Anal Cancer Foundation - Passion, Determination & Love: A Conversation with Justine & Camille Almada

For Justine, Camille, and Tristian Almada anal cancer is personal. After losing their dear mother, Paulette, to Stage IV HPV-related anal cancer in 2010, the siblings set out to change the course of this disease. In her honor, they created what they wished had been available to them, The Anal Cancer Foundation. For over a decade, their work has improved awareness as they advocate for policies that help eradicate the disease and educate about the importance of early detection and HPV vaccination uptake. In this interview, the two sisters describe not only their frustration with the lack of research and treatment options when their mother was diagnosed but also their vision that provides peer support and contributes to long-overdue research. In this moving and inspiring interview Camille a nurse practitioner in oncology expresses her hopes to cast a wider to all HPV – related cancers. With the message “You are not alone,” Justine discusses the victories that have changed the face and experience of anal cancer, offering hope to thrivers whose lives are made better by the Anal Cancer Foundation’s gallant vision.

Camille’s expressed views are her own and do not reflect those of her employer, Mount Sinai Health System.

The Anal Cancer Foundation was a strong financial support for the establishment of IANS.

IMPROVING BARRIERS TO INTIMACY – A TOOLBOX

Irena Nurkic is a specialist in continence and pelvic health physiotherapist at the Royal Perth Hospital in Western Australia. With over fifteen years of in-depth clinical expertise in management of pelvic health conditions in women, men and transgender persons, she lectures and serves as a clinical tutor at Curtin University.

In this interview Irena generously shares her passion for learning and translating science into patient care. She applies her expertise to improve and manage often ignored biological changes of post-pelvic radiation. Her approach is person-centered, supporting the patient in identifying hard-to-discuss sexual, incontinence and pelvic pain issues. She discusses her team’s interdisciplinary approach and her role as a PT in guiding her clients in what to expect after treatment and in setting short and long-term personal priorities and aspirations. Her expressed expertise is filtered through her approachable, kind, and sensitive demeanor. All patients' issues and goals are different. She offers hope for often ignored post-treatment quality-of-life concerns. She validates that “bowel, bladder and sexual dysfunction post-radiation are a problem, and we have tools.”

In this podcast Dr. Wong discusses how a talk he heard about HRA, high resolution anoscopy, piqued his interest in something he knew nothing about. He reasoned because he was caring for HIV patients that he should know more. He found his way to places where HRA was done and where he could be trained. His interest and dedication took him from his home in Hong Kong to Australia, to New York and San Francisco, where he learned from the experts. In a compelling interview, Dr. Wong shares the challenges and successes of his impressive professional journey. He discusses his fascination with this specialty and his commitment to bringing more trained specialists to Asia.