The Canadian Cancer Society has released new statistics about cancer rates in Canada and it's higher than you might think.
The newest statistics were released by the Canadian Cancer Society stating nearly one in two Canadians are expected to receive a cancer diagnosis.
Calvin Egg is a cancer survivor who describes his experience as a miracle. He had to receive x-rays due to problems with his appendix, but the technician noticed during the process that at the very top of the scan, there was a spot at the bottom of his lung. There was no reason to have looked for this, as Egg had no symptoms of cancer, but a biopsy done several months later confirmed his case. After several days in the hospital to surgically remove the cancer in his lungs, he has been reported healthy.
"I can't say enough good about HSC. They did a wonderful job looking after me very, very well. But it's truly a miracle as far as I'm concerned because the spot was on the very top of the x-ray. And the other thing is when I went for my first check up after the surgery, the doctor said this cancer normally does not present itself on the lower lobe, it's normally on the upper lobe. So I consider myself very blessed to be saying that they've got all the cancer and there's nothing in my lymphnodes so I didn't have to go through chemotherapy."
His doctor explained to him that this is a special case because of the ten patients with this type of cancer she had seen, 9 of them had passed away due to the cancer. This is due to the fact that one does not usually display symptoms until it is too far progressed to fully treat.
Egg has had several perspective shifts due to this experience.
"I think there are an awful lot of things that are important and an awful lot of things that are unimportant and those categories on either side of that line have changed significantly for me. Family is so important, and your faith and church life."
He also has reflected on what he found important while living through his season of cancer.
"When you're talking to somebody or you're listening to somebody who has had cancer, every word becomes gold because they've lived through it. And it's just amazing how you just gravitate to their voice and everything they're saying, just cling on every word. I think the words of hope that I have is prayer is so amazing because you really feel alone even though you're not alone. My support at home was fabulous, church support was good. There are an awful lot of people that don't have that and my heart goes out to them. But the big take home is cancer is not a death sentence. It's not. Through prayer and faith, and the medical advances that have been made these days people are doing amazing things."
Not every story ends this way. The same study revealed that one in four Canadians will die from that cancer diagnoses. Unfortunately, that is what happened to 13-year-old Kaitlyn Reimer. However, her story didn't end there.
"It was the dream of our 13-year-old daughter . . . to have her own charity, which she started while she was going through treatment," her mother, Ruth Reimer, told us. "Her final wish was to have a cottage built . . . [that] would be open to anyone who needs a place to come during the day or a place to stay at night [to get away from the hospital."
Katie Cares, the organization that Kaitlyn started, now has that cottage and works to help those going through the cancer treatment process.
"I think the biggest thing when you're walking alongside someone [going through the cancer treatments] is to listen," Reimer said. "Not to give advice . . . help them wherever they need help . . . and not being judgemental about some of the decisions or some of the things they do."
Fri, Apr 19, 5:00 PM
Transport, Full-time
Featured