Rod Delaney

In October 2012, in my forties and living an ordinary life, everything changed with the discovery of a small lump under my arm. That moment became the doorway into a journey I never expected — a journey that would test my body, my spirit, and every definition I had of strength.

The diagnosis was indolent Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a slow moving cancer that had already been quietly growing for years. The initial plan was “watch and wait,” which to me meant life goes on. To my wife Joanne — my Lois Lane — it meant watching closely and worrying deeply. She excelled at the watching, but waiting was never her strong suit.

Within a year, the waiting ended. The cancer had reached my bone marrow, and from 2013 to 2019 I went through several rounds of chemotherapy, each relapse coming faster than the last. Eventually, the next step was an Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant — a treatment not available in Newfoundland & Labrador. So we packed up our entire lives, our two dogs, and our hope, and moved to Halifax to fight for my future.

But the story didn’t get easier. I relapsed before the 24 month mark and the cancer transformed into a more aggressive form: Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma. My oncologist — by then not just a doctor but now a trusted friend — gently told me that, “we have run out of options”.

Then he said the words that changed everything: “There may be something new we can try — CAR T therapy.”

When you’re living with cancer, you don’t need superhuman strength. You just need a spark of hope. And in that moment, I felt Christopher Reeve’s words echo through me: “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.”

This is the point in my journey where the LLSC entered my world in a lifesaving way. Following Health Canada’s first approvals of commercial CAR T therapies in 2018, the LLSC focused on ensuring these lifesaving treatments were accessible and funded across all provinces, in addition pioneering “made in Canada” trials in 2019. At first, I was turned down for the commercial treatment — but the CAR T team in Ottawa were going to consider me for the made in Canada” trial. Then, in a whirlwind, I was approved for the commercial therapy after all.

Once again, Joanne and I shut down our world in Newfoundland. I received radiation at home while she drove that same SUV that got us to Halifax — dogs and all — to Ottawa to build our next temporary life. I followed via airplane with hope in hand, because for the first time in my entire battle, Dr. Jones said the words “possible cure.”

In July 2023, I received my life saving CAR T therapy. Today, nearly three years later, I remain cancer free — clearer headed and physically stronger than I’ve felt in decades (lower back excluded; that’s just football and age teaming up on me).

Cancer took a lot from us — time, money, careers, health, and the retirement timeline we once imagined. But it also gave me something I hold onto every day: the belief that I will reach retirement, and I will live beyond it.

I fought a long battle, but I never fought alone. With Joanne’s unwavering determination, spirit and love, my parents’ steady support, world class medical teams in Newfoundland and Ottawa, and the LLSC pushing for access to the treatments that saved my life — I found my strength. I found my hope. And in the end, I became my own version of Superman.