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4- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, September 15, 1998 "*Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" A new beg Man's encounter with cancer brought challenges, By Don Sinclair Special to the Star eptember 17, 1997 marked a new beginning in my life. At approximately 3:15 p.m. that day, I was in the middle of a staff meeting when I took a telephone call from my family physician. I was awaiting the results of a biopsy. The news that I had a "malignant tumor" was initially devastating and a personal blow. The physician could not be more specific at the time because the sample size was not large enough to determine the "type" of cancer and that I would be scheduled for surgery to get a larger, more defini- tive, sample. No doubt my range of emotions was all over the map from "how much time do I have" to "I'm going to beat this thing." The reality was that I did not have all the facts and information with respect to my new challenge. Before allowing the illness to take over my life, I stepped back and took stock of the situation. I decided that I had to be pro-active in securing proper med- ical information. I also decided that this set-back was not going to rule my life. In March of 1997 I began training for the Chicago marathon which was scheduled for October 19, 1997. As a result of my diagnosis and subsequent surgery slated for the first week of October, I did not want all my training to be in vain nor was I going to allow the cancer to prevent me from com- pleting at least part of my goals. So I entered the Toronto half marathon on Sept. 27 and completed it in approxi- mately one hour and forty-five min- utes. he first week of October I had the surgery and was further diagnosed with "intermediate grade lymphoma." Lymphoma is a cancer that invades the lymph system and lymph nodes. While I was in the hospital recov- ering from the surgery, I recalled that summer discussing with a close friend that my biggest fear was being diag- nosed with cancer. Either God has a strange sense of humor or it was time to "get over" my worst fears. With my diagnosis in hand, [ was off to see the oncologist. In my partic- ular case of lymphoma, I had a tumor the size of a baseball and the standard procedure is chemotherapy followed by radiation. No doubt you have heard the same horror stories I have regarding chemo. I consider myself very fortunate in 2 PNET RY a : TAL p. When the annual Terry Fox Run is held Sunday (Sept. 20) in Port Perry, cancer survivor Don Sinclair will be there to participate. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in September of 1997, and is currently in remission. The run raises funds for cancer research. that I have had and continue to have a positive attitude throughout my cancer journey. My chemotherapy was a treatment regimen called "CHOP" which con- sisted of the drugs Cyslophosphamide, INNINg but not defeat Doxorubicin, Vincintirre and Prednisone. My treatment was every three weeks for a total of three cycles. The first three drugs were administered by intravenous, and the Prednisone, orally by tablet. While I lost a lot of hair and gener- ally felt like I had the flu for the first week of each cycle, I was able to return to work and continue to contribute to the college. Chemotherapy was fol- lowed by three weeks of daily radia- tion. The good news was that I had weekends off from radiation. Personally I found radiation more difficult and based on my experience, I think it was because I was mentally prepared for the worst with chemo and it was not that bad; therefore, I believed radiation would be a cake- walk. Mentally that was a mistake, but not the end of the world because radiation was time limited. I am currently in remission and go back for my six month check-up in late November. The medical staff, nurses and vol- unteers were wonderful. They all made a difficult time a lot easier to deal with. My colleagues and friends at work and at play were very sup- portive and provided encouragement when most needed. t is okay to be afraid of cancer and it is okay to be scared of chemo or radiation, but please don't let that fear stop you from fight- ing back or stop you from providing love, encouragement, and support to family or friends who are embarking on their cancer journey. Another way of fighting back is to get involved in raising financial sup- port for cancer research. The Terry Fox Run is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 20 in many local communities, including Port Perry. In this event, you and your family and friends can either walk, run, rollerblade, bike, etc. It is a great community event. Cancer strikes anyone at any time. There are no rules or boundaries for this disease. I encourage you to join in the fight against cancer and participate with me in the Terry Fox Run. If you are unable to participate please consider lending financial sup- port if asked for a pledge. Don Sinclair is executive director of staff services at Durham College, and currently resides in Whitby. A former Port Perry resident, he has taken part in the Terry Fox run for cancer research here for the past four years. On Sunday, Sept. 27 thousands of people will lace up their sneakers and hit the streets to take part in one of Canada's most important fundraisers, their local AIDS Walk. All walkers in Oshawa are eligible for one of the many prizes generously donated by area businesses. Draw Walk in support of AIDS takes place in Oshawa Sept. 27 Cutters, Leepers Landing, Livent, Natural Nut, Nurse Chevrolet Oldsmobile, Roots, Second City, Tap and Tankard, and Women in Motion, Ajax and Whitby. Other donated prizes include: Ste Anne's water for the walkers, CHFI - T-shirts, key rings and fridge magnets, tickets for the prizes will be given to the walkers on walk day. Gift certificates have been donated by Alumni Club Sports Bar and Grill, Blooms Plus, Canada's Wonderland, Cullen Gardens, Dynamite Dollars, Expressions Hair 2 oy Glass Act, Natalie James, Fazios, L.D. Hair Vanda-Heads Unlimited - a hair care gift bag, Yahoo - frisbees. . When you join AIDS Walk Durham, the pledges stay in Durham Region. To register as a walker or to make a donation call the AIDS Committee of Durham at 905-665-0051.