Topic: Standard Care

Why Cancer Expert, Alex Rolland, Fights for YOU!

Published by on July 7, 2021 1 Comment

No matter how you slice it, cancer expert Alex Rolland is the reason that CTOAM exists. And it’s important that you know why. Because we’re doing something at CTOAM that literally no one else is doing.  It’s very outside-the-box. And it’s a wholehearted effort. Our team is driven by a passion that runs deeper than any of the daily challenges we encounter… A devotion to help cancer patients. And at the core of that devotion is Alex.  Uncovering the Realities of Standard Cancer Care Way back over 30 years ago, Alex started his cancer research career. He was completing his Ph.D Studies at one of the top cancer research facilities in North America – the British Columbia Cancer Agency and The Terry Fox Lab. Alex had first arrived...
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My Personal Health Crisis

Published by on May 19, 2021 | Share your thoughts

CTOAM Co-Founder Michelle Morand shares her recent personal health crisis – and what cancer patients can learn from it. For three years, I’d been repeatedly visiting my doctor with the same complaint:  I was experiencing a lot of pain, plus the feeling of a mass, in my pelvic area. I had pap tests and x-rays and manual examinations… And each time the doctors told me it was nothing.  Eventually the pain got so bad that I just couldn’t stand to hear someone tell me it was ‘nothing’ anymore. So I finally took matters into my own hands: I shelled out $2,000 for a PET/CT scan to see what was actually going on inside of me… Within 48 hours I had the information I needed (or at...
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Cancer Treatment Delayed by COVID? See Anna’s Solution…

Published by on February 3, 2021 | Share your thoughts

Many patients are experiencing their cancer treatment being delayed due to COVID. Find out what your options are, now. How Anna Got the Right Treatment, Fast Anna had been feeling pretty strong, all considering. Sure, the shock of her breast cancer diagnosis a few months prior had turned her life upside down…  But she’d been dealing with it as well as possible. Her husband was really showing up for her and even her 6-year-old seemed to be managing fine. Anna was trying to live each day as normally as possible…taking things a day at a time. At that point, she’d gotten a few CT scans and was scheduled for surgery. The plan after surgery was chemo. While Anna was dreading the chemo, she was counting...
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Why is Standard Cancer Care Lacking?

Published by on January 27, 2021 2 Comments

Find Out Why Standard Cancer Care in Canada is Just Not Good Enough… I hear this all the time – and I bet it’s on your mind, too: “So is this what our medical plan has come to? People with money can afford better, faster cancer care than people with no money??” Yep.  And it’s sadly true…  For now. We’re working to change this at CTOAM. It is our #1 mission, in fact! But what we’ve learned over the past 10 years is… In order to create change, you also need to deal with the situation as it is now.  As in: you need to work within the current system AND outside of it. It’s the only way to actually build a better future. What...
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Better cancer care

Better Cancer Care: How to Get What You Need

Published by on October 28, 2020 1 Comment

“You get what you settle for.” You’ve probably heard that one before.  A good friend of mine told me this, many years ago, in relation to my dating life. I was seeing someone new and wasn’t sure if they were right for me…and my friend said, “well Michelle, you get what you settle for! So the question is: do you want to settle for him?”  I chewed on that for a while and eventually realized, yeah…I wasn’t going to settle for this particular man. And I’m so glad I didn’t!  Why am I telling you about my past dating woes?  Because “you get what you settle for” is true for many areas of life… Including cancer care.  Getting Better Cancer Care Requires Advocacy Standard cancer...
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