survivors,” says McBride. “But the cancer and the cancer treatment leave many of them at risk for later problems: medical, psychological, educational and social. We need to know more about these risks and about the care and support young survivors need at this point in their lives, and then get that knowledge to them, to their care providers, and to their families and supporters.”
The Childhood/Adolescent/Young Adult Cancer Survivorship research program (CAYACS) aims to identify the long-term effects of cancer and its treatment on survivors; assess their unique healthcare, education, counselling, vocational and other needs; and develop practical tools that will help survivors, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and other support workers understand and address these needs.
“This important work would not be possible without the generous support of the community,” says McBride. “We need on-going funding to communicate our findings to survivors and those who care for them, and encourage people to buy the DVDs or make a direct donation to the BC Cancer Foundation, so we can provide the support and resources that will enable survivors to live full, complete lives.”
Donations can be made directly to the BC Cancer Foundation to support the CAYACS study. Contact Sacha Lehto at the Foundation (toll free 1-888-906-2873 or email slehto@bccancer.bc.ca) to donate or to buy a Chasing Rainbows DVD.
Thanks to the determination of a mother and daughter, and through the support of the BC Cancer Foundation and the BC Cancer Agency, Chasing Rainbows: Young Adults Living with Cancer has been made available to young adults living with cancer, their families and caregivers throughout B.C. The DVD is available from the BC Cancer Foundation at www.bccancerfoundation.com/giftshop; at the BC Cancer Agency’s regional centres; at public libraries; and from www.chasingrainbowsproduction.com.
“You don’t let go,” says Taylor. “You keep your child alive in any way that you can. I couldn’t protect Sara forever. But I can certainly help her reach one of the goals she had before she died: to finish the film and make sure it reaches the very people for whom Sara intended it.”
The BC Cancer Foundation raises funds to support research and enhancements to patient care at the BC Cancer Agency. The BC Cancer Agency, a part of the Provincial Health Services Authority, is committed to reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from cancer, and improving the quality of life of those living with cancer. It provides a comprehensive cancer control program for the people of British Columbia by working with community partners to deliver a range of oncology services, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive care, rehabilitation and palliative care.
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For interviews, please contact:
Penny Noble, APR, Director, Marketing and Communications, BC Cancer Foundation
Tel: 604-707-5902
Cell: 604-805-5637
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