In 2017, Sandra was given one year to live. Today, seven years later she is travelling the world and living a full life thanks to the support of donors like you.
In the early fall of 2016, Sandra’s doctor referred her for a scan which showed spots on her lungs. Specialists reviewing her scans believed the suspected tumours were cancer, but Sandra would require surgery to confirm the diagnosis. In February of 2017, the surgery was completed, and pathology results later confirmed she had stage 3 lung cancer.
“When the results came back and they told me I had cancer, I didn’t believe it,” said Sandra. “It was really hard news to take in.” Sandra was told that even with treatment, she likely only had one year to live. She began chemotherapy but unfortunately had a negative reaction and had to stop.
Thanks to donor support of local cancer research, Sandra’s doctor was able to identify a different treatment option that would use her body’s natural immune system to specifically target the cancer cells in her body.
Sandra began immunotherapy, and for the next two years made the most of the time between treatments and scans by travelling the world. “Travelling is my way of looking forward. Now when I go in for my appointments, people don’t ask me how I am or how I’m feeling, they ask where I’ve been and where I’m going.”
In the fall of 2019, Sandra was able to take a break from treatment and for the following three years, the cancer remained stable.
Then in 2023, one of her scans showed the development of new tumours on her lungs. Sandra qualified for a new type of radiation therapy developed thanks to years of donor-funded research in Manitoba.
The treatment offers qualified patients the opportunity to reduce their in-person visits and requires minimal targeted radiation appointments.
She required a second radiation treatment last March and today, thanks to donors’ support, Sandra is doing well and her cancer is stable. She continues with regular appointments and scans and spends a lot of her time doing what she loves – travelling.
Sandra has seen the progress and experienced the life-changing impact of donor-funded research at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute CancerCare Manitoba. Thanks to donor support more Manitobans like Sandra are living well with cancer. “Knowing I was only given a year or so to live, and here I am today…it’s pretty amazing that research can do this,” said Sandra.
