With Us Today, Thanks to You

After receiving a devastating colorectal cancer diagnosis, Sandy is back to enjoying a full and happy life. Your support for local clinical trials gives the precious gift of time, and makes incredible successes like this possible.

Sandy had always been healthy. At 50, she’d had a routine colonoscopy and everything had been fine. But shortly after, she found herself sitting in her doctor’s office listening to a diagnosis that would change her life. Sandy had colorectal cancer, and it had already spread to her lungs and liver.

“I quit work that very day,” Sandy recalls. “I was determined to fight.”

But thanks to you, Sandy had options. The prognosis for stage 4 colorectal cancer is usually very difficult, but Sandy had access to the best possible cancer care and treatments right here in our community.

“My oncologist asked me if I wanted to take part in a clinical trial and I jumped at the chance,” she says.

In addition to chemotherapy, Sandy was given a cancer stem cell inhibitor with the hope that it would stop the cancer cells from growing. And that hope prevailed: “everything started shrinking,” Sandy says. “The tumours in my lungs disappeared and the tumour in my rectum shrank to the point where I could have surgery. I also had an operation to remove part of my liver.”

And not only has the clinical trial given Sandy the precious gift of time, she also finds the dosage easy to tolerate.

“It gives people hope to see me doing so well, doing the things I love. I can’t thank donors enough for being part of that hope.” ~ Sandy

“My trial doctor has confidence the stem cell inhibitor will prolong my life,” Sandy says. “The big bonus of being in a clinical trial is I get the most-up-to-date information and have so many talented people looking out for me. I have access to the next best thing that comes along. But there’s still so much to learn which is why it’s so important for donors to continue to support cancer research and clinical trials.”