First ever Pediatrics Oncology Day at CANO 2023

What a rush CANO 2023 was – and no, we don’t mean Niagara Falls, although that was an impressive location for the 35th annual conference of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO/ACIO) October 20 – 23, 2023.

We were honoured to be invited to host CANO’s first ever Pediatrics Oncology Day on the Saturday (Oct. 21) and grateful for the incredible knowledge shared by our fellow presenters over almost an hour and a half:

Recognizing the needs and challenges of the pediatric cancer survivor and the pivotal role nursing plays: Connie Richardson, Registered Nurse, at The Ottawa Hospital
Addressing suffering in children living with cancer and their families: Kimberley Widger, Associate Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair - Pediatric Palliative Care
Psychological distress in pediatric cancer: Measuring the issue in children and their families and intervening to improve quality of life: Lindsay Jibb, RN PhD CPHON, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and Hospital for Sick Children
Working together to foster treatment innovation for pediatric cancer: Christina Sit, Manager, Community Strategic Partnerships, LLSC, and Nadine Prévost, Business Unit Director, Research & Community Support, LLSC. Download their presentation in PDF format.

Christina Sit discusses some of the LLSC advocacy work seeking input from persons affected by a pediatric blood cancer.

Afternoon sessions on the first LLSC Pediatrics Day were:

Nurse-parent relational complexity within pediatric oncology contexts: Navigating closeness, conflict, and online/offline communication - Katherine Webber, Graduate Student Member, University of Calgary
Understanding the family dynamics of emerging adults diagnosed with blood cancer and their parents and siblings - Sandip Dhaliwal, Graduate Student, University of Calgary
Developing an adolescent and young adult program within CancerCare Manitoba: Initial steps - Mackenzie Jansen, Clinical Nurse Specialist, CancerCare Manitoba
Addressing the complex needs of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with a hematological cancer - Alessia Lamanna, Registered Nurse at Sunnybrook Health Care Sciences Centre.

LLSC had a booth at CANO 2023, as in past years, and Nadine as well as Pascale Rousseau, Community Programs Manager, LLSC, fielded many questions from oncology nurses and other attendees. We were delighted to hear many positive comments about our bloodcancers.ca website and all our education tools.

In all, LLSC was mentioned in more than 10 conferences, highlighting the resources and programs, the community engagement and/or our partnership with the scientific community!

We’re already looking forward to CANO 2024 in St. John, Newfoundland!

To really get a sense of the mission of these amazing oncology nurses and why LLSC’s partnership with CANO is so vital, please watch this moving short video about CANO. (1:15 minutes in, you’ll see the LLSC Lymphoma Guide being shared by an oncology nurse with her patient; we’re grateful for that, too!)