OPACC UPDATES
Sick Kids Parent Support
Since Sept. 2009 OPACC has supported weekly drop-in parent support. Susan Kuczynski is our Toronto parent coordinating this parent drop-in. With the opening of the new clinic these drop-in’s will be located in the waiting/resource area.  Susan is there to listen to the parents concerns, give them support, information and resources as needed. Please pass this information to parents/families in your area. She is there usually in the morning by 10am. OPACC now has some funding in place, so the frequency of these days and times will increase in the next few months. This funding has been provided by Lainie’s Angels in the States, thanks to Stathi one of our biggest supporters.

Below are the times for March and April.

• Thursday, March 11
• Wednesday, March 17
• Monday, March 22
• Wednesday, March 24
• Monday, March 29
• Tuesday, April 6
• Friday, April 16
• Wednesday, April 21
• Monday, April 26
• Thursday, April 29

Ontario Trillium Foundation:
We have submitted another OTF grant (regional in Toronto) March 1, 2010 with Childhood Cancer Foundation as the lead. Let’s hope our request is accepted. It is for infrastructure funding as well as further support for the parent liaison positions

Coast to Coast Against Cance
We have also requested funding from Coast to Coast, we are awaiting a response.

Who are Lainie’s Angels?
President Stathi Afendoulis and a OPACC Board Director spoke to OPACC about Lainie's Angels.

Lainie's Angels www.lainiesangels.org is a national non-profit organization that creates family support groups in institutions that treat children with cancer and blood disorders.

The support group starts with the Parent Advocate, who is a trained volunteer assigned to a family. Parent Advocates are people who have been through the experience themselves and have been trained to work with the doctors, nurses, administrators, insurance companies, government agencies and other support programs to meet the needs of the family. They consult with moms, dads, brothers and sisters, offering their experience and expertise to help bring education and understanding to this difficult and stressful time.

These programs also put parents in touch with other parents whose children have had the same diseases. This type of peer support makes this program unique, and brings an element of trust and understanding unprecedented in the health care experience.

Lainie's Angels is also dedicated to speaking out publicly on behalf of families of children with cancer and blood disorders, to make sure their neighbors across the nation understand their need.

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Parent of Child with Cancer writes book on a family's struggle with cancer. Author Sharon Ruth also an OPACC Board Director recently penned “The Guinea Kid”. Below is information on the book.

Have you ever woken up one day as one person, and gone to bed that same night as another? What would you do if one day your life, your family, your job completely stopped by four little words? YOUR CHILD HAS CANCER. Who could you turn to for help?

Sharon resides in Oxford Station Ontario with her Husband Danny and three children. She continues to advocate for the rights of childhood cancer survivors and their parents.

To find out more about the Guinea Kid and purchasing your copy please visit; http://www.guineakid.org/.

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June 25, 2008 - Toronto, Ontario: OPACC Submits Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant Application.
David Munro, President and Chair of OPACC announced today that OAPCC has submitted a grant application to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. "We have been working on this submission for almost two years", said Munro, "A lot of hard work, planning and relationship building by the OTF submission team and the board has gone into this submission and we look forward to a positive response from the OTF board." Mr. Munro stated that the purpose of the grant was to establish a community Parent Liasion who could assist families with their journey down the childhood cancer road. For more information on OPACC's iniaitives please send your email to info@opacc.org.