In November of 1994, the urologists in Brampton invited all prostate cancer patients along with their spouses to attend a meeting in the Brampton Hospital auditorium. From memory, well over 150 people responded.
The moderator for the evening was Sandy Stevens R.N., who worked closely with the urologists at the hospital. Dr. Mojtaba Beheshti gave a slide projection of the male reproduction system explaining along the way the significance of the prostate. A follow up speaker for the evening was Norm Oman, a Winnipeger who formed the first prostate support group in Canada.
His talk, along with the questions fired at Dr. Beheshti, resulted in 30 people coming forward and expressing their desire to form this support group.
Initially under the leadership of Tony Parker, we struggled to reach out and get new people to come to the meetings. Great support was forthcoming from the doctors who continued to update us on the disease. At one point, two nurses, Sandy and Jackie Gray, stood alone in Bramalea City Centre, approaching people with pamphlets and making them aware of the disease!
Now many years down the road we are a vibrant, active group with nearly 160 members who can take pride in the knowledge that some 400 men and their families have at one time or another received needed support.
We continue to enjoy good rapport with the medical profession with updates on new treatments and we continue to strive to make the public more aware of this disease and of the benefits of detecting it early.
We have come a long way since 1994. I am proud that we, as a group, have helped so many along the way.
Former Chair, Fred Norris
April 10, 1925 – January 22, 2008