Volunteering.

The lack of posting new entries has been it's been a crazy two weeks in here in Vancouver as the Olympics are coming to an end on sunday.
We're currently in 4th place for metals, but more importantly, the men's hockey team beat Russia 7-3, and what a game!!! woot! Go Canada Go! 

This past week I volunteered for two things, both which I find important. 
I've never been much of one to volunteer, and although I like the idea of it and being part/giving back to my community, there hasnt been anything I'm passionate about, until now.

UBC Hospital and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute are proforming a research study on women between the ages of 35-50 who have night sweats. Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research.
Perimenopausal Night Sweats Study

The primary aim of the study is to determine the feasibility of a potential future randomized control trial of progesterone therapy in perimenopause, and to estimate the number of women who would be needed for that study, as well as to examine whether cyclic hormonal changes affect perimenopausal night sweats.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about yourself and help us understand night sweats in women aged 35-50 who still have regular periods.
This UBC study is observational (no study medications), and takes 4 menstrual cycles.


Who can participate?
You may be eligible for the study if you are a woman who:
Is between age 35 and 50
Had menstrual periods no more than 60 days apart in the past year
Is not taking hormone therapy or birth control
Has night sweats (hot flushes during sleep time)

I'm eligible to apply for this study. (even with being on snythroid- hormone therapy) I spoke via email with the doctor & reseach assistant who is screening potentional clients. However there is one glitch, I'm not currently having night sweats and when I have in the past, they are not as regular as 5 per menstrual cycle. 

When this doctor asked why I wanted to participate, the answer wasnt anything I had to think about. 

"It's women's health.  If I can be part of a solution that will help women breeze through perimenopause and help prevent cancer related issues based on treatment found now, why wouldn't anyone want to be part of that?  I have 3 older sisters, sister in-laws, cousins, aunts, etc, friends mum's who have been affected by the HRT and wouldnt have taken it if more studies and alternative options had been available.  I have nieces, great nieces, 2nd and 3rd cousins who will still go through this process."

She was pleased with my reply and asked if she could contact me for future studies on women's health.
Obviously, I said OF COURSE! and wished them well on this particular case study.

The other volunteer position is more local and a personal interest for me.
When I was younger I worked for the land title office in the city, and found a nak for the historical searches which most founf to be tedious and boring. I LOVED IT! To touch original pictures, original blue prints of road construction designs, and the property books half written in old english and latin as to when a piece of property was bought directly from the crown. That's old shit.  To actually touch history.

Recently an old friend had mentioned all the things in the city she hasnt experienced. One of them was the Irving House. Built in 1865 at the time when New Westminster was the Capital of BC and we were developing and excelling as one of several port cities.

So much of Vancouver and surrounding cities have lost much of their history, which is really sad, cos we had so much of it. The current government doesnt seem to care about restoring, preserving, and educating the public and school systems, they seem to care about supply and demand with the developers salavating at large properites to build up and congest the city more than preserve what holds so much of our past.

When looking at the site, I learned about a few volunteer positions, and applied.
I applied for an assistant curator/research assistant position with the Museum & Archives.
This position is volunteer and only 2-3 hours a week, although I put I was available 2-10 a week.
Ultimately this would be a dream job if it was a paying gig. 
If I get the position, I will be part of restoring and preserving the history of the community, and surrounding cities I grew up in. Educating the public and school system about the remaining history they probably walk by everyday and have no idea. 

Thanks to my Cousin David who is currently living in Dubai for the last 10 years, was the one who initally got me interested in history. He's travelled a lot for a living and always made sure he knew as much as he could about the history of whatever town, country etc he was living in.  Years later I ended up working in the LTO with all this to my immediate access.. I was in love.

That has been my week. What have my lovely readers been up too?