Children's Health & Safety by Karthik

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Children’s Health & Safety Do the #HeroPoseChallenge for Kids with Cancer

C Kathy Motton

hildren with cancer are often called superheroes. It’s not a moniker they choose. They face unthinkable pain and difficulties during treatment and imagining them with superpowers somehow helps us, as adults, reconcile what we cannot change or fix. And perhaps the imagery helps the kids facing cancer too. This is why social media users participate in the #HeroPoseChallenge in September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month every year. Hands on hips, chest out, head high. With this simple pose, we can support and empower kids diagnosed with cancer and help them feel less alone.

Hands on hips, chest out, head high. With this simple pose, we can support and empower kids diagnosed with cancer and help them feel less alone. Emma’s story

For more information on childhood cancer and how you can help, visit childhoodcancer.ca.

Emma had many superpowers. She made tall leaps into the air as a graceful gymnast. After being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, the same cancer that Terry Fox had, Emma continued to leap and flip with one prosthetic leg, inspiring all who met her. Emma liked to say, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” Emma faced her cancer with the same grace with which she leapt into the air. But the treatments offered to Emma were the same painful, high-

dose chemotherapies used to treat Terry Fox over 40 years ago and her cancer relapsed multiple times. Frustrated with the lack of options, Emma became a passionate childhood cancer advocate and in 2018, she shared her story and leapt into the hearts and minds of viewers on Romania’s Got Talent. After her doctors ran out of treatment options, Emma transitioned to Heaven on April 7, 2019.

More Than Just Statistics It’s why we must continue to share the stories of kids like Emma

The number one cause of death by disease Childhood cancer is the number one cause of death by disease of Canadian children. About one in five children will not survive their diagnosis and the death rate increases beyond five years. Of those who do survive, 95 percent will live with a chronic health problem by the time they’re 45 years old. These children are more than just statistics. This is why we must continue to share the stories of kids like Emma: to put a face to childhood cancer, to spread awareness about the importance of support for these families, and to shine a light on the need for more research funding.

Participate in the #HeroPoseChallenge this September Until kids no longer suffer through difficult and painful cancer treatments, we need to continue to support them as the superheroes they are and to stand alongside them with our hands on our hips. Please join and support kids with cancer this September in the #HeroPoseChallenge. Use the hashtag and tag @childhoodcancercanada to help us show kids with cancer that they’re not facing cancer alone.

cause of death by disease of Canadian children

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children will not survive their diagnosis and the death rate increases beyond five years

will live with a chronic health problem by the time they’re 45 years old

Publisher: Olivia Delbello Business Development Manager: Julia Colavecchia Strategic Account Manager: Madison Trajkovski Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Content and Production Manager: Raymond Fan Designer: Kylie Armishaw Web Editor: Karthik Talwar All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve Toronto Star or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.

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Awareness and Proper Support Can Help People with FASD Flourish A national strategy on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder would improve prevention, diagnosis, and support for patients and families. Abigail Cukier

A Audrey McFarlane Executive Director, CanFASD

bout 1 in 25 Canadians has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) — more than autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome combined. Yet awareness of FASD lags far behind that of these other neurodevelopmental conditions. FASD is a lifelong disability that affects the brain and body of people who were exposed to alcohol in the womb. People with FASD experience significant challenges with cognitive, behavioural, and socio-emotional functioning. In addition, alcohol exposure during fetal development is often associated with adverse outcomes, including early life instability and trauma, ongoing victimization, and difficulties with independence, employment, and daily living. When they don’t receive the proper support, people with FASD are more likely to experience substance use challenges, involvement in the criminal justice and child welfare system, challenges succeeding in school, emotional and physical abuse, and homelessness. More than 90 percent of people with FASD experience mental illness. But with adequate supports, people with FASD can flourish and succeed, says Audrey McFarlane, Executive Director of the Canada FASD Research Network (CanFASD), an interdisciplinary network with collaborators, researchers, and partners across the country.

Standing up for those living with FASD

Visit canfasd.ca to learn more about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. This article was sponsored by CanFASD.

Support for FASD varies widely across the country, which is why CanFASD is calling for a national FASD strategy. “A national FASD strategy will give our provinces and territories an evidence-based direction that can improve FASD prevention, diagnosis, and support to help Canadians with FASD reach their full potential. It will also reduce the economic burden on taxpayers,” says McFarlane. When people with FASD We need to aren’t properly supported, understand the it’s estimated to cost taxchallenges people payers about $9.7 billion per year, including impacts on with FASD face, the criminal justice system, but also their health care, education, and contributions social services. and strengths. “We need to understand the challenges people with FASD face, but also their contributions and strengths,” says McFarlane. “We need to provide them with the proper programs and services that can help them do incredible things.”

Navigating Your Child’s Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes Dr. Sarah Linklater, Chief Scientific Officer, JDRF Canada

arenting can be stressful in the best of times, but when your child receives a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D), it can be overwhelming, and even frightening. But you’re not alone. JDRF Canada has the resources and support you and your family need to move forward with confidence and to begin your journey with hope.

What is T1D? T1D is a chronic autoimmune condition in which insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that allows the body to use sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in food consumed for energy. Diagnosis of T1D occurs at the time that the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin for the body’s needs, causing blood sugar levels to rise. T1D can occur in people of any age, and its causes are not fully known. What we do know is that diet or lifestyle do not cause T1D, it’s not contagious or something you can outgrow, and it’s not currently preventable or curable.

Day-to-day with T1D Learning how to manage T1D means balancing insulin, food, exercise, and stress to keep blood sugar levels in a target range (as determined by your doctor) as much as possible. Daily management of T1D involves checking blood sugar levels regularly throughout the day to avoid severe high or low levels and their related complications. If your child’s blood sugar levels are outside of the target range, you’ll need to respond with either insulin or carbohydrates. Even with careful attention, people with T1D can still experience dangerously high or low blood sugar levels. Learning to recognize the signs will help you to know what action to take and when. Although T1D is a serious and challenging disease, long-term management options continue to evolve, allowing those with T1D to enjoy full and active lives.

Visit jdrf.ca to learn more.

Elementary Road Safety Program Provides ResearchBased Solutions to Create Safer School Zones Valerie Smith

Y Valerie Smith Director of Programs, Parachute

ou may have experienced this at your elementary school. Mornings are of ten a chaotic, dangerous mess. Perhaps the principal has resorted to being outside every school morning to direct traffic, trying to keep walking students safe from parents driving cars, who often flout traffic rules in their hurry to drop their kids off at school. While no one wants any child injured, there are close calls and it seems impossible to figure out how to change anything. But thanks to the Elementary Road Safety (ERS) program created by Parachute, Canada’s national charity dedicated to injury prevention, and Aviva Canada, schools can undersand the traffic safety challenges in their school zone and how to address them. “We’ve been very fortunate to work with Parachute and the ERS program, who have been an integral part of the planning and implementation of safety measures for our school,” says Gillian Cousineau, the vice principal at Phoebe Gilman Public School in East Gwillimbury, ON. “We have an amazing team of staff, parents, and community members who have worked together to brainstorm ideas to encourage safe practices within our school community.” “With the ERS program, we’re providing schools with tools and a methodology that leverages data to help make school zones across Canada safer for all,” says Hazel Tan, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Aviva Canada. At Phoebe Gilman, this research uncovered that a minority of students

used “active transportation” such as biking or walking, encouraging stuwalking or cycling to get to school. That dents to walk/roll to school. meant the majority arrived by vehicle Phoebe Gilman was one of the first — even older students who could easily schools to join ERS. Thirteen other walk. Trained observers documented schools across Canada are now in drivers ignoring do-not-enter signs various stages of the intensive ERS proand U-turning. The gram, which includes We’re providing school had desiga $10,000 grant from nated parking areas schools with tools and Aviva Canada to make a methodology that infrastructure changes and a “kiss and ride” drop-off point, but leverages data to help and support commundrivers would double ity engagement: two make school zones park, or stop in the more in Ontario, two in across Canada “kiss and ride” and New Brunswick, four safer for all. take their kids to the in Nova Scotia, and, school door, against the principle of a starting in September, five Saskatchdrop-off point. ewan schools, including four in First The school’s ERS committee, Nations communities. supported by road safety experts at “The ERS program demonstrates Parachute, considered what interventhat the most effective approach is to tions would be effective to address take time to really understand what’s these issues and improve their school causing morning and after-school zone safety. traffic congestion and danger at any In this instance, the school is given school,” says Pamela Fuselli, installing speed bumps to slow traffic, President and CEO of Parachute. “Any promoting Walking Wednesdays to school can take on this process using encourage more children to walk to our free resources, which also include school, and installing signs along research on proven, effective intervenpopular walking routes showing how tions and ways to promote school zone far the school is in minutes when safety in your community.”

TOOLKIT

Site audit

Visit parachute.ca/ elementaryroadsafety to learn more.

This article was sponsored by Parachute and Aviva Canada.

STOP

Driver and pedestrian behaviour study

Audit measuring how students arrive at school

Caregiver questionnaire

Available for free at parachute.ca/elementaryroadsafety

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