When 37-year-old MJ lost his voice right before a trip to a wedding in India, he thought nothing of it. “When I arrived, people joked about it, saying that I sounded like Batman,” he said. Luckily, MJ’s father-in-law took the sudden change of voice more seriously and pushed him to go to the doctor as soon as possible. That’s when, just days after the wedding, while still vacationing in India, MJ was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Upon his return to Canada, MJ was referred to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre where further tests revealed even more devastating news: the cancer had progressed to stage 4 and it had spread to his brain. As a healthy father of two who had never smoked, the diagnosis was unbelievable, but he decided then and there to do whatever he could to prolong his life. “My kids were seven and five at the time — I knew I had to fight it for them,” said MJ.
When chemotherapy and radiation didn’t work, MJ’s oncologist, Dr. Sacher, decided to test him for a rare genetic mutation. Another biopsy on the mass in his lungs revealed a new shred of hope. “I remember the moment when Dr. Sacher said, ‘the test came back positive for a particular mutation, and we have a drug for that,’” said MJ.
Dr. Sacher put MJ on a newly approved targeted drug therapy. “Within a couple weeks, I was back to my regular energy levels,” said MJ. A few treatments and one surgery later, he was virtually cancer-free. “I was elated when I heard the news that there was no sign of the cancer,” he said. “If it weren’t for The Princess Margaret, I wouldn’t be here today.”
This journey has deepened MJ and his family’s commitment to supporting cancer research. For the past four years, they’ve actively supported The Princess Margaret by participating in the Ride to Conquer Cancer. “We are so blessed to have an organization like The Princess Margaret here in Canada,” said MJ. “I encourage everyone to participate in events like The Princess Margaret Home Lottery — they fund research that saves lives like mine.”