The Long Road to Recovery: Mike’s Story
I was 62 when my doctor told me ‘you have prostate cancer.’
In that moment, sitting in a doctor’s office, my whole world narrowed down to one question: how fast can we deal with this?
But here’s the thing nobody tells you about a cancer diagnosis in Northeastern Ontario.
Oftentimes, best answer to that question isn’t in Sudbury. For me, it was 500 kilometres away.
I’ve spent over two decades as a first responder: ski patrol, volunteer firefighter, and mine rescue. I’ve been the guy who shows up for someone else’s worst day more times than I can count. You know the type — the one who stays calm so everyone else doesn’t have to. So when it was my turn, I told myself I’d just take it as it came. Just like I did in those moments.
But my wife was anxious. And once the doctors explained our options, one thing became painfully clear: our hospital here in Sudbury doesn’t have the surgical robot that gives prostate cancer patients like me the best shot at a full recovery.
So we packed our bags for Hamilton. And we were lucky — relatives lived nearby, so we had a second home to stay in, not a cold hotel room. You and I both know that I was lucky to have that…
But the biggest difference wasn’t where we stayed. It was what happened in the operating room.
The cancer had already spread to the margins of my prostate and bladder. If I’d waited even a little longer for surgery, it might have spread further. The da Vinci surgical robot’s precision is the reason my surgeon could remove the cancer and save the nerves and tissue around it. That’s the kind of surgical outcome you hope for.
And it meant I was left with just six small incisions, instead of one long scar. It meant that 45 minutes after recovery, I was walking the halls and eating a full meal. For me, the da Vinci surgical robot meant that I could get back to my life quicker. There is no comparison between the robotic-assisted surgery I had and the traditional surgical option. None.
But I shouldn’t have had to travel so far from home to get it.
That surgical robot still doesn’t exist anywhere in Northeastern Ontario. Every patient facing what I faced has to travel hundreds, or even thousands, of kilometres, forced to find a second home to stay in —if they’re lucky enough to have one at all.
And you can change that.
Right now, Health Sciences North (HSN) doesn’t have a da Vinci surgical robot of its own. It’s the only hospital of its size in Ontario still without one for cancer care. Can you believe that? More than 150 HSN patients leave Northeastern Ontario every year for robotic-assisted cancer surgery alone. I think about the person sitting where I sat right now, today at their doctor’s office somewhere in Northeastern Ontario, getting a diagnosis and being told the best surgical option is hundreds of kilometres from their family and loved ones. You could be the reason they don’t have to travel to Southern Ontario to get it.
HSN Foundation is working to bring a da Vinci surgical robot to HSN in Sudbury, and right now, your gift goes twice as far — Allain and Anita Labelle and their family are donating $100,000 to match every donation dollar-for-dollar.
This isn’t just about equipment. It’s about someone in Northeastern Ontario getting the best possible surgical care without having to leave their family and loved ones behind to get it. It’s about getting back to your life — and all the things you love to do — in weeks, not months, close to home.
Every person in Northeastern Ontario deserves that same chance, and you can give it to them.
I’m grateful every single day, for the surgeon who operated on me and for the surgical robot that gave him the precision he needed. Thank you, in advance, for anything you can give.
