{"id":77203,"date":"2020-09-25T16:09:14","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T13:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/from-accepting-death-to-embracing-a-new-life\/"},"modified":"2020-09-25T16:09:14","modified_gmt":"2020-09-25T13:09:14","slug":"from-accepting-death-to-embracing-a-new-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/from-accepting-death-to-embracing-a-new-life\/","title":{"rendered":"#From accepting death to embracing a new life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dfb37ab1b8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3dfb37ab1b8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/from-accepting-death-to-embracing-a-new-life\/#The_invisible_burden_of_care\" >The invisible burden of care<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/from-accepting-death-to-embracing-a-new-life\/#A_revolutionary_approach_to_treating_skin_cancers\" >A revolutionary approach to treating skin cancers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/from-accepting-death-to-embracing-a-new-life\/#On_a_path_to_recovery\" >On a path to recovery<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/from-accepting-death-to-embracing-a-new-life\/#A_new_life_in_bloom\" >A new life in bloom<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#From accepting death to embracing a new life<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            Last year, Garry Hanwell was saying goodbye to his family in preparation for a medically-assisted death, the last resort in his relentless battle with skin cancer. Today, he\u2019s tending to his garden and celebrating 70 years of marriage to his wife, Dorothy.\n                        <\/div>\n<div>\n                                                                        <span class=\"c-logo\">Created by\u00a0\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/clk?id=5484687110&amp;iu=\/7326\/Tracking.Pixels\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\" lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/SYSF_Logo_Eng_Fre_RGB_300dpi-e1601038770492.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"447\" height=\"75\"\/><\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Hanwells-e1601038960786.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"From accepting death to embracing a new life\"\/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Last year, Garry Hanwell was saying goodbye to his family in preparation for a medically-assisted death, the last resort in his relentless battle with skin cancer. Today, he\u2019s tending to his garden and celebrating 70 years of marriage to his wife, Dorothy.\"\/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2020-09-25T09:09:14+00:00\"\/><!-- RDM Video Plugin Version: 3.11 --><\/p>\n<p>For decades, Garry Hanwell and his wife ran a cottage resort near Algonquin Park. It was their dream job. Garry worked long days in the sun taking care of the property and its guests. He would still be doing it now if he were physically able. Today, aged 86, Garry is grateful to be working on his garden at his Orillia, ON home instead. It\u2019s a small but significant opportunity he never would\u2019ve imagined having following the ordeal that he has endured over the past two years.<\/p>\n<p>After being diagnosed with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), an aggressive and common form of skin cancer, in May of 2018, Garry underwent three surgeries and several rounds of radiation. Unfortunately, the cancer continued to spread, and he was in incredible pain. The 24-hour care he required had been hard on his wife, Dorothy, and their daughters, Deb, Janette and Karen, as well.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_invisible_burden_of_care\"><\/span>The invisible burden of care<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Through it all, Garry\u2019s daughters were ready to keep fighting for their father for as long as he was prepared to fight. Deb and Janette supported him with daily care and helped to manage his treatment. Along the way, they learned some valuable lessons about being caregivers. \u201cYou have to accept that you\u2019re going to go a little crazy,\u201d Deb says. \u201cI recognized that it was absolutely necessary to take time for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By early 2019, no amount of care was enough. The pain was so unbearable that Garry sought medical assistance in dying. But as Garry lay on his deathbed in late February, Deb received an unexpected phone call. On the other end of the line was Dr. Marcus Butler, a medical oncologist with Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, with a promise of hope. \u201cI was in a daze. I didn\u2019t know what to make of it all,\u201d recalls Deb. \u201cWe were in the middle of having all the grandchildren come to say their last goodbyes, and then suddenly there\u2019s this phone call. I answered the phone and he told me that my dad was an ideal candidate for a clinical study.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_revolutionary_approach_to_treating_skin_cancers\"><\/span>A revolutionary approach to treating skin cancers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Garry\u2019s cancer is a type that mutates readily and rapidly, making it exceptionally difficult to treat by traditional methods.\u00a0But it\u2019s also particularly responsive to a new class of immunotherapies that has caught the attention of oncologists like Dr. Butler. \u201cImmune checkpoint inhibitors have been in clinical trials for other cancers since the late nineties,\u201d says Dr. Butler. \u201cWe\u2019ve been using this <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> for cSCC since the mid-2010s, starting with clinical trials.\u201d However, although immunotherapy has been shown to shrink tumours and prolong survival for patients for whom other treatments have failed, not every patient can benefit from it, cautions Dr. Butler. \u201cIt is exciting and unique, but we do need to better understand which specific patients would benefit the most from this treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1210018\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1210018 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Dr.Butler-e1601038888832.jpg\" alt=\"Doctor with medical mask looking out window\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Marcus Butler photographed at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, ON.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Though Garry had made his peace with dying, he and his family were willing to hang onto this glimmer of hope. \u201cI talked to my dad and he said, \u2018Well, I\u2019d really rather not die.\u2019 So, that very week, we went to Toronto to see Dr. Butler,\u201d says Deb. \u201cTwo weeks after that he had his first infusion. We could see, right from the very first day of treatment, that there were changes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The change was so rapid that it was hard for Deb to believe she had her father back, and they could once again look forward with hope. \u201cAfter his fourth infusion, just weeks after he had been on his deathbed, he went out and bought 24 cedar trees,\u201d Deb says. \u201cMy dad has always been very strong and very handy. No rock has ever been too heavy for him to move. My daughter nicknamed him Superman years ago because of his physical strength, and that title has stuck. He still lives up to it today.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"On_a_path_to_recovery\"><\/span>On a path to recovery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The cedar trees are an apt metaphor for a future that previously seemed unattainable. Garry is still in awe of the change that has occurred. \u201cIt\u2019s a second life I\u2019ve been offered,\u201d he says. \u201cI look forward to enjoying it. It\u2019s a life that I was thinking I wouldn\u2019t have. I\u2019m looking forward to being outdoors in the nice weather, gardening and daily walks, being productive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Garry is also cherishing every extra day he has with Dorothy. Though the elaborate 70th anniversary party his family planned for them has been delayed due to COVID-19, Garry is h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y to be able to look toward more family gatherings in the future.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1210019\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1210019 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Hanwells-e1601038960786.jpg\" alt=\"family with dog standing together in front of house\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Janette, Garry, Dorothy and Deb, along with their dog Jasper.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Although cancer-free, he still lives with scars from his battle with skin cancer \u2013 both visible and invisible. A portion of his thigh had to be grafted to the affected area on his left cheek, leaving him with major disfiguration and speech problems. \u201cPeople stare at him in public and their mouths drop open,\u201d says Deb. \u201cHe\u2019d always been a very good-looking man and now people look at him like he\u2019s a monster. It\u2019s really hard on him and it\u2019s made him not want to go out. It\u2019s very isolating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, Garry was approved for corrective surgery in July. For all the optimism this surgery brings, however, it\u2019s just another step in a very long journey. The hope is that Canadians diagnosed with cSCC in the future won\u2019t have nearly so far to go. \u201cIf Dad had been treated just three months earlier, he could have avoided both the radiation and the surgery,\u201d Deb points out, underscoring the importance of receiving a prompt diagnosis from an oncologist or dermatologist.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_new_life_in_bloom\"><\/span>A new life in bloom<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For patients like Garry, and especially for those who will be diagnosed in the future, we need to keep supporting innovation and expanding access to existing treatments. \u201cWith most cancers, we don\u2019t even have the majority of patients successfully controlling their disease,\u201d says Dr. Butler. \u201cAfter seeing what a difference it makes when an effective new treatment becomes available, it\u2019s clear that we need more development and innovation so that we can treat more patients with novel and effective medications.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Watching him tending his yard and nurturing his cedar trees, the importance of this mission is obvious. Garry\u2019s entire life has been a love affair with nature, and Canada\u2019s vibrant summer provides a stark contrast to the isolation of his cancer journey. Whatever else happens, springtime always comes. And every patient in Canada deserves the opportunity to savour it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Save Your Skin Foundation is dedicated to ensuring all skin cancer patients across Canada have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information about their illness, the support they need, and the best available care and treatments. Please visit\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/clk?id=5484382987&amp;iu=\/7326\/Tracking.Pixels\">our site<\/a>\u00a0to find additional resources, seek support, or to learn more.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Connect with us:<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/clk?id=5484687332&amp;iu=\/7326\/Tracking.Pixels\">@saveyourskinfoundation<\/a><br \/>Twitter:\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/pubads.g.doubleclick.net\/gampad\/clk?id=5484687335&amp;iu=\/7326\/Tracking.Pixels\">@saveyourskinfdn<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Made possible with support from a leading research-based pharmaceutical company.<\/em><br \/>\n<span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/sponsored\/from-accepting-death-to-embracing-a-new-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#From accepting death to embracing a new life&#8221; Last year, Garry Hanwell was saying goodbye to his family in preparation for a medically-assisted death, the last resort in his relentless battle with skin cancer. Today, he\u2019s tending to his garden and celebrating 70 years of marriage to his wife, Dorothy. Created by\u00a0\u00a0 For decades, Garry&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Hanwells-e1601038960786.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[67841],"class_list":["post-77203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-atlas0920"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}