Osteoporosis Canada
Osteoporosis Canada
Osteoporosis weakens bones until they become fragile and break easily. Normally, the human body breaks down old bone tissue and replaces it with new bone. In people with osteoporosis, the body breaks down more bone tissue than it replaces until the bones become fragile, increasing the risk of fracture. Often people are unaware that they even have osteoporosis until they fracture or break a bone, at which point, the disease is quite advanced and less treatable. Over 80% of all fractures in people over 50 are caused by osteoporosis.
Tracie Napoli, Director of Fund Development, Osteoporosis Canada, wants everyone to understand one thing: “Osteoporosis is a disease.
“Oftentimes people don’t think it is a disease, and they think it’s a natural part of aging,” Tracie says. “They think, oh, you’re getting older, it’s just what’s going to happen, and that’s actually not the case.”
Something as simple as a sneeze can shatter your bones.
Click to see video transcript
Tracie Napoli:
Osteoporosis Canada was the first organisation, actually in the world, to come together on bone health and osteoporosis, and we are the only national organisation in Canada helping people who are at risk, or who have been diagnosed with the disease.
Gerry C:
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in the summer of 2008. I was disturbed by it, because I thought I had taken reasonable steps with my health, exercise, eating properly, that sort of thing.
Tracie Napoli:
Osteoporosis is a disease; it affects your bones, it’s something where it can happen very slowly and quietly over a long period of time. You can’t feel it happening, you can’t see it, and then something as simple as a sneeze can shatter your bones.
Gerry C:
I have to be very careful where I walk, watch out for a sidewalk, make sure the sidewalk is even. I could trip and then I could have a fall.
Tracie Napoli:
Often times people don’t think it is a disease, and they think it’s a natural part of ageing. They think, oh, you’re getting older, it’s just what’s going to happen, and that’s actually not the case.
Gerry C:
A lot of people have the misconception that osteoporosis is a disease that affects only women, but that’s not true. More and more men are being diagnosed with osteoporosis, and young men, even people who are athletically inclined.
Tracie Napoli:
We provide education, we provide support, we strategically invest in research. We don’t only support the patient and their families, but we also support healthcare professionals.
Gerry C:
Without the help of Osteoporosis Canada, I believe I would have lived a more constricted life. I’d be afraid to go out, I’d be afraid to take long walks.
Tracie Napoli:
Donor dollars are so important to our organisation, it’s how we make things happen. Federated Health Charities is a wonderful partner; they allow us to extend our reach in the province of Ontario by giving people information about what Osteoporosis Canada does, and how they can help us continue with our mission and vision.
Gerry C:
The donors who make contributions to this charity have helped a lot. They’ve helped with the programs, they’ve helped with information. They don’t realise how far their contributions go to help people with osteoporosis, to help people like me.
Tracie Napoli:
We appreciate everyone’s contribution, but when somebody can donate so that we receive funds on a consistent basis, it helps us be able to plan for the needs that we have to meet.
So by giving through a payroll deduction, you’re giving us the opportunity to know where we need to spend our dollars and to plan accordingly. And that, in itself, is so valuable.
Gerry C:
And you don’t realise it, but you’re helping people in your own family. You may even be helping yourself someday.
Tracie Napoli:
We all want to say thank you. From Osteoporosis Canada to those who have donated in the past, those who continue to donate in the present, and those who will donate, together we will help make Canadians unbreakable.
Gerry was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2008.
“I have to be very careful where I walk, watch out for a sidewalk, make sure the sidewalk is even,” Gerry says. “Without the help of Osteoporosis Canada, I believe I would have lived a more constricted life. I’d be afraid to go out, I’d be afraid to take long walks.”
Federated Health Charities has been a supporter of Osteoporosis Canada and their work to make Canadians unbreakable since 1992.
“The donors who make contributions to this charity have helped a lot. They’ve helped with the programs, they’ve helped with information. They don’t realize how far their contributions go to help people with osteoporosis, to help people like me,” Gerry says. “And you don’t realize it, but you’re helping people in your own family. You may even be helping yourself someday.”
“We appreciate everyone’s contribution, but when somebody can donate so that we receive funds on a consistent basis, it helps us be able to plan for the needs that we have to meet,” Tracie says. “By giving through a payroll deduction, you’re giving us the opportunity to know where we need to spend our dollars and to plan accordingly. And that, in itself, is so valuable.”
Learn more about Osteoporosis Canada at Osteoporosis Canada.
Donate to Federated Health Charities today to support a healthier Ontario and a Canada without osteoporotic fractures.
Click on the button below to make a donation to Osteoporosis Canada through Federated Health Charities
For general questions:
Sarah Wood
Executive Director
437-925-6227
sarah.wood2@ontario.ca
Address
315 Front St. West, 5th Floor
Toronto, ON
M7A 0B8
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For general questions:
Sarah Wood
Executive Director
437-925-6227
sarah.wood2@ontario.ca
Address
315 Front St. West, 5th Floor
Toronto, ON
M7A 0B8
Follow us
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