BREAKTHROUGH

Few of us could have imagined back in the beginning of the pandemic that we’d pass the grim milestone of two years impacted by COVID-19. The virus has taken a devastating toll — the lives of approximately 3,000 British Columbians to date. However, for 80,000 people in our province, cancer is a much more pressing health concern. We lost more than 11,000 of our loved ones to the disease last year alone.

We know, now more than ever, that science matters. Vaccines went from discovery to distribution in under a year, made possible by an unprecedented global mobilization and investment in research. When you donate to BC Cancer Foundation you’re fuelling life-saving research that wouldn’t happen otherwise.

Every new therapy and treatment is born in a laboratory. Hilary Stevens and Allan Collings know the long-term rewards of an experimental new drug, and are giving back with an incredible $1 million donation to the BC Cancer lab which now bears their name. Tara Sawatsky is undergoing a surgery, developed by our very own Dr. Dianne Miller, which will greatly reduce her risk of ovarian cancer. And with the recent appointment of a research chair, made possible by the late Gordon Shrum, BC Cancer Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kim Chi continues to make impressive contributions to prostate cancer discoveries.

As we look towards a brighter future of living with, if not free from, COVID-19, it is my deep hope that one day the same will be true of cancer. I truly believe we can get there.

Sincerely,

Sarah Roth
President & CEO
BC Cancer Foundation

“My dad still speaks so highly of Dianne and the treatment she provided my mom,” says Tara, who was 14 when she lost her mom to a cancer that continues to have a five-year survival rate of less than 50%. Dr. Miller is renowned as someone who treats people, not patients. With an affectionate bedside manner, there’s a good chance she wrapped her arms around Millie. But Tara has another reason to thank her mom’s oncologist.

Now a mom herself, Tara is undergoing an opportunistic salpingectomy (OS), a surgery to remove the fallopian tubes as a preventative measure for ovarian cancer — conceived by none other than Dr. Miller.

As co-founder of BC Cancer’s ovarian cancer research program OVCARE, Dr. Miller developed OS (now adopted around the world) after discovering most ovarian cancers start in the fallopian tubes, and not, as previously believed, on the ovaries. Akin to a vasectomy, the laparoscopic surgery, often performed instead of what is commonly known as “having your tubes tied,” has the added benefit of significantly reducing ovarian cancer risk.

Neither Tara nor her mom (amazingly, Tara tracked down her mom’s tissue through BC Cancer’s Hereditary Cancer Program) tested positive for a BRCA gene mutation, signalling a greater risk of cancer. However, Tara’s genetic counsellor suggested OS as a preventative measure anyway.

“We have two beautiful children, ages two and five, and we don’t want any more kids. Realizing this could also reduce my cancer risk, I thought, ‘Why not?’ As I approach the age that my mom was when she died — I’m 42 now, she was 44, it was the week before she turned 45 — it provides me with hope that I can be there for my kids growing up. I know how hard it was not to have my mother with me all of these years.”

Tara says she owes much of who she is to her mom, whose love of the outdoors led her to study environmental science, and pursue a career with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

“She was also an amazing musician, and spent hours with me while I practiced the violin.”

Another gift Tara appreciates was her mom’s participation in that study 28 years ago. Taxol couldn’t save Millie, but it’s now used to treat a number of different cancers. That research saved lives, and likely informed other breakthroughs. Perhaps even the surgery Tara is waiting to mark in her calendar.

“I feel privileged to have that connection to Dr. Miller. I appreciate her commitment; it’s really amazing what she’s done for women.”

If the circle wasn’t already full, Tara’s husband Kevin Sauvé ended up taking a job in research at BC Cancer. At Tara’s family’s urging, he reached out to his new colleague, Dr. Miller. “I said, ‘You don’t know me, but you were an oncologist for my wife’s mother, Mildred Sawatsky,’” recalls Kevin. “Dianne immediately responded, ‘I remember Millie! Tell Tara I said hello.’”

Despite the obstacles of that challenging fundraising bike ride, Bianca Hayes decided she would do it again in a heartbeat. And this June she intends to, with a second cross-country ride — from Vancouver to Halifax — to beat her 2020 record of the fastest woman to cycle across Canada. This time, she hopes to finish in 15 days (setting the women’s Guinness World Record) and raise $500,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation.

“Each loss to ovarian cancer leaves a hole in a family,” says Bianca, who feels the void left by her fierce-witted and fiery-haired sister, Katrina, 32, who passed away in 2018 in the midst of young motherhood.

“Katrina was confident in who she was, and what she wanted. I always admired her for those traits, and since her death I have been trying to embody them,” says Bianca, who overcame Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis to complete a handful of epic rides to fuel research in ovarian cancer.

“It’s a way for me to make some sense of Katrina’s death. To prove to myself, and anyone else who doubts themselves, that we are capable of much more than we think.”

Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed in the advanced stages when treatment is less likely to result in a cure. Donate to support critical research to help change this at biancahayes.com.

It’s fitting that it’s the first greeting on Thomas Wamiss’ BC Cancer Foundation fundraising page (for a walk that has him leaving his home in Port Hardy on June 18 and traversing over 500 km to Victoria) — as the journey itself has multiple meanings.

Thomas lost two brothers to cancer. Jeremy to prostate cancer 24 years ago and Charlie just over a year ago. As the youngest of seven, Thomas looked up to them both growing up.

“I had many role models who guided me through life in an abundantly happy home,” Thomas says. “However, we also had our bad times of sorrow, pain, frustration, embarrassment, insecurity, anger and defeat. I am of the first generation that did not go to a residential school. All of this leading, of course, to my addiction to drinking.”

On Sept. 15, 2020, Thomas decided to “get out of the darkness” and seek sobriety. Once his mind and spirit were in a good place, he realized his body was out of shape. And so he started walking. “In four months I lost over 40 pounds — at 49 years old,” he proudly says.

With his energy levels at an all-time high Thomas thought, “What am I going to do with all this?” His brothers immediately came to mind. Jeremy had been a pillar in the Port Hardy community, responsible for bringing sport (volleyball and hockey) to the Quatsino band.

“However, being the Wamiss that he was — we’re pretty stubborn about doctors — he neglected his care without thinking about the consequences. But cancer doesn’t wait, and so it took him.”

Thomas wants to use the walk to create awareness, especially among First Nations, about the importance of cancer screening, early detection and treatment. And he plans to do it in the Kwak’wala traditional tongue in order to save lives, and the survival of his native language.

He’ll have plenty of time to have those conversations. He estimates his shortest day of walking to be eight hours, his longest 15, at least according to Google maps. “But I’ve been telling people I’m older (and wiser) than Google so I’m going to prove it wrong,” he laughs.

Port Hardy has rallied around Thomas. The Applewood Ford dealership is providing a pilot car, other local businesses have donated raffle prizes, and many people have pledged to walk beside him.

This coming together for the common good was also part of Thomas’ plan, he says. “It takes a community to raise a child. We seem to have lost that, the understanding of how important we all are.”

In the end, it doesn’t matter what language you speak, or what shade your skin is, he says. “Cancer is not racist. It attacks everyone equally.” Thomas plans to stand up to it — one step at a time.

Gurjodh Mahal’s father Manjit Singh Mahal was known for his positivity, even in the face of his unexpected late-stage colon cancer diagnosis.

Although Manjit passed away a few weeks after he was diagnosed, during his short cancer journey he never lost his optimistic outlook.

“You could always find my dad smiling and making his usual jokes, and that spoke volumes to the person he was, and the strong character he had,” Gurjodh says.

Gurjodh wanted to honour his dad by making a difference for other families, and along with his own family, he sought out ways to support cancer research, including the Tour de Cure.

Manjit had always stressed the importance of volunteering and physical health. Gurjodh felt that the Tour de Cure would be a fitting way for family and friends to remember Manjit and carry on his legacy, while making a positive difference in the community.

“The Tour de Cure is an excellent way to channel the hopelessness you feel during a loved one’s cancer journey,” Gurjodh says. “It allows you to make a difference, supporting BC Cancer’s ability to provide quality care, treatment and research.”

Gurjodh is once again riding his bike this year in honour of Manjit on Team KPMG.

“Although my father passed away in a short period of time, I can confidently say he lived life to the fullest. He left us with many fond memories and will continue to live on in our hearts.”