Michael Creighan

The biggest challenge from my point of view, was trying to understand it. As a health care professional myself, being involved in science made it hard to accept the fact that there is no known preventable cause for what I had. As a dentist I am a fixer so when a patient has a problem, I can come up with a way to fix it. I was told that my blood cancer was caused by a mutation that occurs in your DNA after birth and that was not an acceptable answer to me. I read everything I could after I was diagnosed in 2014 and everything I was told was correct, there was nothing that I could have done differently in my life that would have prevented me from having the cancer that I had. I imagine that this kind of diagnosis is devastating for the doctors as well, to try and give that information to a patient and to not have an answer as to what caused the problem, or if it could have been prevented. The fact that there are ways to treat it was great to hear. In 1997, I was diagnosed with Sarcoma and was told to get my affairs in order, so to go from that kind of uncertainty to my diagnosis with Classic Hodgkins Lymphoma where they said, “Oh yeah, we have a cure for that”, are two completely different conversations. I am happy that the second time around I got something with a better prognosis. The side effects of my treatment have caused a roller coaster of other problems however, that is part of the risk you take when choosing to undergo treatment, and no one can foresee that. Thankfully, there are solutions to those issues as well.

Kaitlynn (Michael's daughter): When my dad was first diagnosed, I was 14. I initially associated cancer with death and I did not understand the whole process of healing and everything. I had to understand how to be there for my parents because I saw the weight that this diagnosis carried, and I did not quite realize how this was affecting them not only physically for my dad but also, the impact that it would have on our family. Something that helped me to cope throughout his treatment was to continue doing activities outside of school that I enjoyed where I could socialize with my friends and just be a kid. I continued to go to my activities such as highland dancing and teaching swimming lessons, both of which became very therapeutic for me. Looking back now, I think that continuing those activities played a huge role in my ability to cope and stay positive throughout the difficult times, it helped me become more in touch with how I was feeling and to recognize if I just needed a day off for my mental health. My parents were great at understanding if I wanted to take a day off from school or my activities to attend an appointment or if I just was not in the best head space. I would often attend my dad’s appointments to get the information firsthand, as I was always concerned about what was happening throughout the process and if my dad was responding to treatment but, being there and getting the information firsthand allowed me to understand that he was going to be okay and that the doctors were doing everything they could for him.

I decided to join Light The Night while I was going through my chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Joe DiPenta came through the Medical Day unit one time. I had a little conversation with him and he gave me his card. I e-mailed him after and started looking at the website online where I saw the patient support programs and that there were fundraising opportunities that I could participate in. We get lots of requests in dentistry for fundraising and for community events from various organizations and I have always donated to good causes. I wanted to get involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society because through my own experience I have seen the devastating affects blood cancers can have on patients and their families, and how important patient programs and research are. So I did a little more digging into LLSC’s fiscal responsibility and discovered that for a non-profit organization, the returns into research and doctor funded programs in patient care of the donations they received was much higher than many other organizations that are well-known. I was also interested because of the help that I received from other patients, and I am in a profession where I talk and try to help people. I saw that there was the First Connection program I could volunteer for and help other patients. I am still happy to do that. I got involved in this to help people who are in similar situations as what I have gone through. We really did not know if I would be able to do the walk the first year when it came up because I just finished chemo and had my pet scan 30 days later. This past year, I could not go because I was not well enough after bone marrow transplant, but I had participated the previous five years. I am not sure if the LLSC will be able to host the walk under the current climate but, it would not matter if it is virtual or physical, I am certainly going to be involved as much as I can. I know that the funds support such good things for patients. I have witnessed it firsthand and I have been involved on the other end helping in different capacities for six years.

Kaitlynn (Michael's daughter): My dad was initially the one who found out about Light the Night. Our first year at the walk my dad had just finished 12 months of chemo. The walk was another moment that really signified the end of his treatment as he got to wear a “Survivor” shirt and carry a white lantern. We went to the walk for our first year in 2014 and after experiencing the celebration and how it brought people together, we decided to get involved even more the following year as I decided to volunteer. Now we have a fundraising team called Michael’s Marvels, and both my dad and I have enjoyed volunteering at LTN as well. It is such an important event that happens annually in our community, and for people who have loved ones or anyone in their lives who have had a blood cancer it is an opportunity to meet people that have gone through similar experiences. Seeing all the gold and white lanterns is always really, really mind blowing. I remember crying the first time we attended the walk because I was so overwhelmed when seeing everyone raise their lanterns and that so many people are affected by blood cancers. It is cool now because the event gets bigger and better every year and we will even see doctors and nurses that we know from the hospital. It is nice to be able to see everyone in a different environment supporting such an important cause. It may be surviving, celebrating, or in memory, all getting together so that some day blood cancers are a thing of the past.

I think that all Canadians should participate in LTN as it is similar to the messaging that we are getting with the Coronavirus; it does not matter who you are; it does not matter what you do, or how much money you have you are vulnerable. Hematologic or blood cancers affect everybody. Going to LTN the first time as a survivor, as a patient with my family, I ran into other members of the community that I had known but, never knew that anybody in their family had blood cancer. So, I realized that everybody is going to know somebody who has been affected by blood cancer and by funding the LLSC you are indirectly funding other cancer treatments. Many of the treatments that are out there for other cancers have come through the blood cancer route. The main message is that people would be surprised in their community when they go to the event and see that they know people there, that blood cancer has touched their lives. Then, when you see that it is not just supporters it is survivors honouring those that did not make it is very humbling and inspiring. People can spend a lot of time doing things that do not help the community. This is one event that helps the community directly and celebrates the patients, the survivors, the supporters, and the doctors and nurses who share a common goal of a future that is free of blood cancers.

Kaitlynn (Michael's daughter):Just do it. It is a great experience and it is so empowering because by going to this event and supporting the various fundraising teams, you are helping so many people who need not only the research and all the programs that LLSC supports, but also the community behind it.