The Calgary Ostomy Society (COS) 

On February 12, 2008, the COS will be celebrating its 40th anniversary.
To commemorate this event, the Calgary Ostomy Society will be holding our 40th Anniversary
celebration on February 24, 2008.
Mark the date on your calendar now and come out and help celebrate this milestone of achievement
with us. The celebration will take place at Fort Calgary: 750 9th Ave SE starting at 11:30 AM in the
Officer’s Mess.
Heather Orsted has agreed to be our Mistress of Ceremonies.
Tickets will be on sale at the December 11, 2008 Christmas meeting and available by phone order.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Pat Cimmeck at 273-8946.
Tickets are $25/person and include:

A scrumptious brunch of assorted juices; breakfast pastries; salads; eggs; bacon;
sausages; potatoes; chicken; rice; fresh fruit platter and desserts
Celebration cake
Commemorative Cookie Buffet (with selections for our diabetic friends)
Champagne toast
Souvenir program
Special Treat compliments of Calgary Ostomy Society

2007 UOAC "Meet and Greet" Conference Report
The Meet and Greet event on the Wednesday evening "kick-started" the UOAC 10th Annual conference.
It was a great event! Our philosophy was to present a positive welcome to set the scene for a great conference. It
provided an opportunity to renew friendships and meet new people, especially 1st-timers.
Calgary Chapter attendees all acted as hosts and dressed in Western Wear (including cowboy hats). As people
arrived they were invited to fill out their meal ticket for door prizes and sign a (donated) cowboy hat, which was
included as a door prize, and won by Janet Pacquet, Hamilton’s Conference chairperson!
I had two great co-hosts. Dave Reid and Suzanne Boisvert for a bilingual English/French flavour. They kept
things interesting with Yahoo's and chatting with people from across our land (Mexico, too!)
We enjoyed the easy-listening jazzy guitar playing of Iouri Kourilov and his singer wife Tatiana.
An official welcome was extended by Ann Hambridge as Chairperson of the Planning Committee and President
of the Calgary Chapter. She introduced Doug Graham who brought greetings as President of UOAC.
About 15 door prizes were drawn during the evening (they had been solicited by our Hollister Territory
Manager from local ostomy product vendors)
A cash bar was available throughout the evening. Light snacks were served during the 2nd hour of our gathering
which was paid for through Chapter Fund-raising.
Everyone seemed to have fun (a full house until 10:00 P.M.) "You put on a great party" was heard.
Lots of people – lots of visiting – lots of laughter!
As this was my first conference, I enjoyed being involved on the planning committee. I especially enjoyed
meeting so many wonderful people! My thanks to everyone involved in the Calgary Chapter for making our
visitors feel welcome.
Gloria Reid, Hospitality Coordinator

Conference Fund-raising Report:
The COS Fundraisers were a great success. Due to those whom participated in donating, selling and
buying Tim’s Gourmet Frozen Pizzas, Shirley Begg's Western cards and our own raffle tickets, the
Calgary Ostomy Society benefited from a successful conference. Thanks are expressed to all those
whom worked at the sales table during the conference, especially: Marg McCallum, Wes and Deana
Richardson, Heather Berwiczonek and Lisa Gausman. Thank-you to Margaret Reynolds for her role as
treasurer prior to the conference and a big thank-you to the Richardson's who handled all the sales table
money throughout the conference. A quick summary of the Conference fundraising: Sales of Greeting
Cards, Raffle Tickets, Pizzas, and leftover Canvas Bags $3,538.00. Expenses for Greeting Cards, Raffle
Tickets, and Pizzas: ($1,265.20). Expenses for Meet and Greet at Conference ($1,500.00) Fianl balance
of $772.80 Thus if we do not receive any other expenses, we made $772.80.
Wes & Deana (Co-Treasurers) & Lisa Gausman (Publicity & Editor “Changing Times”)
COS Raffle Winners:
Sheldon Smithens, our ostomate auctioneer member, handled the draw for the Calgary Ostomy Society
Raffle with humor and aplomb during the conference auction. The winners were:
*Heather Orsted, Calgary ET & Hon. Member, who was one of the highlight Workshop speakers at the
conference: Doug Stephens framed picture.
*Suzanne Boisvert, non ostomate Conference Planning Committee member and one of the comperes of
the Meet & Greet: Pat Cimmeck's leather jacket and handbag.
*Jackie Geddis, ET in Fernie, BC who bought her tickets while volunteering at the Youth Camp: the
two wolf ceramic plaques lovingly created by Mrs. June Ash, Lisa's Grandmother.
*Nicole Lapointe, SASO of the President of Montreal chapter: fleece baby blanket made by Maureen
Sehlstrom, Lisa's sister.
*An unidentified lady won the stained glass handcrafted by Mrs. Lynda Mawer, Lisa's Mom.
Our thanks to the hundreds of people who sold and bought tickets - sorry, we couldn't all win!
Buffet Lunch, Auction and Raffle by Marlene Joly
A wonderful buffet luncheon was put on in the Exhibit Hall and the Raffle Tickets we had purchase
were drawn for some very beautiful prizes that were donated by all the chapters. The Auction Sale was
tremendous. Our chapter donated some beautiful items, which I brought with me and the Calgary
Chapter thanked us. They sure know how to organize an auction and had some very generous
chapters. Congratulations to them for a job well done by some very wonderful volunteers and let’s not
forget the help of our suppliers who also generously donated auction items. Proceeds amounted to
Auction: $3,045.00, Raffle: $860.00.

The Power of Support

Hi Sheri Rodwell here, I wanted to share the message of our United Ostomy Associations. The Calgary Ostomy Society (COS) is a chapter of the United Ostomy Association of Canada which was part of the United Ostomy Ass of America, but now stands apart. These associations and each chapter have a necessary role in our communities, from reaching out to the new comer, to always being there for when you need them.

Being that they are all run by volunteers the dedication of each person involved comes from the heart. This first hand knowledge makes it a valuable resource for all in need. After 18 years on my own I now realized the value of the support for our chapters.  I am so impressed that so many have come forward and volunteered their time to assure that this support system continues to exist. I want to thank all the persons past and present for their love and time in building these chapters of support. Thank you.

Our Calgary chapter which is my support, has many events through out the year, ending with a Christmas bash that is a must go.  This was my first event in over 10 years.  Not knowing anyone when I arrived I was greeted and introduced to everyone. Feeling right at home in minutes I was glad that I pushed my fear away to attend.

Since the Christmas party I have been going to lots of happenings. I have met many new friends who have gone through the same types of issues. We have laughed, shared and I have learned new things I did not even know would be helpful for me.

Belonging to the UOA is a great way to learn more about how to take care of your self in respect to the new changes your body has gone through.  At the meetings there are professionals who teach about diet, new products and cover all topics relating to Ostomy life. There are new friendships just waiting to be made.

This summer in Calgary we are hosting the Changing Times Ostomy Convention. Coming to events like this helps relive your feelings of isolation, as they are informative, educational and encourage a feeling of community. Coming to these events not only is healing for our self's it assures the supported needed so we can continue to have these events.  I am so excited that it is here in Calgary so I have the opportunity to attend, I just received my program outline and Wow there is some really great stuff. I hope you will be coming as it would be great to meet you, not to mention that with the guest speakers and topics being covered you will be glad you came.

It is important that we reach out and connect in our communities.  Sometimes we may not feel that we need to connect, but others may need you to connect with them. Listening and sharing is healing for everyone involved. Come get involved, you never know what may come about.

Sheri Rodwell