Speechification: The Reckoning

Final speech for class. It is what it is.

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

***

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.

Like drilling through your brain with a jagged ruler

Hey Chris.

Yah?

What's the laziest post you can think of?

How about a rough draft outline of a speech I did for class. Perhaps the dullest thing you'll ever read. I'm thinking of marketing it for insomniacs.

That'll do pig.


Topic: To advocate for the construction of a new downtown highway in the city of Toronto

Central idea: A new downtown highway will greatly improve the city’s economic backbone and allow Toronto to meet the needs of the local population.

I. The creation of a highway that connects to downtown Toronto will relieve traffic congestion and result in shortened commuting times. These faster commutes will have a positive environmental impact and help to increase the quality of life for many people living in the Greater Toronto Area.

a. By reducing the number of cars idling in Toronto’s stop and go traffic we will decrease the number of smog days in the city and see tangible economic and health related benefits.

i. Toronto Public Health (TPH) estimates that over 1,700 people die each year as a result of air pollution. Another 6,000 people are admitted to hospitals for the same reason.

ii. The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) estimates that it costs the province 150 million dollars in health care costs and 128 million dollars in lost productivity each year due to air pollution.

b. There will also be significant improvements to commuter quality of life. A downtown highway will allow commuters to spend more time at home with their families and less time traveling.

i. A recent report by the Toronto Star outlined a number of health risks associated with lengthy commutes, including sleep deprivation and compromised judgment under high level of stress.

ii. This same Toronto Star report highlighted the significant loss of time commuters were able to spend with their families due to their excessively long commute times. A downtown highway will help to return some of the necessary time families spend together.

II. There are also significant advantages to having a downtown highway for local businesses, commercial carriers and downtown residents.

a. A downtown Toronto highway will give better access to the city for local businesses and farmers, giving area residents increased access to high quality goods at lower prices.

i. Increased transportation infrastructure will allow local area farmers to get their product to Toronto’s markets more quickly, ensuring less spoilage.

ii. Better access to Toronto markets will result in lower transportation costs for producers (refrigeration, etc). These savings will be subsequently reflected in the price.

b. Increased Toronto transportation infrastructure will give consumers greater access to goods in a timely and reliable fashion, without unnecessary delays and additional costs.

i. In 2006 Transport Canada estimated that congestion costs the country between 2.3 billion dollars to 3.7 billion dollars annually. These costs are initially absorbed by the freight transportation industry before being passed on to consumers. A downtown highway will help to relieve local area congestion and ensure consumer costs are kept low.

ii. Increased transportation infrastructure will help to keep consumer prices low because of less fuel consumption by commercial carriers.

III. A downtown Toronto highway will have a considerable economic impact on the region by creating jobs and supporting improved access to variety of local industries.

a. A highway will help boost the economy by creating new employment opportunities.

i. Initially there will be an influx of temporary jobs, first through environmental assessments and planning and then, more significantly, in the construction phase.

ii. Over the long term a new highway will create job opportunities in highway maintenance and repair, law enforcement and snow removal.

b. Improved transportation access will also benefit Toronto and regional industries.

i. Toronto’s tourist, entertainment and sporting industries will have more reliable access to local populations.

ii. Toronto residents will have better access to cottage country and other nearby out of town destinations.

Speechify

Bleh.

Speech last night didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Deliverly wise I didn't get any negative feedback. But I came in at 4 minutes on a 5 minute speech. Which wasn't good, considering that I'd be coming in a 4.5 minutes during rehearsal. And that was without my visual aids.

So either I raced through the speech like a small town driver on a back road or I jettisoned a fifth of my speech.

Query. Which is worse, being a minute short, or two minutes over? I'm inclined to say the former.

Anyway here's the speech.

I’ve been playing Ultimate Frisbee for a little over four years now and I’m often asked to run down the basics of the game to interested individuals. The best way I’ve found to describe the sport is that it’s a combination between basketball and football, only played with a Frisbee disc.

Like basketball, Ultimate Frisbee teams place five players on the field. Each individual player is allowed to have contact with, handle and throw the disc in any direction they choose. However, a key departure between Ultimate Frisbee and basketball is that when a player is in possession of a disc they must have one foot planted on the ground at all times. Players are absolutely not allowed to run with the disc.

Ultimate Frisbee’s football influences come primarily from the makeup of the field the game is played on, as well as how points are scored during the game. As in football, there is larger a field of play sandwiched between two smaller end zones. Players attempt to move the disc up and down the field of play towards the other team’s end zone. Teams acquire a single point at a time by catching the disc in the opposing team’s end zone.

Now that I’ve outlined the basics of how they game is played I’m going to demonstrate the three most common throws.

The first throw is called the backhand and I imagine that its one most people in the class might recognize. The backhand is the simplest throw there is in the game. If you’re tossing a disc at a picnic or just goofing around with friends, chances are you’re throwing the backhand.

To throw the backhand a player will curl all their fingers underneath the lip of the disc and hold it in firmly in place with their thumb on the Frisbee’s topside. To release the disc the player moves their arm across the front of their body and releases the Frisbee with a flick of their wrist just shy of their arm’s maximum extension. This is the most powerful way to throw a backhand. To achieve more accuracy from their throw a player will place their index finger along the rim of the disc. This will make the throw less powerful, but it gives the thrower more control when they release it. The backhand throw is best used for beginning players.

After mastering the backhand most players often choose to learn the forehand throw, more commonly know as the flick. To throw a flick simply make a ‘V’ with your index and middle finger, just like a 60‘s style peace sign. Tuck your middle finger firmly under the rim of the disc and once again the disc is sandwiched firmly in place by your thumb. To release the disc tuck your elbow into your side, rotate your arm so that your wrist faces upward and let go of the disc with a firm snapping motion of your wrist. The majority of the power in this throw comes from your wrist. There should be very little, if any, actual movement of your arm. The flick is the best all-purpose throw in the game, easily thrown over a variety of distances with varying degrees of power.

Now the biggest drawback to these first two throws is that they are released roughly parallel to the field you are playing on. What this means is that if I want to make a backhand throw or a forehand throw to one of my teammates in the end zone I need to make sure there are no opposing players between me and him. Otherwise the chances are fairly high that the opposing player will catch the disc instead of my teammate and we’ll lose possession of the Frisbee.

This is where the third throw I’m going to discuss today comes in, the hammer. To throw a hammer a player grips the disc just like the flick. But that is where the similarity ends. To release a hammer throw the player holds the disc overtop their head at a 90 degree angle, like a plastic Mohawk, and makes a quick cutting motion with their wrist, releasing the Frisbee just in front of their forehead. The hammer is not a very accurate throw and is only really used for larger distances. The major upside to the hammer is that players are able to throw the disc down the entire length of the field, overtop of the heads of their opponents, giving skilled throwers a distinct advantage in playing the game.

Now that you’ve seen the basic throws used in Ultimate Frisbee maybe I’ve enticed you to give the game itself a shot.

I certainly hope so.

Thank you.

Back in the saddle again.

I was away last week at a work conference.

So my posting accordingly dropped to nil.

I'm spending today rotating between editing the second draft of the mag, which looks great, and putting the finishing touches on my second in-class speech. The designer always gives me some initial push back on magazine related editing critiques but then turns in the best re-edits.

That says more about his talent than it does about my edits. He makes my job so much easier.

Anyway tonight's speech is supposed to be a demonstration speech. Think cooking show or infomercial if you want to get a taste of what that entails. So I decided to speak about "The three most commonly used throws in Ultimate Frisbee."

Here's some raw material that I'll be using with the meat of the speech to come later.

Enjoy.

Or not.

The Backhand.

The Forehand (or Flick).

The Hammer.

School: Speech #1

So,

my Speechwriting and Presentations is actually more of a Public Speaking class.

How did that happen?

Anyway, here's my first speech, 250 words long, which is supposed to introduce me to the class.

(Hint: I'm the tall guy in the back)


How I came to be in this class

In 2003 the SARS virus swept through Toronto and the local film and television industry, highly dependant on American production, was dealt a body blow from which it has yet to recover.

2003 also happened to be the same year that I graduated from York University with a degree in film and television production.

So I was out in the real world with a degree for an industry that was suddenly devoid of any jobs.

At first I managed to eke out a living working for fly by night production companies that couldn’t guarantee my employment for more than a month at a time.

After a couple years of this I decided that steady employment was more valuable to me than being a part of an industry that could barely support itself. So I took an administrative job with the Canadian actor’s union. Respectable pay, but hardly challenging from a career standpoint.

And I was content, for awhile anyway.

But soon the lack of a creative outlet began to frustrate me.

So I took a chance and enrolled in the Public Relations certificate course at Ryerson. A couple months later a PR position opened up at my office and despite no formal schooling in the subject, and a lack of applicable job experience, I got the position.

So now I find myself in the going to school for a job I already have. A small price to pay for a regular paycheque and a creative outlet.