Research saved my life: survivor
By CAROL MULLIGAN, THE SUDBURY STAR
Posted 3 hours ago
The keynote speaker at a luncheon Friday to raise money for breast cancer research says she owes her life to it.
Broadcaster and journalist Libby Znaimer has survived cancer twice -- and is three years cancer-free.The science that was used to determine the type of breast cancer she had was applied when she later developed the normally lethal pancreatic cancer.
"Because of the things my doctors knew from my bout of breast cancer, they were able to give me personalized medicine that saved my life," Znaimer told reporters before speaking to 600 people at the Luncheon of Hope at the Caruso Club.
The event was the 13th annual luncheon held by the Northern Cancer Research Foundation.
Cancer treatment has changed a great deal from when her mother had it years ago, Znaimer said.
Advances in treatment have made the ending of her story quite different than it might have been otherwise.
That personalized medicine Znaimer talked about was developed after she was tested and found to have a gene for a form of cancer that can also cause pancreatic cancer.
"There are more patients than they think that have it because of this particular mutation," said Znaimer.
What doctors learned from her treatment of pancreatic cancer will now help them treat others with the same disease, she said, "so it's good news all around."
Znaimer intended to deliver a message of hope and how far cancer treatment has come at the luncheon. "It's also a message that while you're going through this, you can live well. It's possible to do," she said.
Being diagnosed with cancer is a devastating blow, said Znaimer. People must deal with a great deal of information and it can be difficult to "navigate the system."
As a journalist, Znaimer said she was used to getting "a lot of complex information on deadline," but she still found it difficult to take it all in."It's very difficult because you're expected to turn all of this (information) around and use it to make very complicated life-and-death medical decisions, so there's a range of things to tell people who have just been diagnosed. But it's a lot to deal with."
While Znaimer was the type of person who wanted to know everything about her disease -- her oncologist once told her, "You know, you ask a lot of questions" -- some people don't want to know anything.
"I talk about that in my speech," said said. "When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I felt very, very needy, and I wanted to make it easier for my family and friends to be around me, and I think that's part of the reason why I was very positive
"But, in the end, it made it easier for me to be around me. I think part of it is the way I am wired."
Maureen Lacroix, chair of the board of the Northern Cancer Research Foundation, said her organization is fortunate to have had people support its cause for 13 years.
"They are making a difference," said Lacroix of the money raised for breast cancer research.
Friday's luncheon raised $46,000, bringing the total from all 13 luncheons to $500,000.
cmulligan@thesudburystar.com Twitter: @Carol_Mulligan
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