Canada Day 2010

Thursday, July 1st, 2010 is Canada Day. 

Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada), formerly Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), is Canada's national day, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united two British colonies and a province of the British Empire into a single country called Canada. Canada Day celebrations take place throughout Canada as well as internationally.

Canada Day is often referred to as "Canada's birthday".  The occasion marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867. Canada became a kingdom in its own right on that date, but the British Parliament kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the county's Constitution was repatriated in 1982.  The Queen of England was here to mark that occasion. 

The monarch is here again today in Canada to celebrate the country's 143 birthday. She is not travelling to western Canada on this trip but I was fortunate enough to see her many years ago. Here she is in Ottawa earlier today.

Photo credit: National Post, July 1st, 2010, Reuters/Blair Gable

Read here about how I spent last year's Canada Day.  This year I plan to stay home and have a nice, quiet, relaxing time.

HAPPY CANADA DAY

On a personal note, I got the breast cancer diagnostic results Wednesday. After testing over a period of a year (involving x-rays, biopsy, ultrasound) I am cancer free. Yeah! This news is a great Canada Day gift.

I don't have to get checked again for another year and after that, every two years, if all is well. I am especially thankful given my aunt just had a recurrence of breast cancer and a full mastectomy last Friday. Her surgery seems to have gone well and she is recovering nicely.

CAT Scan Journey

Back in July I had breast cancer screening which led to breast cancer diagnostics. Read more about it here.

One lump was found to be benign. Two other lumps were not tested due to their depth and I was told to return in January 2010 for further evaluation. I was pleased of course with the outcome but a little concerned about the two lumps not tested.

I was going to ask my family doctor about it but while she was on holiday her locum called to say that the cancer specialist suggested I get a CAT scan (also called CT Scan ) on my breast so that they could better evaluate the two lumps they were not able to view in the mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. The doctor stressed that this was out of an abundance of caution and that they don't really feel there is anything to be concerned about. They simply want to make extra sure.

I am pleased to report that I had the CAT scan was scheduled in record time and completed last Friday at the small hospital shown in the snap shot above. The procedure took a little longer than I anticipated and I was told by the doctor there that their instructions were to examine the lymph node area of the left armpit only. I am thinking there was a miscommunication somewhere, but am glad to at least get one more lump observation out of the way. I should have the results in about a week or so.

As I left the hospital and took these snap shots, I was encouraged to see the cross on the hospital exterior. Somehow it gave me comfort and I felt that God was looking down on me. His Son Jesus died on the cross that I might LIVE and have life more abundant. That is such an awesome love I can never repay.

Update: August 11, 2009 ~I have great news. My test results were back so fast. My family doctor called me and left a message saying that there is nothing to worry about with the lymph node. There is no cancer. I am over the moon!

My Breast Cancer "Scare"

[Caption: Artwork belongs to the BC Screening Mammography Program]

I wanted to share some good news. I went through a breast biopsy Thursday morning and the doctor thinks what they found is a water cyst, not cancer. She was a bit perplexed because the cysts are/were hard to find on the ultrasound and said something had shown up on the mammogram that needed an investigation. She did indeed locate the cyst on the ultrasound and took a couple of tissue samples. She said the results were disappointingly poor in terms of the amount of tissue extracted. When she tried to take more samples, the cyst disappeared & could no longer be found on the ultrasound. This biopsy was done on one small cyst. After the biopsy procedure the doctor requested another mammogram to see if the cyst was detectable and it was not. Thank God for this good news!

Now they also said there are two other areas that show some kind of mass. One is deep inside my left breast and they could not do a core biopsy on that area as the needle is not long enough for that. The other area is the lymph node in the left armpit. My sister died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and when I expressed concern the doctor said it was unlikely that a familial history of lymphoma was cause for concern. She said the small cyst which she biopsied is (was) of greater concern (no longer of concern post-biopsy). I have to go for follow up mammogram and ultrasound in January, 2009.

I had no real discomfort at all through the biopsy process and I praise God for that. I am especially grateful for having all this observation and evaluation concluded in the space of less than 2 weeks. Originally, I was not scheduled for mammogram until July 31st. Instead, the Lord moved everything at lightening speed to conclude the evaluation well before July 31st. God is good. And, I am His grateful, Joyful Servant.

Much love xoxox

Please, if you are a woman between the ages of 40-79, do not forget to get your breast mammography. Early detection of breast cancer gives the best chance of survival.

Advantage of Regular Screening Mammograms