The Nan and Lorraine Robertson Chair of Breast Cancer Research at the BC Cancer Agency lost his mother to breast cancer. And as the father of four daughters, Dr. Aparicio is committed to improving the future for women.

With support from funds raised by the Weekend to End Women's Cancers, Dr. Aparicio has been able to complete research that might not have been possible elsewhere.

"Cancer research is moving at an astonishing rate. It really is changing in a matter of weeks or months," he explains. "If I had to depend on granting agencies for my funding, we would not be able to keep up with the scientific pace and I'd be very restricted into the types of questions I can ask. The funds raised from the Weekend not only sustain our research program and but also allow us to really experiment, ask questions and be innovative."

And the hard work is paying off. Last October, Dr. Aparicio and his team were published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature. His breakthrough unlocked new clues about how breast cancer starts and spreads.

Since then, he's joined an international consortium to genetically decode 50 different tumour types, including Triple Negative Breast Cancer - an aggressive and relatively unknown form of cancer.

"I honestly never thought in my professional career that I would see this type of research. We've reached a golden age where the technology is advanced, accessible and cost-effective. I think we're going to see many more exciting developments in the near future.”

"But there are still questions. Lots and lots of questions," he says.

This is why Dr. Aparicio also walks every year in the Weekend, and helps his team fundraise by hosting a BBQ in his backyard.

“I hope that everyone reading this will feel the same motivation that I do to participate in the Weekend,” he continues. “I could not do the work I do without every single walker, volunteer, and donor.”

There is still time to register and fundraise for the 2010 Weekend to End Women’s Cancers. Click here to find out more about our new, one-day option.

Welcome walkers!

Thank you for being a part of our brand new Weekend - the Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers, benefiting the BC Cancer Foundation.

Last year, walking in my first Weekend to End Breast Cancer, I was inspired by the many personal stories you shared. Your tireless commitment to the cause strengthens my dedication to making a difference for cancer patients and their families across British Columbia.

Your support also helped fund a recent breakthrough in breast cancer research at the BC Cancer Agency a major step forward in our understanding of how the disease begins and develops. You were partners in this discovery and your ongoing support means our scientists can continue to find more answers.

Since it began, The Weekend has funded more than $16 million for research and is now the largest breast cancer fundraiser in B.C. history. Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers can make an even bigger difference. You can walk either in a one-day event, or experience the full 60km two-day Weekend. And you can choose to designate the dollars you raise for research into either breast or gynecologic cancers, such as ovarian, cervical, uterine and endometrial.

Please ask your family and friends to join us by registering today at 416.815.WALK (9255) or REGISTER ONLINE.

I look forward to walking with you on August 14th and 15th.

One step at a time, we can end all women’s cancers!

Sincerely,

Douglas Nelson,
President & CEO
BC Cancer Foundation

The Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers benefiting BC Cancer Foundation is the largest breast cancer fundraiser in the history of British Columbia.

Since 2005, Weekend walkers, donors and volunteers have raised over $16 million for the BC Cancer Foundation. All of it has been directly invested in breast cancer research and treatment programs right here in BC. Thank you!

Before The Weekend, the BC Cancer Foundation could only provide about $200,000 a year to breast cancer research. Here's what The Weekend has accomplished so far:

Recruited Leading Breast Cancer Experts To B.C.

• BC now has a leading team of breast cancer researchers who were recruited and are supported with BC Cancer Foundation funds raised by Weekend donors.



• The Weekend will also help fund The Patty Clugston Chair in Breast Reconstruction Surgery a new position to benefit women who undergo reconstructive breast surgery.

Funded Breakthrough Research

• Your Weekend dollars funded a landmark discovery in breast cancer by BC Cancer Agency scientists who decoded the genetic development of a patient’s breast cancer tumour and discovered how her cancer began and spread.



• This discovery opens the door to many new treatment targets and therapies.



• This research followed an earlier breakthrough discovery that revealed the entire genetic code of an ovarian cancer tumour, and provided the first specific diagnostic tool and clear path to new treatments for this and other cancers.

Advancing Clinical Research

• The Weekend funds provide opportunities for patients to take part in clinical trials of promising new treatments, at the BC Cancer Agency’s Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Southern Interior and Fraser Valley centres.

State of the Art Breast Cancer Facilities

Weekend funds help pay for the best new technologies and programs at the BC Cancer Agency, including:

• The BC Cancer Agency’s first digital mammography machine which provides patients with a faster and more accurate breast cancer diagnosis.



• A live sampling and storage facility for breast tumour cells, so researchers can study and learn how patients react to their drug treatments.



• A $1 million investment into drug development programs and studies of the genetics of cancer susceptibility.

Fostering National And International Collaboration

• The Weekend has transformed breast cancer research in BC, but its impact is also felt across Canada and the world. Collaboration among cancer experts builds partnerships and projects that drive research forward and accelerate the development of new treatments.

Educating the Next Generation of Breast Cancer Researchers

• The ability to continue and build on our research progress depends on educating the next generation of cancer researchers, with funding support from The Weekend.

Helping Every Patient Diagnosed with Breast Cancer in BC

• Since 2008, The Weekend has provided funding for patient information kits for all newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients, available through surgeons’ offices, chemotherapy clinics, BC Cancer Agency Centres and pre-admission surgery clinics across BC.



• The Weekend supported the new Fraser Valley Breast Health Service at the BC Cancer Agency’s Fraser Valley Centre. This service, designed for women with stage III locally advanced breast cancer, provides immediate support to the patient and brings together all the specialists, clinicians, nurses and surgeons that the patient will be required to see.

Extending Support to All Women’s Cancers

• Because research is showing connections between breast cancer and other gynecologic cancers, it was a natural extension to use funds raised by The Weekend to fund research into all women’s cancers.



• Since 2000, the BC Cancer Foundation has been funding the Ovarian Cancer Research team (OvCaRe) a joint funding project with the UBC & VGH Hospital Foundation.



• OvCaRe has made significant discoveries: that the most common and deadly form of ovarian cancer usually begins in the fallopian tubes, not in the ovaries; that ovarian cancer is not one single disease, but has at least five distinct subtypes. The OvCaRe team recently decoded the entire genetic sequence of an ovarian tumour cell and found the single DNA spelling mistake that likely caused the disease. Funds from The Weekend will continue to support the OvCaRe program as well as research into other women’s cancers.

Net proceeds from The Weekend to End Women's Cancers will benefit BC Cancer Foundation, an independent charitable organization that supports research and care at the BC Cancer Agency.

With cancer survival rates better than any other province in Canada, the BC Cancer Agency has become a model for cancer care and control around the world. Funds from the event will be used to support its innovative breast cancer and gynecologic cancers research program using gene technology to develop personalized treatments built on the Agency’s unique strength in genome science and its province-wide cancer control system.

Proceeds from The Weekend to End Women's Cancers will also be dedicated to earlier diagnosis for breast cancer and gynecologic cancers patients — a critical factor in improving survival.

Breast Cancer Statistics:

In Canada

• One in 9 Canadian women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime.*
• One in 27 Canadian women will die of breast cancer.*
• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Canadian women.*
• On average, 407 invasive breast cancer cases will be diagnosed in Canadian women every week.*
• On average, 102 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week.*

In British Columbia

• In 2004, an estimated 2,831 invasive breast cancer cases will be diagnosed in women in British Columbia.**
• 225,000 mammograms were given in 2001; however, this is only half of the eligible population in British Columbia.**
• In 2001, 597 BC women died from breast cancer.**
• Of the 2,043 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in 1996 in British Columbia, there is an 86% 5-year survival rate.**
• In 2004, the BC Cancer Foundation held its first Weekend to End Breast Cancer; a 60-kilometre walk, supporting research and care at the BC Cancer Agency.**

 

*Source: National Cancer Institute of Canada: Canadian Cancer Statistics 2004
**Source: 2004 BC Cancer Agency

For more information about the BC Cancer Foundation and BC Cancer Agency, visit bccancerfoundation.com.