Vi MacLean and the Promise of SIMPLIFY

“I’m sure I’m here today because others took part in trials before me. Now it’s my turn to help someone else,” says Violet (Vi) MacLean. 

Vi, a loving mother of one, stepmother of four and grandmother of eight from Quesnel, has been living with Stage 4 breast cancer for nearly a decade. This spring, she became the first patient to receive treatment through a BC Cancer Foundation donor-funded precision radiation clinical trial called SIMPLIFY. 

A Diagnosis at Christmas

Her journey began in 2015, when a routine mammogram led to a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma – Stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes and bones. 

“I didn’t cry at first,” Vi recalls “I just sat in my car and thought, ‘Wow.’ I wasn’t expecting that.”  

Vi went to the appointment alone after initial results indicated the mass was likely not cancerous. A week before Christmas, Vi made the difficult decision to keep the news to herself until after the holidays. 

“I didn’t want to ruin Christmas. But I had to come clean to my husband because on December 24 I had to go to Prince George for a bone scan.” 

Over the next nine years, Vi would undergo surgeries, chemotherapy and countless scans. Through it all, she held on to hope. 

“They will find a cure” 

As a daily reminder of her strength, Vi had the words ‘Believe’ and ‘Hope’ tattooed on her arm, alongside a pair of boxing gloves and the breast cancer ribbon.

The tattoo symbolizes Vi’s mantra: “I believe they will find a cure. I hope it is before it takes me. In the meantime, I will stay strong and fight.” 

With her oncologist’s help, Vi was able to access a rare, expensive drug through a pharmaceutical company’s special access program in 2018. That treatment kept her cancer from spreading for seven years. 

During that time, Vi says she was able to enjoy a good quality of life – spending time with her grandchildren, staying active and embracing the everyday moments that matter most. 

At the Forefront of Cancer Care 

Then in March, a scan revealed the cancer had spread to her hip. That’s when Vi first heard about SIMPLIFY.  

“I always said if I had the opportunity to join a trial I would say yes,” says Vi. For her, it was a way to give future patients the same gift past trial participants had given her: hope. 

SIMPLIFY is testing a new approach to treating oligometastatic cancers (cancers with a limited number of metastatic lesions, usually between three to five) using a single, high dose of a precision radiation treatment called Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR).  

Vi underwent her treatment in May, targeting her hip, and initial scans are showing a positive response.  

It’s not only the cancer regression that Vi says is remarkable about the treatment.   

“I’ve taken friends to radiation treatment in Prince George and it’s hard. You drive up to five times a week for three or four weeks. I just had to do it once!” 

The side effects were minimal as well. After a brief 24-hour period of discomfort in her hip, the pain vanished and hasn’t returned. 

Vi will be monitored through the trial’s five-year follow-up program, contributing valuable information that could shape the future of cancer care.  

The SIMPLIFY trial is supported by a $2.2 million fundraising campaign by the BC Cancer Foundation. 

Words of Hope 

Just weeks after her radiation treatment, Vi’s family faced another challenge when her husband Rick was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. Vi says she’s hopeful her health continues to remain strong, not only for herself, but so she can be there for him. 

As they navigate this next chapter together, Vi is supported by the family and friends who have been there throughout her own diagnosis. She encourages anyone in need to lean on their communities and reminds us to check in on loved ones or neighbours who may be going through a difficult time. 

“There’s so much kindness in the world,” Vi says. “People don’t realize how much support we can give each other, even with a simple gesture.”