SASKATOON — Steve Rosvold and his wife, Andrea Landell, were speechless and in disbelief after hearing the diagnosis of their then-10-year-old daughter Page having osteosarcoma, or simply bone cancer, precisely a year ago.
“Hearing your child has cancer is one of the worst a parent can hear. We wish that no other parent has to hear that,” said Rosvold, who shared their family’s cancer journey on Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Terry Fox Run that was held in Saskatoon and other parts of Canada.
“She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and had an extensive 19-hour limb-salvaging-surgery where the cancerous bone in her left tibia was removed and replaced with a section of her fibula from her right leg.”
Page had the same cancer that caused Fox to have his right leg amputated, a life-changing moment in the then 19-year-old’s life. A few years later, he decided to attempt to run from the country’s East Coast to the West for cancer awareness and raise funds for research.
“Dealing with the cancer of our daughter was one of the most difficult challenges our family had faced,” added Andrea, whose daughter has been considered cancer-free after surgery in January and completing her final round of chemotherapy in June.
“Our journey was filled with hope and gratitude; when Terry Fox was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 1977, the prognosis was not that great. Now, with the amazing research and advances in cancer treatment, the prognosis is much better.”
They said they are forever grateful for the support they received from their family and friends, the fantastic work done by the doctors and medical staff at the Jim Pattison and the Alberta children’s hospitals, and the advances in research that improved cancer treatment.
“Cancer treatment that saved Page’s life. However, chemotherapy and cancer treatment were harsh on her young body and spirit. We still have much further to go. So many people continue to be diagnosed with cancer, and not all have the same good ending Page did,” said Andrea.
“Terry believes in a world without cancer, and we all are here because we believe the same. Because of Terry’s extraordinary efforts, our daughter can be here for these races today,” added Steve.
It should be cancers.
Local Terry Fox Run organizer Sarah McIvor, who survived osteosarcoma, said cancer awareness is continuous advocacy since there are more than 200 types of the said disease—with the most common being breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate.
“First, I think more needs to be done from the awareness perspective. Cancer is not just one disease; it is cancer. There are many variations of cancers,” said McIvor, who became an oncology nurse to pay it forward.
“One of the things that I like about the Terry Fox Foundation is that it focuses on all kinds of cancers. The money that is raised is for research on all types of cancers. It is very much given to the researchers.”
She added that continuous research is being conducted to find better ways of treating each cancer type and new methods of identifying and diagnosing it.
The lives of cancer patients and their families and organizing related events changed for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as fewer people gathered then as a collective group.
“Now that COVID is behind us, I think there is strength in numbers, and the power that comes together when a group of people put their hearts, minds and souls into something is incredible. That is what this day [Sunday’s Terry Fox Run] is about for me,” said McIvor.
“I am incredibly proud of a volunteer community because people are giving up their time and energy, which is enormous. Coming together to put on an event like this is very inspiring. We had a great turnout.”
She said that even before Sunday’s event, they had already raised almost $40,000, and she is confident that they are on track to surpass last year’s amount of over $41,000.
