Skip to content

BC Cancer Foundation launches COVID-19 response fund

Abbotsford resident encourages support of cancer research and care
21683657_web1_200604-ABB-Cancer-centre_1
BC Cancer - Abbotsford

Terry Gill knows first-hand the impact that cancer can have on a family.

Last summer, the married father of three was dealing with excruciating back pain and a general uneasiness, which he chalked up to nothing more than fatigue.

A trip to see his doctor soon sent him to the hospital for blood tests, which was followed by a PET/CT scan. The results were not what Gill was expecting: he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“My initial thoughts were of shock, disbelief and fear,” he says. “As a father of a close-knit family, I worried how my illness would affect others – how my family would cope and how my children would feel.”

Gill says his anxiety began to calm when he was right away showered with overwhelming support from his family and members of his community.

RELATED: BC Cancer Foundation raises record $63.7 million

He immediately began chemotherapy at BC Cancer – Abbotsford and his worry was further quelled by the level of care he received there.

“The care I received was unbelievable. The staff was so compassionate and I was always met with kind eyes and a bright smile,” Gill says.

“Every question I had was answered in a timely manner and the nurses, doctors and other medical staff really made my experience so much easier.”

Gill hopes his experience helps drive home for others the importance of supporting cancer research and care.

“Cancer really can happen to anyone and it seems like everyone you meet knows someone who has been affected by the disease,” he says. “We must all do our part to support research and ensure the experts at BC Cancer have adequate resources for their work.”

BC Cancer Foundation has launched the BC Cancer COVID-19 Response Fund to help with emerging patient needs, such as safe transportation to clinical appointments, home delivery of life-saving medication and accommodation near a BC Cancer centre for patients who travel for their treatment.

Visit bccancerfoundation.com/COVID to donate or for more information.

RELATED: Facing brain cancer with resilience