Former New Brunswick radio host's new book sheds light on cancer treatment
Dave Morrell is known for his voice and support of local sports in New Brunswick, but these days the former broadcaster is using his cancer diagnosis to connect with others.
Morell recently penned a book documenting his cancer journey and the experiences of his family members.
'Hit the Switch', a nod to his radio career, references advice he received early on that, no matter what's going on in life, when he walked into the studio and hit the on-air switch, he had to put those feelings behind him to be 100 per cent for the audience listening.
Nine of his family members contributed a chapter each, and its contents remained a secret from each other until the book was published.
“The chapters in the book are very heartfelt, it's a bit of a rollercoaster of emotion," says Morrell, who is battling stage four cancer.
"There's some tears in it, there's some laughter in it, but above all, there's hope in it and that's what it's all about. A cancer journey is not easy."
Morell says he couldn't find a lot of resources that spoke to him in the early days of his diagnosis, so he decided to write one.
The Chalmers Foundation and Morell saw an opportunity to work together and share his story with oncology patients at the local hospital.
"The more tools and resources we can make available to patients, the better it is. He had talked to the team, the oncologists and the team in oncology (to discuss) is this something that would help?” says Gilles Allain, executive director of The Chalmers Foundation.
“So, of course, it would, and they took it upon themselves to start writing it, piecing it together."
Funds from the sale of the book will go right back to the oncology ward at Fredericton’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital.
They will be made available to patients and their families at the cancer unit free of charge.
Morell is doing well despite his challenging diagnosis. Some days he feels like a seven.
After being asked multiple times a day 'How are you feeling?' Morrell came up with a solution.
“We have a whiteboard on our refrigerator and I wrote across the top 'how I'm feeling today' on a scale of one to 10 and I put a number on that board every morning," he says.
"Right now my condition is stable, I have been since I began in July of 2018."
Morrell is undergoing immunotherapy, a drug treatment that puts your own immune system into overdrive and teaches it to fight cancer.
His book, 'Hit the Switch' will officially launch via an online stream from the Fredericton Public Library on June 22.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.