Inspiring young minds take the lymphedema world by storm
A look at what these young adults have in mind for the future
A new generation of lymphedema community members
By Nicole Boulet
Any news about advancing lymphedema care, awareness and research is always exciting. Recently, more and more young people have shown an interest in the lymphedema community and have begun developing their own research, projects and products around the condition. This article not only highlights their work, but also aims to celebrate some of the young people across Canada who are making a difference in the community through their personal achievements and advocacy.
Catharine Bowman
Catharine Bowman, a 17-year-old high school student from Hamilton, Ontario is conducting research focusing on the effectiveness of particular natural compounds to treat underlying factors of lymphedema. She made quite a splash at the recent National Lymphedema Conference with her lunchtime presentation, “Let’s Talk Lymphedema—Making a Difference in the Lymphedema Community” though she has been making the difference that she passionately spoke about long before the October 2015 conference.
The more that is understood of research and background, the greater the chances of uncovering a pharmacological solution.
Catharine comes from a very close-knit family and credits her three older brothers for inspiring her interest in science and research. In her free time Catharine competes in science fairs, has been coaching a girl’s basketball team for three years, and also performs in a number of community and school bands, as well as in her own band, the Number Stations. It’s evident through her pastimes that Catharine has a passion for community engagement, and paired with her love of science, she has conducted some truly inspiring research.
Nicole Boulet works part-time as the Communications Coordinator for the Canadian Lymphedema Framework, made possible through funding from the Canada Summer Jobs program. She is from Toronto and is in her fourth year of Communication Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.
When Catharine was eight years old, her mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 metastatic melanoma. Following her surgery, she developed secondary lymphedema in her leg. Catharine remembers feeling frustrated that her mother was now dealing with a chronic disease but instead of letting her frustration consume her, Catharine and her family came together to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
The first time she met a lymphedema patient other than her mom, was at a science fair a few years ago where she met an 8-year-old boy with primary lymphedema. It reminded her of the necessity for research— a need that she is now contributing to fulfilling through her own research, which she says is in honour of every lymphedema patient she’s met.
Specifically, Catharine’s research began in 2014 when she conducted a preliminary set of studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, looking at natural compounds and their anti-inflammatory properties. Dr. Pierre-Yves von der Weid, a lymphedema researcher at the University of Calgary, received her proposal and invited her to Calgary to research alongside him for six weeks during the summer of that year. Catharine returned home for school in September, suspending her research until she met with Dr. Richard Austin, of McMaster University. Dr. Austin works with endothelial cells, which are of a similar cell class to the lymphatic tissues Catharine was working on in Calgary. This enabled Catharine, Dr. von der Weid and Dr. Austin to collaborate and have her tissues from the lab in Calgary sent to Hamilton. Catharine explained that this is not only exciting for her, as it allowed her to continue her research from her hometown, but it was also a huge step in molecular lymphedema research as this was the first time it had been brought from Calgary to Hamilton.
Specifically, Catharine’s research now focuses on particular natural compounds and their effectiveness in treating the underlying molecular factors of lymphedema. She is investigating the factors that cause lymphedema and how these natural compounds influence the underlying molecular functions of the lymphatic system, as well as other factors in the body that may be contributing to a worsening of lymphedema. Whenever possible, usually when she has a break from school, Catharine returns to Calgary to resume her work.
Catharine has presented her research at a variety of science fairs, earning her international recognition. In 2014, she competed in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles. In 2015, she made her second appearance at ISEF in Pittsburgh, where she placed 4th in the world. At Sanofi Biogenius Canada, she placed 1st in Southwestern Ontario, advancing her to the National Research
where she placed 3rd nationally.
Benny Hua
Benny Hua is 23 years old and is in the process of completing a Masters degree in Business Entrepreneurship and Technology at the University of Waterloo, following his four-year undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from the same Ontario University.
from his mother when it comes to his
Diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2012, Benny’s mom developed lymphedema in her left arm following her cancer treatment, which included chemo and radiotherapy and
So, what’s next for Catharine Bowman? Like many students her age, Catharine is waiting to hear back from five prestigious universities, where she has applied to Health and Life Sciences programs. In the meantime, she hopes to continue to advocate for lymphedema patients through her “Make Noise for Lymphedema” campaign, and is looking to hold fundraising and awareness events in support of lymphedema patients and research. Catharine has high hopes for the future of lymphedema research. Not only is she hoping to see an improvement in the lives of patients, but is eager to see an increase in understanding of the molecular side of lymphedema from researchers, as well as some insight into its causes. As Catharine eloquently stated, “the more that is understood in terms of basic research and background knowledge of a disease and its associated systems, the greater the chances of one day, hopefully, uncovering a pharmacological solution.”
I’m astounded how supportive everyone in the community is... it’s amazing to see everyone working together.
situation, she is faced with the challenge of learning to live with and manage her lymphedema through proper treatment.
y 2015, the final semester of his undergrad, Benny got that work with the patients’ simultaneously providing the medical grade compression required to treat lymphedema. Node won funding at pitch competitions through the university, and after a brief restructuring phase, Benny is now looking to begin manufacturing his compression product. hool, Benny learned that an important
facet of entrepreneurship is that, “you need to talk to people to find out what they want.” So, that’s exactly what he did. Benny surveyed his mom and other lymphedema patients to discover what they didn’t like about wearing compression. In response, Benny
Conceptual designs for Node’s compression product.
community, and he stresses that patient input is extremely valuable. He is currently in the early stages of production and is eedback on current designs. If you would like to provide him with thoughts or opinions on how his garments should look and feel, he can be reached at , or you can visit http:// for more information.
remote areas where accessibility may present an issue. Thus, Uplyft was born.
A
common complaint from all patients was that there was a lack of support resources, especially for young adults.
are diagnosed with primary lymphedema. Uplyft—named for the benefits of elevating the swollen limb as well as the benefits of lifting your spirits—is designed to shift perception through story telling, direct
reaching out to other patients, reassuring her that she was not alone in her condition. She made it her goal to make it easier for other patients to connect to share stories, advice and offer support, especially in
ictoria insists that there is a great need to educate the general public about lymphedema. She says that spreading the word about this condition to make it well known is essential, because ery challenging for patients like herself and many others to constantly have to explain a disease that visibly presents itself when there is an immense lack of awareness around it. Recently, Victoria helped the BCLA with the omotional campaign for their 2015 conference and hopes that in the future she can continue to speak about and advocate for lymphedema, and not be afraid to educate others. More information on Uplyft can be found by visiting vleeway.com, and if you’d like to get in touch with Victoria, she can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/vleeway or by email: vleeway93@gmail.com. LP
