'It gives me so much hope': N.S. woman raises funds, awareness for cancer care

When Jennifer Gouchie-Terris hops on her bicycle on Sept. 28, she’ll be riding for a cause close to her heart.

“I’m doing the BMO Ride for Cancer this year for a couple of reasons. I finish my two years of daily medication on that very day, so that’s exciting. That’s how I want to celebrate,” she explains. “I’m also doing it to remember my son Brandon who died of brain cancer in 2012.”

Jennifer has been an advocate for cancer funding and awareness since her son’s diagnosis.

But in March 2022, at 56 years old, Jennifer found herself relying on the QEII Cancer Centre after being diagnosed with stage two ovarian cancer.

“I’d like to say I was shocked, but I wasn’t. There is a high incidence of cancer in my family,” she adds. “I mean, it comes as a surprise to everyone. But you kind of have to move past that and figure out what you’re going to do and rely on your health-care team to get you through it.”

Jennifer required emergency surgery to remove a 16-centimetre mass on her pelvis, and several rounds of chemotherapy followed.

“It’s been a tremendously hard experience,” she says. “But it’s been made so much easier by having a health-care team in a hospital that I can rely on and demand on. It gives me so much hope.”

That’s why it’s important for Jennifer to participate in this year’s BMO Ride for Cancer.

Since 2015, the event has raised more than $10.2 million net to transform cancer care at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

She wants to show her support for a place that continues to support her.

“People go through a lot, it’s many months of treatment, and it’s not easy treatment,” explains gynecologic oncologist Dr. Lana Šačiragić. “There’s a lot of side effects that they have to deal with, and their families as well, it alters people’s lives completely for quite some time.”

Dr. Šačiragić is part of Jennifer’s care team. She says funds raised by BMO Ride for Cancer community have had a significant impact at the QEII Cancer Centre.

“The robotics program is really one of the biggest programs that has been implemented here in the last several years. In gynecological oncology many of our patients have really benefited from the robotics program,” she explains. “Other ways that it has helped our patient population as well, is it by raising money for colposcopes. (Colposcopes are) really these microscopes which help us detect pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix and treat them as well. And right now, we have about 200 patients a month who are treated in colposcopy. So a significant impact on that patient population.”

“All my chemotherapy that I received was actually prepared at the QEII using money raised by the BMO Ride for Cancer,” says Jennifer. “Which is pretty amazing.”

Jennifer is encouraging all Nova Scotians, if they are able, to consider supporting BMO Ride for Cancer. She hopes to see many people cheering her, and all participants, on as they ride a portion of the Rum Runners Trail or Highway 3 along the South Shore to raise funds and awareness on Saturday, Sept. 28.

“The compassion that I’ve received at the QEII during treatment and even after treatment, I know I’ll be followed for a lengthy time, has been outstanding,” she says. “Second to none. I can’t imagine having my health care in any other place.”

On Thursday, Sept. 12, all donations to BMO Ride for Cancer are being triple matched by the Ramia family, who have made a $600,000 donation in support of cancer care at the QEII Health Sciences Centre.

“Unfortunately, at some point in Nova Scotia, all of us will be affected or will have dealings with the cancer centre,” says Dr. Šačiragić. “Whether it be us affected personally or a family member. It’s really a sobering statistic but knowing that raising funds for this specific cause is very impactful and will go a very long way.”  

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