In Celebration of Kirsi

I've not yet written much about Kirsi on this blog - though I think of her every day and am so very grateful she is alive and well because of modern treatments for Hodgkin's disease.

We now think of Hodgkin's disease as an almost entirely curable form of cancer - but it wasn't always. UK statistics from the 1970s show five-year survival rates back then were between 50 and 60%  - so, clearly, a great deal of progress has been made in understanding and treating HD in the 40 years since.

Unfortunately, there is still much to learn about other kinds blood cancers. In Canada, leukemia remains the number one disease-killer of children under 19 and the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in adults has doubled since 1973.The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada was established in 1955 to fund Canadian researchers who focus on leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and Hodgkin's disease. Over the years it has funded hundreds of prominent researchers who have made significant progress in developing better, less invasive treatments in their quest to find permanent cures.  It also provides support and information to those who are diagnosed with those diseases.

I understand that each type of cancer has its own characteristics and treatments but my hope is that research into one informs research into others so that funds contributed to the LLSC by my sponsors will ultimately help bring an end to other cancers that have affected people I care about. My husband is a survivor of prostate cancer. My only brother was diagnosed and treated for oral cancer a little over four years ago. Another former roommate is a survivor of liver cancer. One of my dearest friends died of breast cancer in her 30s. Another friend and a cousin to melanoma - also in their 30s. We lost one aunt to breast cancer more than thirty years ago and several others have undergone treatments for the same disease in the decades since. My mother's eldest brother died of brain cancer. And the list goes on...so many dear ones have suffered or died as a result of cancers.

In any case, I'm glad to be fundraising and training once again in celebration of Kirsi - and, in particular, in celebration of the fact that she survived a disease that might have killed her had she been diagnosed with it when we were college students together more than 30 years ago.  I'm just so grateful to have her for a friend. She's a wonderful example of how, even in the face of a tremendous adversity, one can approach life with caring and compassion for others, a terrific sense of adventure, and a genuine appreciation for all that's good and beautiful in the world. 

If you know, Kirsi, please consider sponsoring me and visiting this page to leave her a message of support.