• It's Personal
• / Donor Stories
•  

Pamela MacCormack

Pamela MacCormack

Cancer: Pain and Inspiration

Cancer may not have touched my body but it has touched my life and my spirit in both negative and positive ways. Many years ago I lost my mother to cancer and the pain in my heart was horrific. She knew she was dying and in the eleven months that she struggled with the illness she kept her spirits high and her outlook positive. It was her challenge, it was her legacy. She was teaching me about life as she faced death. But cancer is not a death sentence, many have fought and survived and now live to inspire others.

Several years ago, weighing in at over 300 lbs., my health was failing. I was watching my mother combat stomach cancer, my friend Louise, battle esophageal  cancer and my uncle Tommy fight prostate cancer.  Uncle Tommy is still with us and still fighting the good fight, but mom and Louise have passed away. I felt lost, but then I met Dr. Douglas Bishop, a weight management specialist and a master tri-athlete, he gave me what I needed the most, he gave me hope, hope that I could turn my life around. Sometimes I think that is all anyone needs, and so after a year and a half, I lost 150 lbs. Yes, an amazing weight loss, but the most wonderful thing was when Dr. Bishop and I both ran in the same "Do it for Dad" race ...cancer had touched Dr. Bishop's family and it had touched mine. He helped me regain my health and here we were in the same race. I walked the 5K and Dr. Bishop ran the 10K, it was amazing. I believe that the legacy my mother left me, one of challenge and hope.. ..pushed me to the Finish line.

Now I have another challenge. I gave a Talk at the Shirley E. Greenberg medical centre.  After the Talk a beautiful young woman came up to me with this incredible smile. She handed me a piece of individually wrapped dark chocolate and said here, eat this, it will be good for you. A few weeks later cancer took her away from us at the age of 29. Her name was Krista.

She was an instructor with the Strong Women's Program at the Ottawa Hospital. I know this may sound strange, but I felt when she handed me that gift of chocolate, some kind of energy flowed between us. I decided a few weeks later to try to learn how to run at the age of "61" in memory of Krista, as I was now blessed with a strong and health body. I needed an instructor but they were all too expensive so a woman at the Running Room, in Orleans, Denise Pittuck, volunteered to train me. Denise is a cancer survivor and is training me for the NCC race on May 29...and right after that we set a new goal, to run the 2010 "Do it for Dad" race. I will run, and I will do my best and I will learn life lessons from all the people that fought and are still fighting cancer. Now with the memory of Krista in my mind, my mothers spirit in my heart and my friend Denise, by my side, I will cross that Finish line, because there is hope...