Passing of Philanthropist Dianne Kipnes

The Alberta Lymphedema Association was sad to hear of the passing of Dianne Kipnes on December 26, 2024. Dianne was well-known for her philanthropic community investments made through the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation.

It is in large part thanks to her and her husband’s support that Alberta has been a leader in lymphatic research over the past several years. The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Lymphatic Disorders, which they established at the University of Alberta in 2018, was the first position of its kind in Canada. The research into lymphedema and lymphatic disorders by scientists such as Dr. Spencer Gibson and Dr. Pierre-Yves von der Weid would not have been possible without Dianne’s generous support.

We thank Dianne Kipnes for all of her wonderful contributions which have made a difference for lymphedema patients and our hearts go out to all those who loved her.

Read more at: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/news/news-releases-and-statements/announcements/2025/january-2025/in-memoriam-dianne-kipnes.html

Scholarship Update!

We are pleased to announce the final recipients of our 2024 Certified Lymphedema Therapist Scholarship!

  • Jennifer S., Calgary
  • Michelle G., Calgary
  • Kati M., Canmore/Banff
  • Jennifer B., Canmore
  • Kate-Lynn M., Edmonton
  • Bridget S., Edmonton

Congratulations to all 6 of our 2024 winners who are all very passionate about patient care. Thank you for contributing to improved access to lymphedema treatment in Alberta.

We are also very excited to offer the scholarship program again in 2025. Congratulations to our very first recipient, Ronin V.!

For more information on this scholarship and to apply, visit our CLT Scholarships page.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year, everyone! We appreciate you sticking around as our volunteers took some much-needed rest over the holidays. Whether 2024 was a year of excitement, growth, challenge, loss, or ALL OF THE ABOVE, we hope that ringing in 2025 symbolizes putting one foot in front of the other towards something even brighter!

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing some exciting updates about upcoming events, our CLT Scholarship Program, highlights from 2024, changes to membership options, our annual general meeting, and more! Please keep an eye on our NEWS page, our social media pages, or, if you are a member, watch out for our emails.

Lymphedema & the Disability Tax Credit (DTC)

#GivingTuesday

Tomorrow is GIVING TUESDAY! Giving Tuesday falls on the first Tuesday after Black Friday each year and serves as a reminder to give back. It was created in 2012 as a simple idea and, since then, has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Join the movement and give, whether it’s some of your time, a donation, or the power of your voice in your local community.

Visit the GET INVOLVED menu on our website for ideas on how to give, financially or otherwise.

 

Signup open!: Getting to Know Wellspring Alberta

Have you heard of “Social Prescribing”? The United Way of Calgary and Area defines it as “A holistic approach to healthcare that bridges the gap between medical and social care services. Through this approach, healthcare professionals refer and connect patients to community-based programs, services and activities to improve their health and enhance their quality of life.”

At ALA, we have seen firsthand the impact that a sense of community can have for those suffering from chronic or terminal conditions. That is why we are SO excited to welcome Wellspring Alberta to do a free virtual presentation on January 15th.

Wellspring offers an array of completely free programs and services for cancer patients, survivors, their families, caregivers, and other supporters. We can’t even list them all here but we promise the offering is plentiful!

Visit our events page to sign up for this virtual overview of the programs available from Wellspring.

New Payment Option for Membership

New or renewing members can now utilize Stripe to make their membership payment. This method is superior to our existing PayPal gateway as it allows for auto-renewal each year. Rather than receiving ALA’s reminder email and needing to re-submit the membership form and payment, those who pay with Stripe will have their membership auto-renewed (you will receive a reminder from Stripe prior in case you wish to cancel).

Stripe allows you to pay with Credit Card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, or Link. It is a secure and encrypted payment method that is used by most of the world’s top companies (replacing PayPal).

The option to pay your membership via PayPal will be phased out at the end of 2024. E-Transfer and Cheque will continue to be options available for remitting payment to ALA. 

New Lymphedema Paper: VEGF-C Impact on Lymphatic Endothelial Cells

A new paper published by Spencer Gibson, Ph. D, and colleagues (listed below) illustrates why Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C (VEGF-C) therapies for lymphedema may be less than successful by examining the impact of VEGF-C on lymphatic endothelial cells.

Title: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C (VEGF-C) Sensitizes Lymphatic Endothelial Cells to Oxidative-Stress-Induced Apoptosis through DNA Damage and Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Implications for Lymphedema
By: Lazina Hossain, Karina Pereira Gomes, Xiaoyan Yang, Emily Liu, Jacques Du Toit, Pierre-Yves von der Weid, Spencer Bruce Gibson
Publishing Journal: International Journal of Molecular Studies
Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/14/7828

Casino Event Dates: Volunteers Needed!

WE’VE GOT DATES! The next Casino Fundraiser event will be held on April 5 and 6, 2025 at Pure Casino Calgary. This is BY FAR the Alberta Lymphedema Association’s greatest source of funding, which has helped allow us to buy equipment for clinics, organize free educational events for our members and the general public, provide scholarships to therapists, launch promotional campaigns to spread the word about lymphedema and our Association, run our website, create resources and distribute these freely to folks throughout the province, keep membership fees low for our members, and much much more.
No experience is required to sign up for this event. All volunteers are trained and overseen by an advisor. Read more about the positions and sign up using the link below:

Halloween is Scary…

Happy Halloween to all of our members, followers, partners, allies, and other supporters. Today and every day, we are here for you!