AS Te FREY ANE EN TET Dear Editor: Itwas with great disappointment that I read the article in Friday, August 7 North Shore News concerning Sedi , Tam sorry tor Mrs. Dashti. | er and my very dearest friend to cancer and have had cancer myself, when EF write the following I know what Tam talking about. The Vancouver Cancer Clinic is one of the bese in North America. Betore you wrote this article I think your reporter should have done a little more research. If you would care to spend just one day there and see how hard the doctors, the nurses and the technicians have to work you would have chought twice about letting somcone be critical. They do not give up on their patients. Cancer, when it takes hold, takes no prisoners and there comes a point when there is nothing more the doctors can do. A devastating fact for the patients and the families. An equally disappointing fact for the doctors. This does not mean to. say that patients should not try other methods Planners should ride the bus Dear Editor: Thank you for publishing my letter over my frustration in the lack of public wansporta- tion in the Sevmour/Blucridge area of North Vancouver. day after the letter was published, § had a message on my answering machine inviting me to attetid a meeting on public transportation in’ the District. Based on the fact | proba- bly would nor be home before midnight (because I do rely on public transportation), — I declined. Inthe whole GVRD region I would like to know how many of those individuals involved in the phoning of transit, actually rely on it on a full-time basis? How many employ the head office of transit, in Surrey actually use it, or are even remotely familiar with the routes? I think it should be manda- tory for those people to use lic transportation tor one month — maybe then things will change! 1 ako find it very offensive that some of those clected on replaces What a double standard, have they seen the lack quality in the last couple of weeks? We are being told nor ‘be concerned — if you can’t see the city or the mountains when crossing the Second Narrows Bridge there is no reason for concern? Can you imagine how many smokers it would take to cause that amount of damage to our atmosphere, and yet dri- ving our cars is quite okay. Sorry, guess it’s because I’m blonde, but I’m having trouble getting this! Please Ernie, explain to me! Sue Cook North Vancouver north shore news [AIL BOX -— hope is a wonderful thing and we have to cling on to ut. However, 1 does not mean that our medical svecem has to pay for unproven treatments I would like to ask what would have happened in Mrs. Dashtl’s mative coun- try. Would have got such treatmen, paid for by a) medical plan and who would have paid tor her French remedies there? Because Mrs. Dashti feels better does not mean that chese new remedies are curing her — if they do then T would agree, our medics should look into whatever it is she is taking. By prioting this article the way vou did it in the North Shore News it is criticizing the Cancer Clinic and sug- gesting that the B.C. medical plan should pay for “other” remedies. Also, vou are promoting that people who come to this country can complain and be critical. Canada does not admit to working miracles, but it does the verv best it can. There are some failures in Our med- ical systen’ — we all know thar — but! don’t believe the Cancer Clinic and our often overworked oncologists ft into that category. OF course the Dashtr family are unhappy --- whe would not he -— but by printing this arte vou are not aid them, vou are just adding to their disap pointment and grief. North Vancouver has its own chemotherapy ward ato Lions Grate Hospital which | attended and there was never cme for those nurses to brearh fet alone stand sill and itis (was) run by one oncologist. I never heard one complaint ever, and thanks to them i am here today. T got the same treatment there that | would have received at the Cancer Clinic and, in I was amazed at the amount of time, care and the attention T received both at Lions Gate and the Cancer Clinie — EF traly felt like f was the only person they had to treat. So next time, check out what vou are writing about before vou head into soncthing which it would appear vou Lnow nething about. By “bad mouthing” the Cancer Clinic vou could well cause other Patients to be concerned and that is not your job Elizabeth Twine North Vancouver veg seg Friday, August 14, 1998 — North Shore News - 9 a News story unfair to cancer clinic Recreation not medication cures Dear Editor: Boal government: is net represented on the new North Shore Regional Health Board. Vhe main purpose for region: alization of health, we were told, was to maximize com- munity resources and to establish a closer relationship between local government and the resources it controls. One of the key aspects of this would be a close inter- connection benween commu- nity facilities, particularly teereation and health per se. This would be largely based on the European model with far greater emphasis on. pre- ventive health. Forty percent of all health problents are stress related, we are told. Instead of dealing with the symptoms generated by stress-related di 8, doc: tors would simply instruct their patients to visit: profes- a brand nea flavotr = sionally supervised public recreation facilitie This is not only far more effective but saves the taxpi ers money, At a time when our public health care system is in a state of crisis, this sounds like an idea whose time has come. North Vancouver District even submitted a resolution to that effect to the Unicn of British Columbia Municipalities to be consid- ered by the health minister. But neither the government in Victoria nor the North Shore Regional Health Board have shown any interest in pursuing this idea. To make their point clear, they did not appoint a single member from the four North Shore councils to the North Shore Health Board. Coun. Ernie Crist District of North Vancouver A familiar - name with > oe : Ons a Oonby avdathible on the North Shore: \3 IST OMI