Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 19/00) - Ethel Blondin-Andrew's fellow MPs and constituents are praying for her speedy recovery. The Western Arctic MP announced June 14 that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ethel Blondin-Andrew

The cancer was said to be at an early and treatable stage. She underwent surgery in Ottawa on Friday, as the treatment recommended by her doctors is not available in the NWT. Outcome of the surgery was not known at deadline.

Word of Blondin-Andrew's illness shocked both her colleagues in Ottawa and constituents alike.

Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell had lunch with her fellow Northern MP early last week, and was pleased to see Blondin-Andrew in good spirits.

"I told her I would certainly be thinking about her (Friday) as she undergoes her surgery.

"I know what it feels like to be going through something difficult to take," said Karetak-Lindell.

She said Blondin-Andrew was a great friend to her after her husband died just over a year ago.

It means a lot, said Karetak-Lindell, to receive plenty of reassurance and support from family and friends during trying times.

"I certainly hope to be able to be there for her as she was for me during my difficult time," she said.

Jackie Thorne, Blondin-Andrew's executive assistant in Ottawa, and Maureen Marshall, the MP's constituency manager in Yellowknife, said members of parliament and constituents have been very supportive, sending get-well cards, e-mails, voice-mail messages and faxes.

"People have been very supportive. It's overwhelming," said Thorne.

Blondin-Andrew's diagnosis could result in greater awareness of breast cancer in the North, according to Judy Williams, chairperson of the NWT Breast Health/Breast Cancer Action Group.

"When someone that's so well-known is diagnosed it helps put a face on it ... I think it sort of just raises the bar a little bit," said Williams.

As a breast cancer survivor herself, Williams said she is happy to hear Blondin-Andrew's case is in the early stages, as that usually means the prognosis is excellent.

"Our only hope is early diagnosis. I think maybe it will make women think about their own situation -- 'if it could happen to her, it could happen to me' -- and maybe make them more aware that they need to check themselves and go in for their annual exam," she said.