Cancer of the rectum can't wreck Tim. #CantRecTim

Two generations before me, a family tradition was put into place. My grandma (gramma) declared that all females born into our family will be given names that start with “C”. Understandably, names that start with “C” have been prominent in my life:

• Carol/mother

• Courtney/sister

• Crystal, Calida, Cara, Christine, Anita*, Deanna*/cousins

• Cambria/daughter

• Cate/niece

I even took it to the next level by finding a wife with a “C” name; Cariann.

*not invited to family reunions

In all honesty, I have never really taken into consideration the importance of names. However, the more I think about the people whom I’m innately drawn to, I realize the letter “C” acts as a neodymium magnet to my soul. These people contribute to my life in so many ways. Through them I get to experience many different emotions, challenges, feats, and adventures. These people have helped me examine my capacity for love, empathy, compassion, adversity, accountability, responsibility, contention, pain, acceptance, and forgiveness. Without these people in my life, I would not be prepared for the most recent “C” name to enter my life.

I have recently been diagnosed with a stage four colorectal adenocarcinoma metastasized in my liver. There are tumours on both lobes of my liver (left lobe has one close to 11 cm, and the right lobe has multiple smaller lesions) and there is a sizable mass surrounded by ulcerated lesions in my rectum. At this point, the tumours have been deemed inoperable. I am currently undergoing chemo treatments in effort to shrink the tumours to a size that a surgeon would feel comfortable cutting into. The prognosis at this point without surgery is 2-3 years. God has graced me with a sense that although this will be a fight, it will be beatable. I am talking about an overwhelming, uncontrived, undeniable sense of assuredness.

So far, the social support I have received has been beyond what we could have ever imagined. A good childhood friend of mine (Nick Matovich) created us a Go Fund Me page that has close to doubled its monetary target. Another childhood friend and honorary mother (Harmony Aven and Marla Kelly) started a meal train which has kept the family filled with healthy, delicious meals. My family doctor and medical team have advocated for me to be fully diagnosed and treated far ahead of what a typical timeline would be. My school staff and admin are right behind me every step of the way by providing me a stress-free timeline, allowance for last minute appointments, meal delivery, and unparalleled spiritual support. Local media has promoted our situation and even our local WHL hockey team has provided monetary support (GO BLAZERS!). We could have never expected this amount of support and feel so incredibly blessed to have so many outstanding people in this army behind us.

One of the most daunting parts of having this type of ailment is constantly keeping my loved ones apprised of each day’s progress. I never realized how many phone calls it takes to simply have a blood test done: “Yes, the needle went in just fine… no, they didn’t find anymore cancer… yes, I still have an appetite… yes, I will look into that Nicaraguan licorice root with cancer healing properties…” The purpose of this blog is to have a place I can share updates from my journey with everyone who cares to follow at the same time. Furthermore, it is an opportunity for other warriors and their families to hear what someone else is going through. It is my deep hope that regardless of the outcome, my story can provide some form of inspiration, hope, positivity, and/or relevance to those facing similar battles.

Cancer of the rectum can’t wreck Tim. #CantRecTim