Pat

VANCOUVER HONOURED HERO

I’m a 68-year-old prairie farm boy who has loved living on the West Coast for the past 32 years. In December of 2010 I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, and more accurately, a rare variant called Cardiac Amyloidosis. I learned that my bone marrow that produces all the body’s blood cells, was also producing a mutant protein called an amyloid, these little fellows were collecting in the walls of my heart as well as the filters of my kidneys. The result was that my heart couldn’t pump blood very well so my muscles, including my heart muscle, were not getting enough oxygenated blood. Throughout my cancer experience, I got actively involved in self-advocating for support of medication that was covered by the province and became a squeaky wheel calling and writing local politicians, the drug manufacturer, etc. Megan Norrish with LLSC here in BC was a huge support in these efforts. Thankfully, my cancer has been a non-issue for more than 80% of the past 10 years. In 2011 my family joined me for our first Light the Night Walk. What a powerful, emotional evening this was, and still is every year for us.