OUR IMPACT 2022

A pancreatic cancer diagnosis can bring overwhelming emotions and stress, often leading to feelings of isolation and uncertainty. It can be helpful to have someone to talk to – someone who has personally experienced what you’re going through – whether you’re a patient, caregiver or loved one of someone facing this disease.

Since 2018, Pancreatic Cancer Canada has partnered with Wellspring to deliver a specialized program of support for pancreatic cancer patients and their families that helps address the unique impact of this cancer.

After caring for her mother during her pancreatic cancer journey, Arax Copeman became a volunteer with the Peer Support program to help fellow caregivers and patients in need.

“Doing this work and seeing what my mom went through, the biggest transition for me was just to learn how to listen. It’s made me a better learner, a better observer,” Arax explained. “There’s always something bigger than you.”

It is only through the support of donors like the CIBC Foundation who donated $35,000 to the Peer Support Program that we can provide essential support programs for people impacted by pancreatic cancer.

While firefighters fight for our lives, we advocate for their health because they face an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

Leslie McBride first experienced symptoms of pancreatic cancer in May 2018. As Captain of the Ottawa Fire Department, physical exhaustion was not an unheard-of side effect of the job. Leslie’s symptoms became more prevalent but were overlooked by doctors until an emergency room visit for a suspected gallbladder attack led to his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in February 2019. Leslie passed away on October 15, 2020. 

While certain cancers are provincially acknowledged as being an elevated risk for firefighters, Ontario has not yet joined British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, and Yukon in adding pancreatic cancer to that list. That means families like Leslie’s are not entitled to family benefits when a firefighter develops the disease as a result of their service.  

“We know there has to be some connection between pancreatic cancer and firefighting,” said Catherine McBride, Leslie’s wife. Unfortunately, determining this link has been increasingly difficult given the lack of reporting that occurs on the job. She hopes that by sharing Leslie’s story, firefighters and their families will recognize the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, receive the appropriate support, and ultimately survive this disease. 

“We couldn’t help Leslie. But maybe by talking about what happened to Les, we can help others.” 

PCC stands alongside the McBride family, and all firefighters across Canada, as we advocate for the health and wellbeing of first responders. Not only are we raising awareness about this devastating work-related health risk and educating individuals about the signs and symptoms, but we are also actively working to ensure support and resources are available in the event of a diagnosis. 

UPDATE – On March 3, 2023, the Ontario government announced that they have expanded cancer coverage for firefighters to include pancreatic cancer.

On World Pancreatic Cancer Day, and throughout the month of November, the world comes together to collectively raise awareness, stand together in hope and remembrance, and raise a united voice to demand better for those affected by this disease.

This year, we invited Canadians to join us in demanding Survival Not Sympathy for pancreatic cancer patients and their loved ones. Our rallying cry was heard by a community of patients, caregivers, loved ones, donors, medical professionals, and partner organizations from coast to coast.

As landmarks were illuminated purple across 19 Canadian cities, individuals stepped up to drive change within their own communities. We heard from Juliana Doxey who lost her mother to this devastating disease and created a fundraising event to serve as both a memorial and an urgent call to action. Survivors like Dean Befus also came forward to educate others on the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer. So many efforts were made throughout our country, all with the shared goal of saving more lives.

It should come as no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic left a landslide of issues in its wake throughout the Canadian healthcare system. The widespread disruptions to cancer screening, treatment, and surgeries meant patients were left to navigate a broken landscape. For those faced with pancreatic cancer, the circumstances become even more dire as the longer that symptoms are left untreated or undiagnosed, the more lethal the outcome.

A problem of this magnitude can only be addressed with coordinated collective action. Throughout 2022, we collaborated with Cancer Action Now to put cancer care at the top of the political agenda. Through this alliance of stakeholders, we collaborated with Federal, provincial, and municipal leaders to address the inequities in cancer screening and treatment options.

Ahead of the 2022 Ontario provincial election, we participated in a targeted email campaign to provide recommendations for the next government, so they could prioritize cancer care in their platform. We also engaged in a Twitter Spaces event, ‘Council of the 21,247‘, which aligned with the Council of The Federation meeting in July to gain the attention of Premiers and demand they prioritize cancer care.