Hello friends and family,  

Here I am back again raising money for breast cancer research. Unfortunately, I’m not exactly a success story but I really tried to be. After my initial diagnosis in 2018, I went into battle. After chemo, radiation, immunological based therapy and surgeries, I had beat it. I was cancer free for just over 5 years. Sadly in 2024, a second, different, and more vicious breast cancer was diagnosed. Having said that mine is not a success story, it is a tremendous example of the progress of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. For example, I have had 7 tumours in my brain where the cancer spread. With an MRI the cancer can be located, a plan is created, a mask is fitted to my face, and the tumours are radiated with a technique called Gamma Knife. The individual radiation beams are not strong enough to cause any damage, but at the focal point the tumour is destroyed. This procedure is 90-95% effective at eradicating the tumour. There are 4 Gamma Knife radiation machines in the entire country, with 1 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences. This means from imaging to procedure is a couple of weeks and a 10-minute drive from home. It is fundraising like this that assists with development and utilization of such remarkable treatments.