Cairo Gregory was 15 years old when she was diagnosed with cancer. As a young woman of colour, she has found that the lack of representation of Black cancer patients in the media, as well as the lack of cancer-related resources specific to Black women, has added to her challenging journey. In mid-March 2022, as my 3rd-period class ended, I doubled over in excruciating pain. An ultrasound a few weeks later revealed that I had a mass the size of a small coconut in my uterus. The hospital ordered blood work and lots of tests and then sent me home. A few days later, my mom texted while I was at s ..read more

The POGO School and Work Transitions Program is one of only a few established programs designed to help childhood cancer survivors facing educational and employment challenges achieve their academic and work goals. But does it work? (Spoiler Alert: it does!) Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is a method used to evaluate a student’s functional change after an intervention. The objectives of the POGO study were to: describe the Transitions Program’s novel implementation of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) to evaluate an educational and vocational counselling program analyze patterns of program engagem ..read more

POGO Counsellors strive for excellence in providing culturally-aware support to the diverse group of survivors we work with. Every February we celebrate Black History Month, which gives us an additional opportunity to learn about and reflect on Black culture and apply what we have learned to our work with students.  A resource we want to bring attention to this year is the Graduation Coach for Black Students (GCBS) program through an interview with POGO Transitions manager Barb Williams and Ms. Breanna Phillip (Coach Bre), a passionate and inspiring coach in the Halton District School Boa ..read more

With the rising cost of living, the thought of paying for post-secondary tuition can feel overwhelming. The additional expenses of textbooks, transportation, equipment, meal plans, etc., add more causes for anxiety. To support the cost of post-secondary education, various scholarships and bursaries are available. Resources specifically for cancer and brain tumour survivors are also available. Let’s explore the options below! Post-Secondary Education Scholarships and BursariesScholarships and bursaries are available based on academic performance, athletic excellence, community involvement, and ..read more

What is OSAP?The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a mix of loans and/or grants funded by the provincial and federal government to help you pay for post-secondary school. The program is open to full-time and part-time students. How do I know if I am eligible for OSAP?While many of our clients say they are not eligible for OSAP because their parents’ income is too high, we recommend using the OSAP Aid Estimator to estimate what you could receive. Many clients are surprised that they are actually eligible. Plus, even if you are only eligible for $1, this may allow you to access other ..read more

Questions asked by POGO counsellors Sarah and Helen WHY DID YOU WANT TO BE A POGO TRANSITIONS COUNSELLOR? Sharon: My mom is a cancer survivor and we are infinitely grateful for the supportive care provided at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She works as a teacher, and I witnessed her transition back to work after treatment. I saw that a smooth transition to school or work is possible with the proper support and access to the right resources. I wanted to work as a Transitions Counsellor to contribute to that support system that all cancer patients should have access to.  Olivia: I have ..read more

By Maryam Kraishi I was diagnosed with cancer when I was just four years old, but what is surprising to most people is that I still live with a tumour in my brain stem. Removing the tumour has never been an option because of its location. That kind of surgery could cause severe side effects or even death. Every few years, depending on the growth of the tumour, I undergo whatever suitable treatment is available. I also have a magnetic device with a hollow tube called a shunt running from my head to my stomach. The shunt helps to relieve the pressure on my brain by draining the fluid from the cy ..read more

As a survivor of childhood cancer, I know many would think that once treatment ends, the struggle is over and that the hardest part is finished. However, I know for me and many other survivors I have spoken with, treatment was the easier part of the cancer journey. You had a protocol (a treatment plan), support and resources that seemed to me to be available 24/7, and a team that you could rely on for information. When I entered survivorship as an adult, I immediately felt the difference; mostly, that resources and supports didn’t feel as close at hand, and I had to figure out a lot of things ..read more

CNS tumours under the microscope The return of the POGO Multidisciplinary Symposium on Childhood Cancer to an in-person event (with a virtual component), was a memorable experience. It was the culmination of two years of disrupted planning and pivoting as we navigated the ever-changing concept of conferences in a pandemic world. While there was an air of speculation about whether we would be allowed to gather together to learn and share in the fall of 2022, the intense work leading up to this event was gratifying.   For me personally, the POGO Symposium had a welcoming, reminisc ..read more

The Challenge Childhood cancer outcomes have seen remarkable improvements thanks to large-scale participation of children and adolescents in collaborative group clinical trials—a core component of childhood cancer care where many patients are enrolled on the same trial for more meaningful study results. For some children with cancer, the long distance between their home and the institutions engaged in these clinical trials presents a barrier to enrollment in clinical trials.   The majority of children’s cancer trials available in Ontario are led by the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), t ..read more