Finding strength in ‘compassion and care’
Through her a challenging journey with cancer, Carla Schutte says she was able to find strength in that her faith and from the support or her family and medical team. SUPPLIED
What does it mean to have cancer? How does a cancer diagnosis impact the lives of patients and their families? While the experiences of the 1.5 million people who live with – and beyond – cancer in Canada are as unique as the individuals themselves, World Cancer Day presents a chance to come together in support of a common goal: access to world-class cancer care for everyone.
Carla Schutte is eager to share the lessons she learned on her journey with cancer, which started in 2014, when she was 45. She’d like others to know they are not alone: while their cancer diagnosis may be different, their struggles are likely similar.
She also hopes to share the immense impact her BC Cancer care team – always working to deliver the latest, leading-edge treatments – has had on her life over the past nine years.
For Schutte, it started with finding a lump under her ribcage. The family doctor suspected an enlarged spleen and scheduled a CT scan. As she waited for the appointment, the lump grew and the pain got worse, prompting a trip to the emergency department.
There, Schutte learned she had a 15-centimetre tumour on her adrenal gland. “It was adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare cancer the doctor in Vernon had never seen before. I was sent to Vancouver for surgery,” recalls the Armstrong, B.C., resident, who, due to extensive internal dam-age, had one kidney and adrenal gland removed along with the tumour. “My oncologist told me that adrenocortical carcinoma has a very low likelihood of survival.”
Innovative interventions close to home
Schutte went on an oral chemotherapy regime, yet within half a year, her daughter found her unconscious at home. At the hospital, her family was advised to say goodbye since the cancer had spread to the brain. “I was woken up and told that an operation was very risky, yet one neurosurgeon said he was willing to attempt removing the tumour,” she notes. “All I remember saying is that I would like to try.”
The surgery was successful, yet the cancer returned within six months, this time to the original surgical site, leading to another operation
in Vancouver. Then, three months later, three tumours and numerous metastases through her perimetrium were found, she says. “I was told I should just let things go – since this is such a fast, aggressive cancer, and there is no cure.”
Not ready to give up, Schutte’s oncologist advised another type of chemotherapy. It succeeded in shrinking the tumours “a little bit, yet it affected my heart and liver to the point where I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Schutte remembers going home to tell her family the treatment had failed. “You write your goodbye letters and make funeral plans, because that’s what you have to do,” she says, adding that these activities were not unfamiliar: she had previously lost a 20-year-old son in a car accident and her sister to ovarian cancer. “My doctor said he didn’t know what else to do, but he promised to continue looking.”
A week later, Schutte’s physician called to report he’d found a clinical trial focused on the molecular development of tumours, and she was happy to learn she could participate in Kelowna, an hour’s drive from her hometown. During the clinical trial, promised to continue looking.”
A week later, Schutte’s physician called to report he’d found a clinical trial focused on the molecular development of tumours, and she was happy to learn she could participate in Kelowna, an hour’s drive from her hometown. During the clinical trial, Schutte’s tumours and metastases ceased to grow. And while she had to stop participating due to lung problems, she is hopeful that the effects of the immunotherapy will continue – and that the drugs used in the trial will be approved for use in Canada when she needs them.
“I know I still have cancer – it’s not gone or in remission. It’s a matter of when – rather than if – it is going to grow,” she says, “but I feel so fortunate that at the right moment, the next key thing came along.”
Advancing research and treatment
Improvements in cancer treatment have been an important source of hope for patients, says Dr. Susan Ellard, department leader for medical oncology at BC Cancer-Kelowna and heading the clinical trial in which Schutte is participating.
Dr. Ellard has been practicing for over 25 years and specializes in breast cancers. She was connected to Schutte thanks to a unique mutation discovered in her cancer – one rarely found in adrenal cancer, but that met the criteria for this clinical trial.
“There has been lots of attention on basic science and its translation into clinic practice,” says Dr. Ellard, who regards the chance to see research translate into more cures and longer lives as “one of the most fulfilling aspects of working in oncology.”
Kelowna is becoming increasingly known for its ground-breaking tumours and metastases ceased to grow. And while she had to stop participating due to lung problems, she is hopeful that the effects of the immunotherapy will continue – and that the drugs used in the trial will be approved for use in Canada when she needs them.
“I know I still have cancer – it’s not gone or in remission. It’s a matter of when – rather than if – it is going to grow,” she says, “but I feel so fortunate that at the right moment, the next key thing came along.”
Advancing research and treatment
Improvements in cancer treatment have been an important source of hope for patients, says Dr. Susan Ellard, department leader for medical oncology at BC Cancer-Kelowna and heading the clinical trial in which Schutte is participating.
Dr. Ellard has been practicing for over 25 years and specializes in breast cancers. She was connected to Schutte thanks to a unique mutation discovered in her cancer – one rarely found in adrenal cancer, but that met the criteria for this clinical trial.
“There has been lots of attention on basic science and its translation into clinic practice,” says Dr. Ellard, who regards the chance to see research translate into more cures and longer lives as “one of the most fulfilling aspects of working in oncology.”
Kelowna is becoming increasingly known for its ground-breaking research and operates the second-busiest clinical trials unit in B.C. One example is the work of Dr. Ellard’s colleague, Dr. Islam Mohamed.
He will be launching a first-of-its-kind clinical trial looking at early-stage, non-small cell lung cancer. His study combines two highly effective therapies: SABR (which delivers high doses of radiation to the tumour while sparing surrounding healthy tissues), followed by immunotherapy. This combination of treatments has not previously been done for early-stage patients, but has been effective in stage 3 and 4 cases.
A community of support
Along with her family and her faith, Schutte credits her medical team with helping her through these tough times. “In a hospital or cancer clinic, you can tell whether someone is there for the job or for the people,” she says. “I’ve been so lucky with almost every nurse, doc-tor and oncologist I’ve had. Without their compassion and care, I would have felt hopeless and helpless.”
Receiving kindness and care also inspired her to give back. She joined Facebook groups for people with adrenal cancer worldwide and offers support closer to home. “One of my neighbours has recently been diagnosed with leukemia and she says I’m the only one who gets it,” Schutte says.
“I like to tell people not to give up – that having a fighting spirit will go a long way.”
She hopes sharing her story will encourage others to consider sup-porting BC Cancer’s work to provide the kind of life-saving treatments that brought her hope.
To learn more, visit GoBeyondBeliefBC.ca
To view this report on The Globe's website, visit globeandmail.com
To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: World Cancer Day