She was simply taking medication, prescribed to her to help relieve symptoms of menopause. Now, more than seven years later, she is in court fighting for her rights and the rights of potentially thousands of other women who have suffered breast cancer after taking hormone replacement therapy.
Sechelt's Dianna Stanway took Premarin for seven years. She was told it was safe. She was told it would work. But she found out the drug could be linked to breast cancer. By the time she stopped taking the drug, it was too late. Some two months later, she was diagnosed with ductal and lobular breast cancer.
Fortunately for Stanway, she won her battle against breast cancer. Now she's in a second battle - a court battle with the maker of Premarin and Premplus - Wyeth Canada Inc.
Her class action lawsuit was certified last week by the B.C. Supreme Court.
Stanway is alleging in her claim that the company marketed their hormone replacement products for decades without sufficient research, claiming the drugs were safe, and that warning signs, some dating back to the 1970s, were ignored. She also claims that the company down-played the potential risks in scientific journals to not raise suspicions and to continue to keep the drugs on the market.
If these claims are indeed true and are proven in a court of law, this is a major breakthrough for cancer victims everywhere.
Many similar lawsuits have been tried successfully in the United States and have resulted in verdicts against the drug company in question. In fact, Pfizer Inc., which purchased Wyeth Canada Inc. two years ago, recently set aside some $772 million to resolve the remaining court claims against them.
It's time that the courts recognize that this company is at fault for putting thousands of Canadian women at risk. It's time for Canadian victims to be compensated for their pain and suffering.
Thanks to Stanway, this could happen.
She is fighting this fight for not only herself, but for all Canadian women and their families who may have been harmed by this drug.
Given the ordeal she has gone through, it is no wonder Stanway is relieved to have reached this point. Her courage in battling breast cancer and her courage to come forward and battle through the courts to get the lawsuit certified are truly amazing.
She should be commended for what she is doing - and here's hoping she wins this latest fight, too.
