talkingaboutcancer.com

Doug Gosling – primary blogger

Doug is an adult cancer survivor, diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 2002, a recurrence in 2007, and who is now battling advanced prostate cancer, which is incurable. After his initial experience, it took him over four years to come to grips with the emotional impact of the diagnosis and the “complete devastation” of his belief systems. So significant was his experience with cancer, that he has written a highly detailed, brutally honest and deeply personal account of his battle with both the physical and the emotional diseases. This soon-to-be-published book, entitled The Wolf at my Door, will soon be available.

While Doug continues to battle his disease, he is attacking life with a much more focused attitude and a vastly expanded view of the Universe and his place in it. He is one of the many who, with the help of friends and family, are trying to turn their cancer experience into something positive. He wants to share his experiences and insights with others and to help in any way he can. As the primary blogger on this site, he will have lots to say.

Doug divides his time between his family, his career as a software executive, visits to the hospital, writing, and helping to make the world a better place. He has extensive volunteer experience and is currently on the advisory council of a major North American cancer center.

Advisory

Ruth Ackerman

Today, Ruth is a sister, a daughter, a mentor, a friend, a licensed pharmacist, a volunteer, a board member, an advocate, an employee and a boss but, for a period of time, starting November 18th 1999, Ruth was merely a cancer patient – a woman with breast cancer. With the help of friends, colleagues and family, Ruth has completely recovered from the surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments that were part of her aggressive treatment. She now leads a very active life and has recently taken up long distance running with a goal to run a half-marathon next year.

Ruth is an executive with a multi-media health information publishing company and volunteers for the Canadian Cancer Society. She is very excited about participating in talkingaboutcancer.com because, although there is a significant amount of excellent information on physical cancer treatments, there exists a dearth of information about survivorship and the emotional impact of cancer . As the medical community gets better at successfully treating physical cancers, more and more people will be adjusting to life post-treatment. In Canada, 1% of ALL women are breast cancer survivors. A fantastic statistic!

Andrew Matthew Ph.D

Dr. Andrew Matthew is a staff Psychologist and a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at a major North American cancer center. He has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine in the Departments of Surgery and Psychiatry. He is also a director on the Board of the Ontario Psychology Association.

Andrew has extensive experience working with cancer patients and their families in Department of Psychology, Department of Epidemiology and the Department of Surgical Oncology in several major hospitals. His area of interest is in the psychology of health and he has provided research and clinical service to programs such as Stress and Risk Reduction Program, High Risk Breast Clinic, Familial Ovarian Cancer Clinic, and the Cancer Healing Journey Program. He is also the co-director of the Prostate Cancer Prevention and Wellness Clinical/Research program at the hospital.

Andrew’s current research focus involves prostate cancer treatment decision-making, couple’s adaptation to prostate cancer treatment, and cancer survivorship and the development of programs to address the physical, cognitive, and emotional impacts of cancer and its treatment.

Andrew also has a private practice, Clear Path Solutions, where he provides assessment and treatment for individuals and couples in crisis, dealing with trauma, grief and bereavement, depression, anxiety, and addictions.

Andrew divides his time amongst his wife and three young sons, his hospital/university practice, his private practice and his research. He is a very busy guy who has helped thousands of people deal with the emotional impact of cancer.

Dr. Rob Buckman

I am extremely grateful for the friendship of renowned oncologist and author, Dr. Rob Buckman, who has become a mentor and adviser to lend us his vast knowledge, compassion and perspectives on coping with cancer.

Dr. Buckman lives in Toronto, Canada, where he is a medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital and Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He qualified as a physician from Cambridge University in 1972, and completed his training in medical oncology at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London including laboratory research leading to a Ph.D.

He has written many articles on various aspects of medicine and oncology, concentrating in the last fifteen years on doctor-patient communication and breaking bad news.

For the last twenty years he has also had a second career in communication and broadcasting, presenting television science-and-medicine programmes in Britain and then Canada. His series Magic or Medicine? won him a Gemini award (the Canadian TV Industry equivalent of an Emmy). His latest series Human Wildlife was broadcast on the Discovery Channel and won two awards at the Chicago Television festival in 2003.

He has written fourteen books including I Don’t Know What To Say – How To Help And Support Someone Who Is Dying, a guide for friends and family, Magic or Medicine?, an investigation into complementary medicine, How To Break Bad News, a medical textbook for physicians and healthcare professionals and What You Really Need To Know About Cancer, a comprehensive guide for patients and their families, which has been published in Britain, Canada, the United States (in collaboration with the M.D.Anderson Cancer Center).

Dr. Buckman’s most recent book Cancer is a word, not a sentence!, is a practical and helpful guide for anyone who has recently been diagnosed with one of the 200 or more cancers and who is feeling bewildered and frightened. The book explains why the word cancer is so frightening and helps you get past the word to understand your own situation and the treatment options.

Please stay tuned for future enhancements to the site and, in the meantime, please add your comments to the posts on the main page and check out Dr. Buckman’s links in our Blogroll to the left.

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