Lung Health
Using a Puffer? You May Need a Spacer
Trish Carter, a 47-year-old mother of two and former Ontario resident has had asthma since she was 20.
“At first, I didn’t know what it was,” she recalls. “I just chronically had a cough and shortness of breath. Eventually, a doctor diagnosed asthma and gave me an inhaler.”
She loved being active, but her asthma often got in the way. Many Canadians struggle with their asthma — most people don’t use their inhalers correctly, and most are unaware they even have a problem.
According to the Lung Health Foundation, there are over 4.6 million people living with asthma in Canada, and every year an estimated 250 Canadians lose their lives to the disease,” says Lung Health Foundation CEO Jessica Buckley. “While asthma can’t be cured, with proper treatment, and regular use of devices like inhalers, people with asthma
can lead normal, active lives.”
To help improve the use of your inhaler, doctors often recommend spacers for both children and adults. Spacers help to ensure that your medicine reaches your lungs where it’s needed and limits the amount that ends up in the back of the throat, which can lead to side effects.
Trish uses the AeroChamber2go® Chamber from Trudell Medical International — based in London, Ont. — which includes a twoin-one chamber and protective storage case for the inhaler. It’s designed for on-the-go use. “It’s a beautiful, magical, compact unit,” says Trish. “Now, anytime I have an asthma attack or symptoms, my recovery is so much faster and easier.”
With the AeroChamber2go® Chamber, Trish’s asthma is under much better control.
Learn more about managing your asthma through the resources at Lung Health Foundation, lunghealth.ca. For convenient access to improved respiratory care, the AeroChamber2go* Chamber is now available to purchase online at shoppers.ca
This article was sponsored by Trudell Healthcase Solutions & the Lung Health Foundation.
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Choosing a Smoke Free Life
The will to quit: sharing one personal quitting journey to inspire others with similar goals.
Those who’ve gone through it are the first to say that quitting smoking is difficult. However, with the right tools and a good dose of motivation, anything is possible. Caroline Bonin is well aware of this, having taken on the challenge of gifting herself a smoke-free life nearly 15 years ago. Read our interview with this inspirational woman who took the path of choosing herself and believing in her strength.
A habit is born
Cigarettes came into Caroline’s life fairly early, at a time when smoking daily was normal for many people. “In the 1990s, you could buy single cigarettes at the corner store,” she recalled. She was drawn to it because it was forbidden, and gradually, she developed the habit of smoking daily. “It played a big part in my life from the get-go,” Caroline continued. “I like to take things to the extreme, so when I like something, I go all out.” Though she thought of quitting now and then over the years, in the end it took her 20 years to reach the turning point.
Cigarettes as a crutch
In retrospect, Caroline thinks that one of the reasons she smoked was to reduce her anxiety. Despite frequent respiratory infections, the pleasure of the ritual and the social aspect of smoking on a daily basis reinforced this habit in her life. However, she now realizes that she didn’t feel good about herself as a smoker. “The word that keeps coming to mind when I think back to this time is grey. I felt grey and smelly. I knew that whenever I went somewhere, I was followed by the smell of this awful habit. It bothered me, but not enough to make me quit,” she admitted candidly.
The catalyst: love
One day, 18 years ago, Caroline met Jacques. It was love at first sight! “Jack,” as he was called, was a very active man and an avid runner. Caroline was a smoker and didn’t exercise. “I judged people who were into fitness, because, to a certain degree, I envied them,” she said. “It was something I couldn’t do. Just climbing the stairs with bags of groceries was challenging.”
As for Jacques, he never pressured her to join him, but she dreamed of being able to do so.
“I knew that as long as I smoked, it wouldn’t be possible.”
The idea began to percolate in her head for a few months.
“What motivated me was an awareness-raising campaign inviting people to overcome their addiction to cigarettes. I was motivated by the challenge, and I wanted to take part,” she recalled. So, one beautiful morning, she spontaneously decided to join her boyfriend on his run. “I ran for five minutes and I was as red as a lobster! I felt nauseous; I felt sick most of the day,” she recounted. This experience was an eyeopener, making Caroline realize how out of shape she was, and she stopped smoking abruptly without even waiting for the challenge to start.
Tools in the quitting toolbox
fully equipped for the challenge. “I had one app that counted the number of cigarettes I skipped, another that tracked the improvement of my organs, and another that tracked how much money I was saving. During this time, one sentence really struck me: ‘The unpleasantness is temporary.’” She said this thought is what she clung to through the toughest times.
You have to use all the tools available to you, including support groups. Talking to people going through the same thing really helped a lot.
Finding her passion and her confidence
Caroline quickly noticed the positive effects on her body. She started to run more seriously, and her progress drove her to continue—so much so that the sport gradually became a great passion for her. Jacques and Caroline are able to travel, thanks to the money she’s saved. “We choose our destinations based on running race locations. We even ran in Hawaii! There are so many things I wouldn’t have experienced if I was still smoking,” she remarked, her voice filled with emotion. The confidence she gained in winning this fight also allowed her to return to school to become a special education technician, an occupation that gives her joy.
Scan the QR code to learn more.
Caroline makes no bones about it: she found the first days after quitting physically and psychologically difficult. “I was on an emotional rollercoaster. I realized that I used cigarettes a lot to self-regulate. I had to relearn how to manage my mood,” she said. To help with the process, she read about the topic, wanting to be
This article was sponsored by ZONNIC Canada.
Providing Hope to Lung Cancer Patients with the ALK Subtype
Perceived as a smoker’s disease, lung cancer is increasing among non-smokers with a specific gene mutation. New targeted therapies are improving outcomes.
Anne Papmehl
In early 2019, Gerald Green, 58, of Stellarton, N.S., visited his doctor for a cough that wouldn’t go away. Suspecting pneumonia, his doctor ordered a chest X-ray. However, the results revealed something quite different—a tumour on his right lung. Follow-up biopsies confirmed that Green had a form of advanced, stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes, bones, hip, spine and one of his ribs. A lifelong non-smoker, Green was shocked at his diagnosis.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. About 32,000 Canadians are diagnosed with lung cancer each year and approximately 20,600 Canadians are expected to die from the disease this year.
The cancer subtype that Green was diagnosed with is defined by the presence of an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutation. It occurs in approximately two to seven per cent of all lung cancers and is caused by a genetic mutation, that is not believed to be inherited. Most ALK-positive lung cancer patients are non-smokers, approximately 50 per cent are diagnosed before age 50 and about 90 per cent are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread.
Breaking the stigma
Because lung cancer is heavily associated with smoking, ALK-positive lung
Gerald Green ALK Patient
Dr. Stephanie Snow Medical Oncologist, QEII Health Sciences Centre, & Professor of Medicine, Dalhousie University, & President, Lung Cancer Canada
cancer patients are often perceived as having caused their disease and bear psychological and social stigma in addition to the burden of their diagnosis.
“Patients are more likely to feel isolated, to experience feelings of depression and anxiety, and to be less open to sharing their diagnosis and seeking out social supports, which is a very different reality to that of other cancers,” says Dr. Stephanie Snow, a medical oncologist at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, a professor of medicine at Dalhousie University and President of Lung Cancer Canada.
people living 10 years or more,” says Dr. Snow.
Green is fortunate to be one of those patients. After Green experienced disease progression, where he lost 40 pounds and was told to get his affairs in order, he is now positive. “I feel good. My weight is back up, I'm active walking my dog every day and doing other forms of regular exercise and spending time with my wife and kids. It feels like I have my life back to a large degree and hope for the future," he says.
It feels like I have my life back to a large degree and hope for the future.
Focusing on improving survival and quality of life
The development of therapies that specifically target ALK-positive lung cancer has brought about significant advancements in managing this type of cancer. Traditionally, ALK-positive lung cancer has been difficult to treat with conventional therapies. Prior to these new targeted therapies, patients diagnosed with late-stage ALK-positive lung cancer faced a prognosis of under a year. “Now, in responsive individuals, we are seeing survival rates in the double digits, with some
With more funding for research around the ALK mutation, there can be more positive news on the horizon for treating people with this disease at an advanced stage. “There’s a large emphasis on fundraising to help patients get into clinical trials for new treatments,” says Dr. Ken Culver the research director at the ALK Positive Group, an international patient-driven organization. “With many ALK positive patients being younger individuals who are active in their careers and raising families, time is of the essence. We’re working to help patients have the best quality of life possible while also working to expedite research,” he says.
Dr. Ken Culver Research Director, ALK Positive Group
If you or someone you know is living with lung cancer, including ALK-positive lung cancer, learn more by visiting lungcancercanada.ca Lung Cancer Canada is committed to supporting the lung cancer community, promoting early detection, advancing critical research, eliminating the stigma associated with lung cancer, and advocating for the change needed to ultimately conquer this devastating illness.