This GivingTuesday your investment into local cancer research was doubled.
Thank you iA Financial Group for generously matching all donations up to $30,000.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for research.”
These are the words of Cynthia. A 44-year-old mother, sister, daughter and wife fighting a rare form of bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma).
What began as suspected heartburn over three years ago ultimately led to a phone call from her doctor that Cynthia will never forget.
Scans had revealed a cancerous mass on her liver. After several more tests and an MRI, doctors determined that she would require major surgery to be followed by chemotherapy.
The news came just a few days before Christmas 2021 at the height of the pandemic. She isolated with her family over the holidays and as best she could, prepared for what was to come.
While the surgery went well and Cynthia was able to start her treatment plan, it wasn’t long before she began experiencing pain. Less than six months after the surgery it was confirmed that the cancer had returned. She would continue with chemotherapy and also start immunotherapy to try and slow down the disease.
Donor-funded advancements in precision medicine made it possible for Cynthia to have access to molecular testing.
The results of these tests, along with the results of additional comprehensive molecular testing, ultimately led Cynthia’s care team to identify a new treatment, currently in the clinical trial stage that would specifically target one of the genetic mutations she had. “When I heard about this drug, I thought; we have to try this. I’m running out of options,” she said.
Cynthia is grateful to donors whose support is critical to the leading-edge work being undertaken at CancerCare Manitoba. In the fall of 2023, Cynthia was the first person in Canada with cholangiocarcinoma to try this new and emerging treatment. Within five weeks it had eradicated most of her tumours. And the remaining ones were significantly smaller.
“Many people diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma don’t live long after diagnosis. I’m relying on research to keep me alive.”
Today, Cynthia continues with targeted therapy and regular scans. She is actively engaged in advocacy work and creating awareness and support networks for others with her rare form of bile duct cancer in Canada – and around the world.
Your donation today will support the purchase of an advanced cell sorter for the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute CancerCare Manitoba.
This piece of equipment is critical to understanding how cancer cells develop and interact.
Ultimately, this can lead to advancements that can inform both the development of new therapies and how an individual’s cancer will respond to them, for Cynthia’s rare bile duct cancer, as well as many other types of cancer.
Cynthia and her family are hopeful that with your continued investment in cancer research, new treatments for rare types of cancers like hers will emerge, offering more hope for better outcomes and more tomorrows together.
Share your passion. Change the world.
This GivingTuesday use the power of your social networks to have an even greater impact. By engaging on social media with CancerCare Manitoba Foundation’s Ambassadors you will help amplify their voices and have a profound impact on changing the cancer landscape in Manitoba. Perhaps like you yourself, this team of ambassadors has been personally touched by cancer, including those who are living through survivorship, a diagnosis or the passing of a loved one.
Let your family and friends know cancer research in our province is important to you this GivingTuesday. Share the Foundation’s social media posts – or create posts of your own – using the hashtag #ForYourTomorrows. You just may inspire others to join the movement too.
Thank you to iA Financial Group for generously matching up to $30,000 in donations this GivingTuesday, helping Manitobans with cancer and their loved ones enjoy more tomorrows together.
Year-after-year, iA Financial Group makes a commitment to the community and works tirelessly to support its development and well-being.
