In January of 2017 I had been through a number of months of tests, bloodwork and scans. Then finally, came the diagnosis that I had Multiple Myeloma. Of course, this came a quite a shock to me and my family. After numerous doses of chemotherapy at the Cape Breton Cancer Center, and more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, I went into a very good remission. After coming home to recuperate and then feeling much better, I joined the Volunteer association at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, and begin volunteering at the Cancer Center.
I had a friend, Carol Pierre, who lives in the Halifax area, she was diagnosed with Leukemia a few years before me, she became an inspiration for me when I was diagnosed. She is also one of the reasons that I joined the Light The Night Walk.
This was to be our inaugural year for the Light the Night Walk in Cape Breton, and hopefully we will be able to fulfill our goal. We have established quite an amazing team here, consisting of some volunteers from our hospital, some of our wonder healthcare professionals, our nurses, nurse practitioners, and support
staff, along with my wife Linda, and some family members. On our committee we have around 15 people and it could have been many more. When I told my fellow volunteer, John Shaw and my nurse practitioner, Tracy Brown that I had joined a team for the 2019 Walk in Halifax, they both jumped at a chance for us to start one in Cape Breton, it grew rapidly from there. The staff at LLSC, were very eager to get us up and running, or walking I should say.
I have hope because of the people that get behind the walks, the volunteers, the support people that helped their loved one, those that have lost someone close to them and the survivors that remain involved with the cause and certainly the good folks at LLSC, we are given hope for better treatments and hopefully a cure.
I have so many good memories of my first walk in Halifax, it is nearly impossible for me to narrow it down to one favourite memory. But, if I had to I suppose the feeling of belonging to a large group of people, from all walks of life, that understand how important it is to continue research and development of new and better procedures for blood related cancers. Let us hope that someday soon, we will have a cure.
