Woodstock park remembers woman who died of breast cancer at the age of 24
Team Shan is a registered charity creating awareness to promote early detection of breast cancer
By
Mark Schadenberg
On
a bright sunny Friday afternoon on the north edge of Woodstock it was time to
celebrate some Shan-shine as the Shanna Larsen Park was officially commemorated.
It
was appropriate to host the ribbon cutting leading up to Thanksgiving weekend as
more members of the Larsen family were able to attend, including a Larsen son (Shanna's brother) from Ottawa.
The
park is in the Havelock Corners subdivision as being built by Senator Homes and
is on Upper Thames Drive.
The
approximately 3.5-acre park, which already includes an expansive set of playground
equipment, and will next year include an outdoor basketball court and a shade
feature (gazebo), was dedicated to honour the late Shanna Larsen, who died from
breast cancer at just 24 years old.
* * * * * * * * * *
Shan’s Story
Our daughter, Shanna (Shan),
was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer following months of excessive bone
pain, increased symptoms of ill health and parental concern. Shan was not
diagnosed until the breast cancer had spread from her breast to her bones and
then to her liver. Shan passed away less than four months later.
None of the primary care
providers or the bone specialist who saw Shan during her illness had cancer on
their checklist. Diagnosed with a common, benign condition we were reassured
that Shan would be fine. After numerous visits for medical follow-up, Shan
continued to be misdiagnosed. Her symptoms increased and included unresolved
bone pain, fatigue, headaches, nausea and weakness. We were very concerned and
requested further testing. An abnormal liver function test finally alerted our
doctor to something more serious and Shan was accurately diagnosed.
From the initial onset of her symptoms, the physicians looked
for what was common in an otherwise healthy 23 year old. When her symptoms
persisted, the ‘weird, bizarre or out of the ordinary’ were not ruled out.
Cancer was not on their radar. Too many teenagers and young adults with cancer
face delays in diagnosis and valuable treatment time against an aggressive,
insidious, often fatal disease is lost. For Shan, the war was over before she
reached the battlefield. Cancer won.
Shan lost her life, her
dreams and goals for the future. Her potential and that for society was also
lost. Shan was a skilled lifeguard, talented artist, professional figure skating
coach and university graduate heading off to teacher’s college. She had a
passion for life and working with young children. Shan is sadly missed.
Young women need to
understand their risk of breast cancer. They need to be informed about the
symptoms and self care strategies in order to know their bodies and know their
breasts. They need the opportunity to self detect symptoms to increase the
possibility of an earlier diagnosis. When symptoms are persistent, young women
need to be empowered to ask the question“Could this be cancer?”
Lorna Larsen (Shan’s Mom)
* * * * * * * * * *
Since
her death back in May of 2005, Shanna’s parents Lorna and Rob have dedicated
countless hours to a national campaign about awareness of early detection of
breast cancer, especially among young women.
Shanna,
who was a grad of London’s Western University, had been a competitive figure
skater and swimmer, who was employed by the City of Woodstock as a lifeguard
and swim instructor at the time of her diagnosis, and skating coach in
Woodstock, Embro and Thamesford.
Team
Shan is a registered charity.
The
group’s multi-media campaign includes bus stop ads, bus advertising,
billboards, newspapers and magazines, radio public service commercials, educational videos, and
obviously the internet. Their logo is a sunflower – as inspired, says Lorna,
from artwork Shanna had completed.
Lorna
Larsen has travelled from coast to coast. Her mission is about advocacy and awareness
as she covers every corner of the country.
Park
Ribbon Cutting
It’s
truly important to note who also attended the park dedication.
The
Woodstock Recreation Advisory Committee (WRAC) was the city group which
formally applied to city council for the naming of the park. I’m the current
WRAC chair, but it was the efforts of WRAC vice chair Dan Molinaro and his
presentation to council in late 2015 which moved the motion forward. Molinaro
and myself were at Friday’s ceremony.
In
his acknowledgement of the day’s significance, Mayor Trevor Birtch mentioned
that he had seen a Team Shan sign while on vacation in British Columbia. Birtch
noted that it is impossible to quantify how important the Team Shan awareness
projects have been and how many lives might have already been saved.
Also
attending from City Hall were council members Connie Lauder, Shawn Shapton and
Jerry Acchione, plus staff members Brad Janssen (master of ceremonies), director
of parks and recreation Brian Connors, parks superintendent Chris Kern, plus
Ann Ash and Jason Dunham.
Many
Larsen friends and family members, and even past co-workers of Shanna were present.
It’s
interesting also to note that Lorna and Rob Larsen have friends living across
the street from the park and so they often enjoy watching the neighbourhood
children enjoying the slides, swings, climbing apparatus and the unique mini
zip line in the park.
Not
including the city’s Victoria Park named after Britain's historic Queen Victoria, the Shanna Larsen
Park is the first in the city to be named after a woman. Many parks are named
after former mayors such as William Dutton, Les Cook, Don Thomson, William
Grey, Trevor Slater, Homer Brown, James Kintrea, and Dr JT Cottle..
CHARITY:
Team
Shan
519
421-3666
Email:
teamshan@gmail.com
Mailing
Address: 497 Princess St., Woodstock, ON., N4S 4G8
Team Shan is a registered charity, which does supply tax
receipts for contributions.
LINKS:
2013 story:
Woodstock Realtor; local volunteer
Mark Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior Real Estate Specialist
(SRES designation)
Royal LePage Triland Realty
Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
(519) 537-1553, cell or text
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter: markroyallepage
Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
Discussion . . . Direction . . . Determination . . .
Destination
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