MEDICINE HAT, AB — Numbers from the Canadian Cancer Society show one in two Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer and one in every four will die because of it.
Doctors have given Tanya Ellis, 42, three years to live.
Ellis was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer on December 30th, 2015.
She’s been through several surgeries and numerous hospital stays in Calgary which has all come at a cost.
“We had hotel room expenses and then the fuel back and forth,” Ellis said. “And then the meals and that sort of stuff. And then having the kids there, they needed to be entertained, so the pool would only last for so long.”
Ellis said the cancer has spread to her liver, lymph nodes, abdomen and her stomach.
“At this point, I will never be cancer free,” she said. “I will never be in remission.”
“I don’t really want to say it, but she might not be for our graduation and our weddings and stuff like that,” said Trigger, her 12-year-old son.
“I just can’t really imagine it without mom,” said her 14-year-old son, Tripp.
Her two boys joined her during her chemotherapy treatment on Tuesday.
“We’re going to be playing some crib today,” Ellis said, smiling. “I’m gonna be kicking some butt.”
Knowing cancer runs in her family, Ellis said she asked her doctor about a colonoscopy when she was 30 and again when she turned 40. It’s something Alberta Health Services recommends after you’re over the age of 50.
“I don’t trust doctors like I used to,” Ellis said. “I feel like they’re the professional and so we should trust them but really you have to be your own advocate.”
It’s that message she’s sharing online.
Ellis posted a video to Facebook late last month, sharing her journey and telling her family and friends that she’s going to keep fighting, no matter the cost.
“I feel like there’s better options elsewhere,” she said.
The family will be heading to Houston later this month where Ellis will get a second opinion on treatment options. She’s hoping she’ll qualify for a clinic trial not offered in Canada.
In the meantime, she’s going to enjoying every minute she has left.
“It’s a matter of making each day of those 1000 days special, memorable, important and spending it with my family,” she said, even if she has to beg her two boys to come along for the ride.
“We went white water rafting in B.C.,” Tripp said. “It was a little bit smoky that day, but we couldn’t smell it ‘cause we were having too much fun.”
The two admitted they were a little afraid at first, but both enjoyed themselves.
Ellis said it’s not always easy to think about the moments she won’t share with her family, but said she has a lot of things to be grateful for.
“Sometimes, maybe, I think I’m in denial,” Ellis said. “I have no idea, but I think the only way to move forward is to stay positive.”
