The BC Generations Project is pleased to announce that we have recruited our 20,000th participant for Canada’s largest-ever cancer prevention study – Langley resident Bob Almasi. Bob visited our Abbotsford assessment centre on March 5, making him our milestone participant!
43-year-old Bob Almasi from Chilliwack was the lucky 20,000th British Columbian to join the BC Generations Project.
Like most of the people who join the BC Generations Project, Bob’s family has been touched by cancer. Bob’s father died of cancer when he was 17, and his older brother has non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
We would like to thank the generosity of Bob and the 19,999 other participants who are donating their time to help create a healthier future for our children and grandchildren. We hope to welcome many more thousands of people to the Project this year!
Thanks to fantastic support from Fraser Valley residents, the BC Generations Project’s pop-up assessment centre in Abbotsford has been a huge success. By the time we close our doors on March 15, almost 1,200 new participants will have visited our assessment centre.
BC’s Health Minister Michael de Jong visited the centre on Friday, February 24th to learn more about the Project and how it will contribute to cancer prevention research for many years to come. He also chatted with Chilliwack resident Carol Depner about her reasons for joining the Project. Watch the video to find out more about the Minister’s visit.
While our Abbotsford assessment centre is now fully booked, you can still join the Project using our at-home participant package. Just register online or give us a call toll free at 1-877-675-8221.
Did you see our recent news coverage? We were featured on Global TV News on July 27! If you saw the story and now want to join the project, here’s a quick sign-up link: Join BC Generations Project.
We are thrilled with the coverage. This story is a great way for people to learn about the project – be sure to tell your friends, too – help us grow our participant numbers!
Residents of Northern B.C. are being invited to participate in a major cancer prevention study.
The B.C. Cancer Agency’s B.C. Generations Project will be providing the opportunity for residents, age 35 to 69, to contribute to a study which could possibly benefit the future health of British Columbians.
The project is part of the largest health study of its kind in Canada and will explore how a variety of factors, including genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour contribute to our risk of developing cancer. The project will also explore other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
John Spinelli, a distinguished scientist for B.C. Cancer Agency and the B.C. Generations Project chief investigator, says all information gathered by participants will be completely anonymous and everything obtained through the study will contribute to future cancer studies.
The study is aiming to collect health information, along with blood and urine samples of 40,000 residents of the province.
Spinelli says “The B.C. Generations Project provides every Northern resident with the opportunity to take an active role in helping researchers better understand the lifestyle and genetic factors linked to cancer and chronic disease. This study is significant for the future health of our community.”
Residents can participate through a mail-in survey, or people living close to the Prince George assessment clinic, can drop by in person from June 7 to July 9. The temporary clinic is located at 1777 third Ave, Suite 300.
For more information on the study or how to get involved, please contact 604-675-8221, or call toll free 1-877-675-8221. Information can also be gained via email at bcgenerationsproject@bccrc.ca or by visiting their official website.
Prince George – The BC Cancer Agency’s BC Generations Project provides Northern BC residents, aged 35 to 69, with the opportunity to contribute to the health of future British Columbians. You can do so by taking part in the largest cancer prevention study in Canadian history.
The BC Generations Project is part of the largest health study of its kind in Canada, exploring how genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour contribute to our risk of developing cancer, as well as other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
BC Cancer Agency’s distinguished scientist and BC Generations Project principal investigator John Spinelli explains that every participant’s anonymous information will contribute to cancer studies for decades to come.
“You have the opportunity to reduce the occurrence of cancer and chronic diseases in the future. All that’s required is that you are between 35 and 69 years old and live in B.C.,” he says. “It’s a huge opportunity for our generation to do something for future generations.”
The study aims to collect health information, along with blood and urine samples, of 40,000 British Columbians, as part of a national study called the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project that is recruiting 300,000 Canadians from five provinces.
“Most everyone has been impacted by cancer, whether themselves, their family, or a friend,” says LaDonna Fehr, director of clinical operations-systemic therapy, BC Cancer Agency’s Centre for the North, and first study participant at the Prince George clinic.
“Working with cancer patients over the years, I have watched as they and their family members anguish with feelings of powerlessness in the face of a cancer diagnosis. The BC Generations Project provides every Northern resident with the opportunity to take an active role in helping researchers better understand the lifestyle and genetic factors linked to cancer and chronic disease. This study is significant for the future health of our community. I encourage you to learn more about how you can take part while the assessment clinic is in town.”
Northerners can participate in the study through a mail-in survey, or, for residents living in or close to Prince George an assessment clinic will run from June 7 to July 9. This temporary clinic is being generously funded through the BC Cancer Foundation and is located at 1777 Third Ave, Suite 300, in Prince George.
For more information about the study and how to get involved, please contact:
