The Gazette from Montreal, Quebec, Canada • 60

E8 THE GAZETTE, MONTREAL. MONDAY. JUNE 30. 1997 WOMAN NEWS An intrepid adventurer HEALTH NEWS It's lifestyle, not testing, that matters NEW YORK When it comes to stay ing healthy what you don't do like smoke.drink or overeat seems to be more important than how often you undergo screening tests, if the experience of Asian-American women is an indication. In 1991 and 1992, according to the National Cancer Institute, Asian women had lower rates of Pap test, mammography and clinical breast ex Since childhood, Sunniva Sorby has shown her mettle.

But never so much than as part of the first women's team to reach the South Pole on foot i am than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Even so, a Commonwealth Fund women's health survey reports that from 1986 to 1990, they had a lower age- adjusted mortality rate than white women for heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, colorectal cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cervical cancer Possible explanations? For one, Asian-American women don't smoke as much as white women; in 1991, only 8 per cent of Asian women were smok ers, compared with 25 per cent of white and African-American women, accord ing to the Commonwealth Fund sur vey The survey also found that only 12 per cent reported being overweight, in -M contrast to 44 per cent of African-American women and 25 per cent of white women. And the cancer institute I Yy 3 reports Asian-American women were also less likely to be chronic drinkers. .7 777 1 it'-' Presentation counts if WASHINGTON There is widespread belief that doctors tend to discount the health complaints of women whom they regard as hysterical To test the validity of this, researchers presented 44 internists 40 male and four female at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington with the same 40-year- old woman (an actress) describing symptoms that included chest pains. The group of doctors watched a video in which the woman was dressed conserv AN AND Special to The Gazette This summer, Sunniva Sorby is living in San Diego, working on Across the White Plains, her account of a South Pole adventure that was breathtaking in its scope On Jan.

14, 1993, Sorby made history as one of the four team members of the American Women's Expedition to reach the South Pole, after a grueling trip across the ice and snow on the continent of Antarctica. The team skied for 67 days, at times into 80-kmh headwinds, dragging 90-kilogram sleds In temperatures that dipped to mlnus-50 degrees Celsius. They were the first women's team ever to reach the South Pole on foot without the aid of sled dogs or motorized vehi-, cles. 'iv. Sunniva, youngest of four, Sorby children, was 2 when her parents moved from Norway to Toronto, and then to Montreal.

An alumni of the Trafalgar School for Girls and Bishop's University, where she received a BA in economics, Sorby showed her mettle early by being a bit of a daredevil. "As a teenager she used to bicycle down Mount Royal, not through the paths but over the rough terrain, and on an ordinary bike," said her mother Inge, the memory still bringing goose-bumps to her arms. There was also a streak of perseverance that must have served her well as she survived 67 straight days of no plumbing and of sleeping in snow after a full day of backbreaking skiing. Her mother remembers the time when the Sorbys were living on Nuns' Island in 1970s, and 14-year old Sunniva babysat a neighbour's daughter. Once, when the child did not show up because she was taken to a relative's home from school, Sunniva waited for her ward in the lobby of the building for more than six hours, until she knew of the child's whereabouts.

After university, Sorby spent four years at Hanover Bank in Oslo. But the work was indoors, and sedentary, and she gave it up to teach navigation, atively and spoke in a businesslike way The second group watched a video in which the woman, wearing flashy clothes and jewelry spoke histrionically For the doctors who watched the agi tated performance, the patient's risk fac tors for heart disease from smoking and high cholesterol seem to have been obscured by her demeanour. Only 53 per cent of the doctors who viewed the emotional presentation said they would order cardiac testing, and 73 per cent offered diagnoses like panic attacks or anxiety By contrast, fewer than FILE PHOTO Sunniva Sorby: survived 67 days of no plumbing and sleeping in snow. a third of the doctors who watched the businesslike performance suspected anxiety, and all but one ordered cardiac testing. The third group read a tran frequently asked questions is: "How script of the woman's statement; their diagnoses fell in between.

can you live this way? Don't you have a family? Don't you want children?" Sorby laughed such questions off Life quilt unveiling during her April visit to Montreal after lunch with him when she was in Montreal), and an ex-premier of Ontario, David Peterson. Another guest on board was Laurie Skreslet, the first Canadian to climb Mount Everest, and a natural conversation partner because of Sorby's own background in climbing and expeditions to ice-bound places. Sorby must have stood out as the only woman the only woman lecture-guide in the Arctic-Antarctic expedition among the all-male Russian staff, since the other women all worked in the kitchen. In addition to lecturing on board, she piloted Zodiac boats and took small groups on land tours. But, apparently, no amount of past achievements or show of skills can supersede gender.

Despite having gone where no other woman has gone before, one of most yet another journey through Antarcti KINGSTON, Ont The second panel of the Life Quilt for Breast Cancer will ca as a cruise guide. She talked about her adventures and her book project be unveiled at the opening ceremonies and her next plan: a "really big project to coincide with the onset of the of the World Conference on Breast Cancer on July 13. Judy Reimer began the quilt in 1993, after she discovered that breast cancer had spread to her bones. She saw the quilt as a way to give her two small children a "com Diary of an explorer forter" and as a metaphor for the support she experienced through friends and community. When complete, the quilt will have three panels: the first, rock-climbing and backpacking at a San Diego tour company.

always knew she'd do something like that," said her friends.) In spite of the fact that Sorby was the newest and youngest member of the team, leader Ann Bancroft credits her as the "emotional glue" that held the Antarctic expedition together. Those two months in the snowy yonder whetted her appetite for more; for four weeks in 1996 Sorby was a lecturer-guide on a cruise ship to the Arctic through the Northwest Passage. The cruise began aboard a Russian icebreaker at Sonder Stromsjord on the west coast of Greenland, said Sorby, and toured old Inuit remains and the graves of early explorers in that region. Guests attending her lectures on the history of Vikings and the Inuit included Ken Thompson and his wife, Pierre Trudeau (who invited Sorby to called Cut in Prime, symbolizes destruction; the second, called Call to Rebirth, represents rebirth; the third, The Green Canopy, symbolizes healing. When complete, each panel will be 12 feet high and 10 feet wide.

Confer Here are some excerpts from Sunniva's diary: Position: 83 12 S7841 Day 25. Mileage: 14.3. December 3, '92. -16 hardpack, good travelling snow. We hauled today.

The hardpack snow helped us move our weighty sleds. Having a half-day off helped me take care of my sore legs, blistered lips, swollen face and sore chest (coughing from all the dryness). You really feel 14 miles of constant travel (we went until 7 p.m.) dragging and being yanked around by your sled -the necks get so stiff I tried to keep my head up as much as possible to see the beautiful wisps in the sky as the sun peered through. The frozen snow and ice shines brilliantly it 's overwhelming. At times I cannot believe I am here.

What an incredible desert this is! Position: 83 22 S78 52 W. Day 27, 100 miles to the Thiel Mtns. Mileage: 12.8, Strong NNE headwinds. -15 C. Radio Night Ann relayed messages about position, our frostbite, and chest coughs.

The Amoxicillin is a good thing to take for this virus. Have to be careful Need rest what a joke! Hopefully some mail will be dropped at the Thiels. Our radio communications were good. It's good to work withagainst time the way we do. Weliveby the clock dally.

We get up at 6 a.m. every day and haul for 10 hours with 15-mimte scheduled breaks. In so many other Ways time is irrelevant out here. The wind and sun are constant. It's always cold.

Things are always frozen. There is no day or night to speak of as we normally know it. Only that which we have created. This place is continually changing in my eyes. Or perhaps I am changing.

The terrain is shaped by the harsh piercing wind-year after year after year. Sunniva Sorby, Antartica ence participants will be invited to help complete the third panel. The conference takes place from July 13 to 17. It will bring together sur vivors, supporters, physicians, environmentalists and health -care workers from around the world. To register, call (613)531-9210.

BROADSHEET ITEMS IN THE NEWS Quebec-Ontario Flattering halters collaboration For a top that's barely there, a halter covers a lot of ground. When draped into a provocative plunge, it can project all the slinky glamour of the '30s. When it's a mere scrap of fabric anchored by a tied string or two, the look rewinds to the early '70s. A sleeker version of the double-triangle i. Called "the first collaboration of its kind in Canada," the FamiUe Louis Boivin Chair in the department of pharmacy at the Universitede Montreal and the Motherisk Program of bodice evokes the disco era.

the University of Toronto have joined forces in their phar- Any way you tie it, the halter is one of the simplest ways macotherapy work associated with pregnancy and breast to rejuvenate your summer basics. In a cotton plaid, a print-! feeding. "Canadian women can now consult many more re- I edjersey or a crocheted knit, it can liven up casual outfits. In sources concerning their risks in pregnancy," said Moth- chiffon, satin, matte jersey or sequins, it adds pizzazz to i erisk's founder and director, Dr. Gideon Koren.

"Moreover, evening wear. this cooperative effort will significantly benefit the develop- Many of the skimpy cropped halters in stores this season ment of research." The Motherisk program has placed its 12 are clearly aimed at the Kate Moss set, both in terms of age years' experience at the disposal of the Universite de Mon- and body type. But some of the other variations in tops and I treal to set up Quebec's first information centre on medica- dresses offer women a different twist on a layering piece for tions taken during pregnancy and breastfeeding -Centre day or a dramatic neckline for evening. Stretch fibres have IMAGe (Info Medicaments etAllaitementetGrossesse). been added to many of the fabrics, and can offer support if In their first colloquium, some 30 Ontario and Quebec sci- the style doesn't allow you to wear a bra, says designer Cyn-' entific experts in pharmacology, toxicology, gynecology, ob- thia Steffe.

"On those hot days in the summertime, you're alts Stetr ics and pediatrics have prepared a five-year plan cover- ways looking for a sleeveless blouse to put under your jack f. mg the orientations and development of the themes of the LOuis Boivin Chair aimed at improving the pharmacothera- i py and quality of life of pregnant women. '-'1 et," says Steffe, who cut several variations for her spring collection. "And the halter does that But if you do have plans that night, you look like you dressed for the event" There's a halter to flatter most every figure. The trick is experimenting to find out what suits you.

Some guidelines: Ruffled or cowl-draped fronts soften the silhouette and help fill out a small bust line. They work well as a layering piece under jackets. The deep plunge is the hardest style to carry off. This neckline must be perfectly fitted, and it's best suited to Sports products for women only Women athletes are no longer interested in using a small- er version of men's athletic equipment, says the sports sup- plier Spalding. So, recognizing that sports among women is growing at an i smaller-chested women.

A modified V-neck provides more unprecedented rate, Spalding has come up with a line of coverage and creates a slimming vertical sports products designed specifically for women, father High-necke4 halters are one of the most versatile op- than just as a smaller-scale version of men's athletic equip- tions. They show off beautiful shoulders, draw attention to "Women seem less inclined to get married ment. Their WS line includes a basketball, tennis racquet, the race and neck and can present a covered-up look under Softball glove, woods and tour irons. jackets. these days..