The Purple Lupin Project

On This Page

• history
• mission, values
• projects
• members
• sponsors
• acknowledgments

Thank you

In September 2009 we moved our website from the server at St. John's InfoNET to the Atlantic Breast Cancer Network.

Thanks to the InfoNET for its many years of support. And we look forward to a long and happy stay with the ABCN, whose project is funded by the following sponsors:

• The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Atlantic Chapter
•  The CURE Foundation
• Breast Cancer Action Nova Scotia

Thank you

In May 2009, the St. John's bellydance troupe  The Neighbourhood Strays hosted "Dancing on the Edge II," a fabulous showcase of Newfoundland talent  to celebrate World Bellydance Day. And they kindly donated the proceeds of the show to the Purple Lupin Project!

To Lori Savory of the Neighbourhood Strays:

On behalf of The Purple Lupin Partnership, we would like to thank you very muchl for the monies you raised at your event. The $750.00 your event raised will help the Purple Lupin in its mission to address information needs women have when diagnosed with cancer.
Thanks so much to you and all the belly dancers who participated. It was a truly enjoyable event.

Sincerely, Elaine & Judy (co-chairs)

For more information and photographs of the event, check out the Neighbourhood Strays blog!

Thank you

In 2004, we received a spontaneous donation from a class at the School of Social Work, Memorial University. Included with a cheque for more than $1000.00 was this touching letter:

During our course of study, a classmate of ours became affected by breast cancer. Recognizing the importance of the information provided by people affected by breast cancer by "The Purple Lupin Project" our class expressed a desire to contribute to such a worthwhile project. Thank you for the support you are providing to people such as our classmate who are affected by breast cancer.

Everyone at the PLP would like to thank these students for their very generous expression of support.

Thank you

The Purple Lupin Project wishes to thank the P4 Youth Centre in Dunville warmly for its recent generous donation. The funds will be used to purchase kit materials so that women will continue to receive the best possible information about breast cancer when they need it most. Thanks so much for your support!

ABOUT THE NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR LUPIN PARTNERSHIP

When women diagnosed with cancer have the facts, they can participate with their healthcare team to make informed decisions about treatment, find the services they need and get the support they want. The Newfoundland and Labrador Lupin Partnership's goal is to provide reliable information for these women at the beginning of their journey.

History

In 1992 the Government of Canada invited professionals and women living with breast cancer to a national forum. One of the key findings was that women facing a breast cancer diagnosis wanted ready access to up-to-date information about their disease, treatment and recovery.

Health Canada called for the formation of regional information exchange projects. In Atlantic Canada this took the form a partnership of the four provincial divisions of the Canadian Cancer Society. The Atlantic Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project (ABCIP) was created and subcommittees of  health professionals and breast cancer survivors were assembled in each province.

Each of the subcommittees went about designing a kit of information to be distributed to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Using Nova Scotia's existing Pink Rose program as a model, each province chose a different flower as their logo. Newfoundland and Labrador chose the robust and beautiful purple lupin.

In December, 2007, the Purple Lupin Project hosted a workshop in St. John’s entitled “Rebuilding Our Network.” A summary may be read here (.doc). Funded by a grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada, the workshop was attended by cancer survivors and representatives of each Health Authority, community organizations, the Women’s Institute and the Canadian Cancer Society. The objectives were:

• Review the history and current status of the Community Capacity Building
• Provide opportunity to share information and review accomplishments
• Present and adopt terms of reference
• Identify strategies to move forward with Community Capacity Building around women’s cancers

The Purple Lupin Project has been renamed Newfoundland and Labrador Lupin Partnership (NLLP) to reflect its new goal to provide information and support for women's cancers  (breast, cervical, uterine and ovarian).

Mission

The Lupin Partnership is a province-wide network of stakeholders who collaborate through a coordinated approach to ensure accessibility to information, support and education for women.

Values

Collaboration: sharing information and support, developing and nurturing relationships
Respect: valuing diverse communities and Network members.
Knowledge: staying current, building skills, supporting personal growth
Accessibility: ensuring availability of resources, supporting communities

Projects

The Purple Lupin Kit - Information for the Newly Diagnosed

Distribution of the Purple Lupin Kit began in the spring of 1999. Newfoundland and Labrador's surgeons were asked to be the delivery network, the materials were chosen and designed, and the kits themselves were assembled and sent out across the province. Since then, thousands of Purple Lupin kits have been given to women diagnosed with breast cancer. 

• to view the contents of the Purple Lupin Kit, click here

• to receive more kits for distribution, contact Elaine Ledwell at elaine@purplelupin.ca or Janet Montevecchi at janetmontevecchi@yahoo.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador - Resource Guide

This resource guide, published in 1999 by the Purple Lupin Project, is the second edition of a guide originally compiled by ABCIP in 1995. It lists many of the services available to the women of Newfoundland and Labrador such as hospitals, retailers of prostheses and support groups. Copies of the guide were distributed to all the public and medical libraries in Newfoundland and Labrador. The paper guide has been, in large part, replaced by the online Resource Guide.

The Purple Lupin Project's Website

Our website is maintained by volunteer Connie Collier and is hosted by the Atlantic Breast Cancer Network through a project that provides free web hosting for regional breast cancer groups.

New Projects

• design for a partnership template, orientation binder and Power Point presentation for distribution to the regions
• a project to develop peer navigation for women's cancers in Newfoundland and Labrador
• a proposed new kit for gynaecological cancers called the Yellow Lupin Kit

Members

The Lupin Partnership is currently co-chaired provincially by Elaine Ledwell and Judith Applin-Poole.

Central: Sandra Brown and Mary Chaffey (co-chairs)
East: Martina Reddick and Janet Montevecchi (co-chairs)
Labrador/Grenfell: Elizabeth Michelin and Sondra Cabot (co-chairs)
Western: Lori Wellman and Kim Dawson (co-chairs)

In addition, volunteers gather together regularly to assemble the Purple Lupin kits for distribution.

Sponsors

The Newfoundland and Labrador Lupin Partnership is sponsored by the Breast Screening Program for Newfoundland and Labrador, Eastern Health and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (Atlantic Chapter).

Acknowledgments

To the following agencies whose support and donation of resources have been invaluable, we thank you:

• Breast Screening Program for Newfoundland and Labrador
• Cancer Care Newfoundland and Labrador
• Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (Atlantic Chapter) for funding the contents of the Purple Lupin Kit
• Eastern Health for printing and distribution services of the Purple Lupin Kit
• Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Foundation
• Canadian Cancer Society
• Canadian Medical Association
• the many institutions, businesses and individuals who contribute information for inclusion in the resource guide