Thanks to you, there is great reason to hope, as the vast majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer will survive the disease. For others with advanced or metastatic cancer, the path is very challenging.
Your support of research and clinical trials has helped many lives and is integral to progress which will ultimately cure more men.
Every year in our province nearly 800 men will learn they have prostate cancer. It’s the most common cancer affecting males and primarily diagnosed over the age of 50.
Mark Domko, 57, is one of those men. He knows all too well what it’s like to live with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Five years ago a routine physical exam with his family physician took an unexpected turn. Very swiftly he was referred to CancerCare Manitoba’s Prostate Centre. Within one month, he had surgery to remove his prostate. This was followed by 33 radiation treatments. Unfortunately, that was not the end of Mark’s journey.
“My cancer is not gone. I’m in remission now but I know it’s inevitable it will return,” reflects Mark.
Despite living with this uncertainty, Mark’s outlook is positive. He’s very thankful your donations made it possible for him to participate in a clinical trial to treat his advanced cancer. And he appreciates your investment is essential to the Prostate Centre being a centre of excellence.
“Thank you for giving me another tomorrow. If it wasn’t for the outstanding care I received at CancerCare and your support, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Dr. Jeff Saranchuk, Medical Director of the Centre, leads the talented team which strives to cure Mark and others like him. In its fifteenth year, it provides world-class care to patients. Care which is greatly influenced by your commitment to research.
“Thanks to donors’ support, the Centre has a clinical trials team which contributes to our patients being the second most likely to participate in a clinical trial in the country,” says Dr. Saranchuk. “It also has a donor-funded tumour bank which links tissue to patient outcomes. The huge advantage of being able to correlate biologic with clinical data is we can get to the bottom of many complex issues.”
The Prostate Centre team is always seeking to improve outcomes for its patients. Acquiring technology which enhances the quality of care is a top priority. He is very grateful your generosity enabled the Centre to recently buy new state-of-the-art equipment.
“Thanks to the many donors who supported the 2018 Gold-Plated Evening for men’s cancers event, we received the funds we needed to purchase a MRI Fusion Biopsy machine,” Dr. Saranchuk said. “This $150,000 piece of specialized equipment accurately detects and diagnoses complex prostate tumours. It is essential to help save more men with this disease.”
For Mark, every day spent enjoying life with his wife, family and friends is a gift. He is grateful for your kindness and compassion.
