As VP of Cancer Control, Cathy Adair has overall responsibility for the Society's prevention work, and our support services and research agenda.

 When I told Cathy that I wanted to introduce my readers to some of the wonderful people I work with at the Canadian Cancer Society, she thought it was a great idea. But when I asked her to be my first guest blogger, I think she was a little unsure.

I assured her that she could blog about anything she liked (and that it wouldn’t hurt a bit). So, without further ado, and in her own words, here’s Cathy Adair, Vice President, Cancer Control.

 A bit about me

I first started with CCS in 1995 but moved on five years later for other career opportunities.  As I entered the latter part of my career, work in an organization that truly makes a difference – and where I can make a contribution – became very important to me. I returned to CCS in 2006. I’m extremely proud of the Society’s exciting prevention work, caring support services and our research agenda.

The long reach of cancer

It is hard to find any one who hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way, and I’m no exception. When my father and mother-in-law were both diagnosed with cancer within a two month period, I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I was to be able to tap into the wonderful Cancer Information Service to get the information and support I needed.

My mother-in-law’s successful treatment for colon cancer, and our pleasure in being able to spend time together as each year passes, truly speaks to the successes cancer research has brought us. 

Sadly, my father passed away. His death a reminder of how much more we need to do in research and prevention. His bladder cancer was a small cell cancer very likely caused by years of smoking. He was a man of great integrity and after diagnosis, spoke out about how this could have been prevented and how important the Canadian Cancer Society’s prevention work is to our next generations.

Prevention, Support, Research – the CCS truly is the best investment in fighting cancer. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this team of cancer fighters, and to be able to share some of the great work we do with you in my next post – supporting people diagnosed with cancer.

When we put together our 5-year strategic plan in 2009 we used the sub-title “Many Voices, One Mission”.  

I’m using it again here because I think it’s so important that people know my blog is really just one voice of many here at the Canadian Cancer Society. I’m lucky to work with so many staff and volunteers that share my commitment and enthusiasm for the work we do.

I want to use this blog to bring you my perspective – but I also want to take the opportunity now and then to introduce you to some of the great people I work with.

To start us off, I’ve enlisted two members of my stellar Senior Management Team – Cathy Adair, VP, Cancer Control and Ron Kuehl, VP, Revenue Development – to do a little guest blogging over the next month or so. They’ll introduce themselves, talk about their work and their passion and share their perspective on the work we do.

I plan to continue to open my blog to more Canadian Cancer Society voices — and bring you guest bloggers from all different roles and regions in our organization in the months ahead.  

And as always, this blog is open to your voices as well. I welcome your comments, your stories and your feedback. How are we doing? Let us know.

If you are interested in cancer research, I recommend Harold Varmus's "The Art and Politics of Science".

No, I am not really doing a book review — although you can read what the New York Times said about Varmus’s book  here.

Reading the book certainly served to remind me how incredibly important the Canadian Cancer Society’s role in funding cancer research has been in the past, continues to be presently, and will be even more so in the future.

You probably already know that we are the largest charitable funder of cancer research in the country (and that includes the incredibly important area of pediatric cancer research).  And our main focus is providing investigators with multi-year grants to actually do their research, as compared to funding infrastructure.

Recently, we did an analysis of Canadian Cancer Society grants that are active in BC, and this list totaled some $32 million – most of which was allocated to researchers at the BC Cancer Agency and the University of British Columbia.

Our mission in the Canadian Cancer Society is to eradicate cancer and enhance the quality of life of people living with cancer.  Research is a critical cornerstone towards our realization of this lofty aim.

Once again, we are extremely grateful to our donors who allow us the opportunity to make a real and positive difference.  In BC we continue to have the lowest overall incidence and mortality rates when it comes to cancer.  With your continued support, we hope to continue this tradition for the decades to come.

Remember, your donation to the Canadian Cancer Society not only funds research, it also helps us continue to provide information and support to people living with cancer. Click here to donate.