A cancer diagnosis is an emotional and physical health setback for anyone.
Nobody knows this better than Ron Roy, who at the age of 80 has faced that diagnosis twice in his life for prostate cancer in 2011 and lung cancer in 2022.
"I am grateful to still be alive today but the anxiety I faced with my first diagnosis..after learning about it from my doctor I went home and my heart was pounding that night," Roy recalled.
"By 3 a.m. I had to get to the hospital and get a shot to calm myself down."
But Roy says a combination of cancer treatments aided by technology and his personal beliefs gave him the faith that he would survive not one but two cancer scares.
"What I relate to others from my own experience of having a cancer diagnosis is to not lose faith. I also prayed a lot to the 'Big Guy' upstairs that I would hopefully get through it in the way that I did," Roy said.
In response to his good fortune, Roy has committed to leaving an endowment gift to the BC Cancer Foundation, to support further cancer treatment research, so others can benefit as he has done from those making similar commitments before him.
"Technology saved my life, twice," Roy said. "And I want to see it keep saving lives long after I'm gone."
Born in Ontario, Roy has led an adventurous life in the oil industry that took him around the world and included a stint travelling with then Prime Minister Jean Chretien as part of a Trade Canada trade mission, prior to his retirement to Kelowna.
When Roy first was told of his prostate cancer diagnosis in 2011, his doctor outlined a surgical treatment plan that left him looking for an alternative option.
That search led him to become one of the earliest patients to undergo brachytherapy, a relatively new prostate cancer treatment at the time, pioneered by Dr. Juanita Crook at the BC Cancer - Kelowna facility.
Instead of invasive surgery, he received 88 tiny radioactive seeds, implanted in a procedure that left him with no visible side effects and required no hospital stay.
"I didn't even know they had done anything," he laughed.
Within months of the procedure, his cancer was undetectable, and for the next decade participated in a study group led by Dr. Crook that has helped contribute to the advancement of the treatment for others.
A swift recovery was another theme of his second diagnosis of lung cancer in 2012.
A persistent cough, initially believed to be related to COVID-19, was sourced to a tumour in his lung.
Roy underwent a minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy to remove the lower right lobe of his lung.
"They made a small incision to remove a small five-by-seven-inch piece of my lung and I was back home three days later," he said.
Further chemotherapy was recommended after cancer was detected in a lymph node on his lung, and he subsequently completed three rounds of radiation treatment with minimal side effects, and he remains cancer-free today.
Roy is grateful for coming out on the winning end of a cancer diagnosis twice but realizes many others are not so fortunate.
Cancer has plagued his own family, and he realizes there are few of us who have not been touched by cancer in our lives through our own experiences or those of people we know.
"Scientists need funds to advance the technology to advance what they are learning about cancer treatment so every little bit helps in donating to that cause," he said.
"My grandmother lived to one month short of turning 100 so my goal now is to reach my 100th birthday."
Because cancer is so prevalent in our lives, Roy advises people to be diligent about their own health, because the best weapon against a cancer diagnosis is early detection.
