• It's Personal
• / Patient Stories
•  

Lynn Nightingale

Lynn Nightingale

Canadian figure skating icon Lynn Nightingale share her story on how cancer affected her life.

The first time I felt some pain in early 2005, I ignored it. I guess I knew in the back of my mind that something was wrong — because I had also been suffering from occasional vomiting, bouts of high fever and abdominal pain, however the symptoms would go away as quickly as they came. I also experienced unplanned weight loss. But as an athlete, I had been taught to suck it up even when I was sick, "No pain, no gain."

At Skate Canada in Newfoundland in October 2005, the pain was worse, so my friend convinced me to see the team doctor who probably saved my life. When I described my symptoms to the doctor, her eyes got really big — that's what convinced me to see my physician when I returned to Ottawa.

What I had was stage 4 colon cancer, which had metastasized to my liver.
The news really sunk in when I got the results of my liver biopsy, and realized I might be in big trouble. I cried the whole morning I got the news. I had always been afraid of that ugly, horrible word cancer.

What was even more difficult for me was the impact my diagnosis had on my family.
My Mom was very sad you could see it in her eyes. No one wants to lose a child. My husband Bob was devastated. And my daughter Jessica, who was 14, asked me — Mom, are you going to die? I answered: "I'm not sure whether I'm going to make it or not, but I promise you that I' put up one heck of a fight."

That's all I could promise her because the truth was, I didn't know.

I had my surgery on December 15th, and went through chemo for six months. My sister was a pillar of strength and came with me to all my appointments. And my husband did all that he could to make sure everything was "normal" at home. This meant the world to me.

I was one of the lucky ones. My cancer was operable. Even during my treatments, I hardly lost any hair, and I was rarely nauseated. The only thing I couldn't do was spend any time at the rink because I became very sensitive to the cold.

Today, I am cancer-free. Apart from regular MRIs, colonoscopies and other tests, my life is back to normal. Thanks to the superb treatment I received right here in Ottawa, I've gone back to work and I've lived to see my daughter Jessica go to university!

When cancer strikes, everything feels so out of control. Patients like me just want to be treated normally. They want all the information they can get to help them through their illness. They also find great comfort in meeting survivors who are living proof that cancer is not always a death sentence. That's why I was thrilled to learn that the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is building Wellspring Ottawa, a cancer survivorship centre to support patients and their families. This $5 million project will help newly-diagnosed patients and their loved ones live with cancer by providing support, education and coping skills. Wellspring Ottawa will also provide post-treatment care, from dealing with physical complications to assistance with getting back to work. All services will be provided free of charge and won't require a referral.

There's nothing like this in our region right now. On the bright side — thanks to people like you — your family, friends and neighbours will have one more important resource in their fight against this horrible disease. Ours is the only region in Canada with a foundation dedicated solely to increasing cancer survivorship. Thanks to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, we can attract the best doctors, researchers and scientists. So I am writing to you today to ask you to renew your donation to the Cancer Foundation.

Your support will enable the Cancer Foundation to build Wellspring Ottawa, as well as ensure shorter wait times, close to home access to care and access to new therapies through innovative clinical trials. At Skate Canada in Newfoundland in October 2005, the pain was worse, so my friend convinced me to see the team doctor who probably saved my life. When I described my symptoms to the doctor, her eyes got really big — that's what convinced me to see my physician when I returned to Ottawa.