Speechification: The Reckoning

Final speech for class. It is what it is.

Tonight's the last class and then I get my summer back!

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In May of 2007 my mother was diagnosed with Stage III Non-Hodgkin’s Follicular Lymphoma. And if that sounds like a mouthful, let me assure you, it is. But, every word of that name helps to describe exactly what this disease is and what it is doing to her.

But you might know what I’m talking about by a different name.

I’m talking about cancer.

Scary, isn’t it?

Today I'm here to talk to you about the type of cancer my mother has. I’ll break the elements of this disease down for you, discuss effective treatment options and give you a snapshot about cancer care in Ontario.

Let’s begin.

The Canadian Cancer Society describes cancer as a disease that starts in our cells. When a cell is functioning normally it grows, does the job it is supposed to do, replicates itself and then dies. However, in cancerous cells, genetic errors disrupt the normal process of cell replication and the cells are unable to stop reproducing themselves. This uncontrolled replication begins to form growths in a person’s body that we've come to know as cancer.

What is Lymphatic cancer then? Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer known to us. The Lymphoma Research Foundation identifies it as a cancer of the white blood cells, which are also known as lymphocytes. These lymphocytes are located in a person’s lymphatic system, which is a transport system, similar to your veins, for fluids in your body that help it to fight infections.

There are two major white blood cell types. B cell lymphocytes, which develop into antibodies that help fight infections, and T cell lymphocytes that attack foreign bodies, such as bacteria or viruses, directly. Cancer causes these white blood cells in your lymphatic system to grow in an uncontrolled manner. Follicular lymphoma is a particularly slow growing type of cancer, associated with B-lymphocytes, and is often found in middle aged and older adults.

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is the most prevalent type of Lymphatic cancer. This type of cancer begins in the lymph nodes, which are tiny little pods in your lymphatic system filled with those white blood cells. Since your lymphatic system runs throughout your entire body it can act as a transport method allowing cancerous blood cells to move throughout your body, potentially infecting other areas.

Now I mentioned earlier that my mother has Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma.

Lymphoma Research Canada states that Stage I means that the cancer is located in a single region with very few, if any, outward symptoms

Stage II indicates that the cancer is located in two separate areas of the lymphatic system. Both areas are confined to one side of the diaphragm, either above it or below it.

Stage III says that the cancer has spread to both sides of the diaphragm. This indicates that the disease has traveled a larger distance and has been present for a longer period of time.

Stage IV, the most serious stage, indicates that the cancer has spread beyond the lymphatic system and now involves one or more major organs.

So now you know what Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma is, a slow growing cancer of the lymphatic system that also affects the body’s ability to make antibodies. As I mentioned previously, every word of this disease tells us a little bit about what it is and how it operates.

But enough with the doom and gloom, lets talk about how you can beat this cancer.

Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma patients are fortunate that this particular strain of cancer is often highly susceptible to many of the treatment options modern medicine has available to combat it.

The two main types of treatment for this form of cancer are Chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy, or chemo, uses powerful medications, delivered intravenously or through pills, that kill cancer cells and prevent their growth. Chemo is a systemic cancer treatment which means it affects the whole body. According to the Canadian Cancer Society Chemotherapy targets and kills rapidly growing cells, just like cancer. Unfortunately there are a number of normal, healthy cells in your body that also rapidly reproduce and chemo is unable to differentiate between these cells and the cancerous ones. That means that chemo can negatively affect healthy cells as well, which is why this treatment option has so many side effects like hair loss, nausea, weight loss and vomiting.

Unlike chemotherapy radiation therapy is a localized treatment that only affects the area where the cancer is growing. Radiation therapy works by bombarding the cancer with high energy x-rays that kills cancerous cells by affecting their ability to repair themselves. Unfortunately, just like chemo, radiation therapy cannot differentiate between cancerous cells and healthy ones and may adversely affect these healthy cells as well. Like chemo, radiation therapy may also have some adverse physical reactions including hair loss, weight loss, nausea and diarrhea. One of the more unpleasant aspects of radiation therapy is that by bombarding your body with x-rays you potentially leave yourself open to developing other forms of cancer, such as skin, breast or thyroid cancer.

Now that I’ve talked a little about the specifics of this disease and the treatment options available to combat it I’d like to take a moment and give you a snapshot about cancer care in this province.


According to Cancer Care Ontario, this province is in the middle of a good news/bad news scenario when it comes to delivering on cancer treatments.
The good news is that patients needing radiation therapy to combat their disease will find that their wait times have dropped. In the last few years wait times for access to radiation therapy has dropped 31%, from six weeks in 2003 to 4.1 weeks in 2006 and this trend continues towards even shorter wait times.

Unfortunately for patients requiring a systemic approach to cancer treatment, specifically chemotherapy, the news isn't as encouraging. Despite the fact that the province has nearly doubled its commitment to funding treatments, from 73 million in 2003 to 176 million in 2007, the wait times for chemeo treatments continue to remain stagnant. Many Ontario patients still wait between 25 to 38 days before receiving access to chemo treatments.


This is because the sheer number of people afflicted with this disease continues to grow. Every year approximately 63,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in this province. To put that in perspective for you that means, in one year, the equivalent of half the population of a city the size of Oshawa was diagnosed with some form of cancer in this province.

When I decided to give a speech on this topic I wasn't sure how I'd be able to handle the occasion
Finding out that one of your parents is sick can be an earth shaking event. You hear the word cancer and your mind conjures up a list of seemingly endless doomsday scenarios.

It's terrifying.

But this is supposed to be an information speech, and the information contained within this speech doesn't frighten me so much anymore, it gives me hope.

I've talked a bit about the type of cancer my mother has. The name 'Stage III Non-Hodgkins Follicular Lymphoma' sounds like the end of the world. But when you break it down you find out that this particular strain of the disease is slow growing, easily treatable and a very common form of cancer.

I've talked about the forms of treatment my mother has available to her. Chemotherapy and radiations treatments are serious business with significant potential side effects. But the bottom line is that they've been proven to work.

And finally, I've talked a bit about the state of cancer treatment in Ontario which, while not perfect yet, shows an awareness and a willingness by government to investment in the equipment, treatment options and manpower necessary to successfully fight this illness

It's been over a year now since my mother's diagnosis and I'm happy to report that she is nearly symptom free. Her cancer is growing so slowly that, in the near term, her doctors have chosen a very conservative course of treatment for her.

This trial isn't over but I feel confident that we will continue to band together as a family, and as a family, we will beat this.

Thank you.