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September 26, 1952 - January 31, 2019

Born in Hong Kong, Janet immigrated to Canada at the age of 22 for university. She earned a B.A. (Economics) from York University in 1979 and qualified as a Chartered Financial Analyst in 1988.
From 1979 to 1983, she worked for the Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto and Vancouver in the fixed income and the domestic and foreign currency money markets. From 1983 to 2004 she was employed by Canfor Corporation rising to the position of Treasurer and Vice-President.
Janet was a Director or Trustee of many public service and self-regulatory organizations for over thirty years including the Vancouver Police Board, Financial Institutions Commission of B.C., Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada, University of British Columbia, Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board and the B.C. Safety Authority.
Janet enjoyed many hours playing tennis at Jericho Tennis Club, improving her golf swing, playing whenever and wherever she could, as well as reading about the game of golf. She learned to ski after moving to Vancouver and spent many weekends at Whistler. She loved to travel and had hoped to do more.
She is survived by her husband Iain (MacPhail), her brothers Ken (Alice) and Tony, as well as her sister Elsie (Wong). She is also survived by her nieces Cassie, Lyanne and Jennifer with whom she spent some very precious time in the last few months as well as by many other relatives in B.C., Ontario, and Hong Kong.
Janet was predeceased by her parents and by her sister, Laura (Chan) who passed away a few weeks before her.
Together with her family, she was very grateful for the care and kindness received from Drs. Fritz, Morales and Casey, and from Kathy at the West 10th Medical Clinic, as well as the dedicated medical professionals at BCCA, VGH and the Pacific Spirit Community Health Centre.
Janet left us much too soon and will be sorely missed by the many friends who expected and hoped her to be around for many more years to come.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Janet and Laura’s memory to the BC Cancer Foundation in support of lung cancer research.

A Celebration of Janet’ s Life will be held at 1:00p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, 3811 Point Grey Road, Vancouver, B.C.

LUNG CANCER SOLUTIONS FOR B.C. FAMILIES

Lung cancer is a truly devastating disease for thousands of families across Canada. It is the most common cause of cancer death in Canada and worldwide. By 2020, it is projected that lung cancer will be the fifth highest killer among all diseases. Only 18% of lung cancer patients survive five years or more because the majority are diagnosed too late when they present with symptoms. This must change.

Research shows that if lung cancer is diagnosed and treated early before it spreads outside the air passages, five year survival is over 77%.

Early detection and treatment of lung cancer is the most promising strategy to reduce lung cancer mortality.

BC Cancer’s Lung Tumour Group, led by Dr. Stephen Lam is internationally renowned for research, teaching and treatment excellence. The team is working on a ten-year project to advance lung cancer screening and prevention, by identifying early signs that a person may be at risk of developing lung cancer. The result: lung cancer outcomes will improve and deaths from lung cancer will be reduced.

Your generosity will accelerate Dr. Lam’s research and make a meaningful difference for thousands of people affected by lung cancer in B.C. and beyond.

VOC Research Program: Lung Cancer Research + Pollution

Globally, outdoor and household air pollution accounts for 23% of lung cancer deaths. As smoking rates decrease and air pollution increases, air pollution will play an even more important role. Currently, among never-smokers with lung cancer, nearly 74% are female and 83% are Asian. Air pollution not only causes lung cancer, it is also a major cause of illness and death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary heart disease. Together, these three diseases are among the top five disease killers in the world.

Lung cancer in never smokers has different genetic alterations in Asians than Caucasians. For example, EGFR and ALK mutations are more frequent in Asians. The reason why Asians, especially Asian women, are more susceptible to air pollution is not known.

The body produces a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that reflect cellular activity. These compounds are altered by disease, making them potential biomarkers. VOCs may be detected in a person’s breath, urine or sweat. By analyzing the VOCs in breath samples, it is now possible to have a simple method to determine how the body breaks down the chemicals that we breathe into our lungs or eat in our food.

Part of Dr. Lam’s research will aim to better understand why never smokers, especially Asian women, develop lung cancer using breath analysis and studying VOCs.

A specialized piece of equipment the GC-MS spectrometer is needed for the team to detect VOCs at the highest possible sensitivity. The BC Cancer Foundation is seeking $500,000 in donor support to acquire this state-of-the art equipment, and to support staffing of this important research project.

For more information please contact:
Alexis Martis
Associate Director, Leadership Giving
BC Cancer Foundation
604.877.6203
alexis.martis@bccancer.bc.ca