Why is Michelle Higgins riding in this year’s BMO Ride for Cancer? Because she can.
It seems simple, but for Michelle, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in June 2021, riding her bike to raise awareness and funds to advance cancer care in Atlantic Canada is a big deal.
“I think it’s important to be thankful for what I have. To move forward and enjoy my body and all that it can still give me,” says Michelle.
As she prepares for the 2022 BMO Ride as part of Team TIR – The Incredible Riders, she cannot help but reflect on how far she’s come in the past year.
Last June, Michelle received a call that she says, “changes your life.”
“You never want to get the call from your doctor’s office to come in right away for test results and to bring a support person with you.”
In the months following a cancer diagnosis, she underwent surgery to remove the lower and middle lobes of her right lung to remove the tumour.
“I think back to last August when I was in the hospital, and walking past the nurses’ station post-surgery felt like a milestone. And then I gradually did my first outdoor walk once I got home,” recalls Michelle. She found herself on the Rum Runners Trail with her husband.
“I remember walking 100 meters, and then I cried. It was a mixture of excitement that I could do it and the realization that this was all I could do,” says Michelle. “But each day, I got a little stronger, and I continued walking. That’s when I thought about setting my own mental goals along the way – to exercise and push my body to full recovery.”
Before her diagnosis, Michelle was an avid runner and biker – an overall active person. By November, Michelle was back on her bike.
“It felt so good to be on my bicycle. And that’s when I started thinking about possibly participating in the BMO Ride in 2022.”
On October 1, when Michelle joins more than 1,400 riders facing the fight against cancer, she will pass that same 100-meter mark on the Rum Runners Trail that was an important milestone in her recovery. In fact, she will blaze right past it on her 50km route.
Michelle Higgins (center) pictured with fellow BMO Riders, Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy (left), Nova Scotia Health’s vice-president of Research, Innovation and Discovery and Chief Nurse Executive and Matt Benvie (right), co-owner, Evolve Fitness.
“Wraparound care”
While Michelle acknowledges that there are not many positives when it comes to a cancer diagnosis, she is grateful that her cancer was detected early. She’s also thankful for the treatment and exceptional healthcare professionals she encountered along the way at the QEII.
“When I think about the wraparound care I’ve received, it’s been fantastic. From my family physician, Dr. Shalini Veerassamy, who was instrumental to my diagnosis in the beginning, to the surgical team led by Dr. Alison Wallace, who got the tumour out, and now the ongoing care with my oncologist, Dr. Daniel Rayson, it’s quite something.”
Because the reoccurrence of neuroendocrine cancer is high, Michelle will continue to be followed by Dr. Rayson, head of the medical oncology team at the QEII. In addition, she will undergo scanning and imaging every six months to detect or track any changes.
The initial scanning to provide a baseline for Michelle was done on the QEII Foundation donor-funded gallium-68 DOTATATE scan – the world’s best method for detecting neuroendocrine cancer. The diagnostic tool is a game-changer for patients like Michelle, transforming the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine cancer. It is the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada, arriving just last September. Before that, patients with the same type of cancer as Michelle would have to leave the province for care.
“Knowing that this resource is here in Nova Scotia and that I have access to it if something comes up is fantastic,” says Michelle.
#FacetheFight for personalized radiotherapy
Donors are critical to bringing world-leading technology like the gallium-68 DOTATATE scan to the QEII. This year’s BMO Ride for Cancer is no exception.
Funds raised through BMO Ride will support a world’s first cancer-fighting technology, personalized radiotherapy, at the QEII. Researchers right here at the QEII are working on this technology, which could transform the radiation treatment journeys for Atlantic Canadians facing a cancer diagnosis.
QEII patients will have the potential to access one of the most precise and targeted treatment options available; game-changing care that isn’t offered anywhere else in Canada. The goal is fewer radiation treatments, better cancer outcomes, reduced side effects, more time at home with family, and a reduced financial burden on patients and the healthcare system.
Get involved
As for Michelle, she’s currently ranked in the top 10 individual fundraisers for the 2022 BMO Ride. She and Team TIR – The Incredible Riders will keep raising funds right up until October 1 to help cancer patients in Nova Scotia #FacetheFight.
You can support Michelle or another BMO Rider and help deliver game-changing cancer care. Fund the fight today.
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