Hello and welcome to the fight – the opponent: cancer. Leukemia is a sneaky form of cancer that does not discriminate when choosing victims. Just over one month ago on February 25, I was a healthy 26-year-old who had just taken possession of our first home together with my girlfriend, a huge accomplishment in our lives. If only we had known what would come next. By March 6th - I was in the hospital as a result of extreme exhaustion combined with a few other symptoms. It was at Scarborough General Hospital that the word Leukemia was first mentioned as a possibility, leading to numerous tests in the next few days. They transferred me to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center on Tuesday, March 9th where, yet again, a variety of tests were performed, including blood and bone marrow tests. On Thursday, March 11th, our worst fears were confirmed. I was diagnosed officially with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and began chemotherapy treatment the following day, the start of my battle against this terrible disease.
After the initial shock of the diagnosis wore off, it actually gets you thinking about how you can create some good out of a difficult situation. My family, friends, and I have decided to try and do some good by raising some money for the Odette Cancer Centre here at Sunnybrook Hospital. More specifically, we are looking to donate toward blood cancer research with the goal of one day finding ways to flag and cure this disease earlier and more effectively.
I would like to thank the medical team at Scarborough General Hospital for their quick identification of the problem and referral to Sunnybrook Hospital. I can’t thank the medical team here at Sunnybrook enough. They had a goal in mind and a plan in place before I even fully understood what was happening. This journey is just beginning for me and I know that there is no straight path to beating cancer. However, with my family and friends by my side we will overcome this and hopefully raise some money for the cause along the way! Any donation is much appreciated, no matter the amount. Thank you for taking the time to read about my crazy few weeks here and I truly hope that through this next chapter in my life we can stay positive and help save the lives of future cancer patients. It’s back to business as usual, fighting this one day at a time. This is not only my battle, this is our battle against cancer.
Much love,
Brad