GTG and DFT team up to help fight cancer

April is Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Month and members of the Gateway Theatre Guild and Dreamcoat Fantasy Theatre have joined forces to do what they can to help with the battle against cancer.

Sporting daffodil pins to show support for people living with cancer, the non-profit organizations announced Wednesday that they are pooling their talents and efforts to create one of the biggest Relay teams the local Relay for Life event has ever had.

Both organizations have members who know all too well the effects cancer can have on a person and a community and it is the pain that drives them to help.

“I automatically remember all those people that were close to me, both family and friends, that have passed from cancer and their families and the people that they have lost and it hurts a lot to see all the hurt,” GTG spokesman Jeremy Cormier says about taking part in the Relay for Life.

“But at the same time everybody is up there celebrating to remember their lives and they are also up there celebrating those who have survived because of all the research that has gone into fighting cancer and finding a cure.”

“So it is just wonderful and sad at the same time.”

With both his father and uncle having battled cancer, DFT student performer Darren Summersby says without research made possible through fundraising he might not be so fortunate to still have his loved ones.

“It raises a lot of money and that money could help save tons of peoples’ lives.”




Further details are contained in the news release below.

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Every three minutes another Canadian will hear the words ‘you have cancer’ for the first time and the Canadian Cancer Society wants them to know that they are not alone.

During Daffodil Month, the Canadian Cancer Society is asking Canadians to join the fight against cancer by making a donation to support its work throughout Canada and to either buy daffodils and/or proudly wear a daffodil pin as a symbol of support for people living with cancer.

Throughout Daffodil Month North Bay will be selling daffodils pins to raise vital funds to prevent cancer, fund research, inform and support people living with cancer, and to advocate for policies to improve the health of Canadians.

By supporting the Canadian Cancer Society during Daffodil Month, Canadians will be joining a team that works hard to fight cancer in Canada. Your donation will help the Society:

• prevent cancer

• fund research to outsmart cancer

• empower, inform and support Canadians living with cancer

• advocate for public policies to improve the health of Canadians

During Daffodil Month Canadians can make a difference by:

• wearing a daffodil pin to show your support for people living with cancer

• buying fresh daffodils – the Society’s symbol of hope

• donating to the Canadian Cancer Society when a volunteer canvasser knocks on your door

It is easy to spot a Canadian Cancer Society Canvass:

• Volunteer canvassers:

o Carry materials printed with the Society’s Logo

o Wear a name tag

o Show official identification

Cancer Statistics

• In 2011, it was estimated that 177,800 new cases of cancer (excluding 74,100 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer) would be diagnosed and about 75,000 Canadians would die from the disease. This meant that on average about 480 Canadians were diagnosed with cancer, and about 205 died from the disease, every day.

• An estimated 2 in 5 Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. An estimated 1 out of every 4 Canadians is expected to die from cancer.

• Today, over 60% of Canadians diagnosed with cancer will survive at least 5 years after their diagnosis. In the 1940s, survival was about 25%.

• The death rate for all cancers combined is declining for males in most age groups and for females under 70.

The Canadian Cancer Society fights cancer by doing everything we can to prevent cancer, save lives and support people living with cancer. Join the fight! Go to fightback.ca to find out how you can help. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website at cancer.ca or call our toll-free bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1-888-939-3333.

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