Team MacDonald vs Cancer
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We regret to inform everyone that our good friend and family man Art Macdonald has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family tonight as they grieve.
Art lost his battle with cancer but team Macdonald will continue to fight in his honour to help support his family through this tough time. Please share this post as his wife and 3 kids need us more than ever.
Message from Christina...
My beautiful man. His battle was short but fierce. Finally, he’s at peace. I can’t think of a better time to become an angel than at Christmas. I love you Art. Always have. Always will. ❤️
TEAM MACDONALD - Pay it Forward
If you know Art MacDonald, you know he’s all about “team” in its best and broadest sense. On or off the ice, he’s a guy who believes in making a difference in the lives of those around him – whether it’s his family, friends, colleagues or his larger community.
In particular, Art has had a positive and lasting impact on hundreds of young men and women in our area through his many years as a minor hockey coach. His special knack for seeing people’s potential and helping them be their best, made him an excellent coach. If you were lucky enough have Art as your coach, not only did you become a better hockey player, you also took away some important life lessons: Be positive. Work hard. Never give up. Take accountability. Always put the team first.
Now, it’s our turn to be part of Art’s team – and pay it forward for the MacDonalds.
In October, Art was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer – a Neuroendocrine Tumour or NET cancer. Christina, Art’s wife, describes it like this:
“In four short weeks after Labour Day, Art went from experiencing a pain in his hip and groin, to walking with a limp, walking with crutches, until eventually his femur broke. After an agonizing 11 day hospital stay, the diagnosis came back that Art has a Neuroendocrine Tumour (NET cancer) that started in his rectum and has metastasized to his bones and liver.
NET cancers are classified as either low-grade or high-grade. Unlike your high school marks, you do not want your cancer to be high-grade. Where low-grade tumours are slow spreading cancers, high-grade are very aggressive. Of all NET cancers, approximately 80% of them are low-grade and the remaining 20% are high-grade. Art’s NET cancer is classified as high-grade, but here’s where his cancer becomes even more unique. Art’s tumour is actually made up of both high-grade AND low-grade cells. Essentially, Art has a very rare form of an already rare cancer.
To give some perspective on the rarity, our oncologist said that in Nova Scotia, between himself and his colleagues, they may have had 15-20 cases of NET cancer last year. So presumably 20% of those (or 3-6 cases) would have been of the high-grade variety. Add to that the unique twist of Art’s hybrid NET cancer, and you can see just how rare it is.
As you can imagine, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Sometimes it feels like I’m observing and reporting on someone else’s life. Thankfully, I am surrounded by an amazing community of friends and family, and I am so grateful to have their love and support. The kindness of people has been overwhelming.”
The entire MacDonald family – Art, Christina, Alexander (17), Adam (15) and Olivia (13) – are a big part of our community. They have formed friendships and given their time and talent to our local hockey families over the years. Now, we are teaming up and paying it forward to them.
Anyone who’s ever played hockey with (or against!) Art has witnessed his ability to battle – so let’s help with this fight. By supporting this GoFundMe page or sharing it with your network, you’ll make a big difference in helping with the unexpected costs and pressures of a cancer diagnosis.
A sincere thank you for your support!
Art lost his battle with cancer but team Macdonald will continue to fight in his honour to help support his family through this tough time. Please share this post as his wife and 3 kids need us more than ever.
Message from Christina...
My beautiful man. His battle was short but fierce. Finally, he’s at peace. I can’t think of a better time to become an angel than at Christmas. I love you Art. Always have. Always will. ❤️
TEAM MACDONALD - Pay it Forward
If you know Art MacDonald, you know he’s all about “team” in its best and broadest sense. On or off the ice, he’s a guy who believes in making a difference in the lives of those around him – whether it’s his family, friends, colleagues or his larger community.
In particular, Art has had a positive and lasting impact on hundreds of young men and women in our area through his many years as a minor hockey coach. His special knack for seeing people’s potential and helping them be their best, made him an excellent coach. If you were lucky enough have Art as your coach, not only did you become a better hockey player, you also took away some important life lessons: Be positive. Work hard. Never give up. Take accountability. Always put the team first.
Now, it’s our turn to be part of Art’s team – and pay it forward for the MacDonalds.
In October, Art was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer – a Neuroendocrine Tumour or NET cancer. Christina, Art’s wife, describes it like this:
“In four short weeks after Labour Day, Art went from experiencing a pain in his hip and groin, to walking with a limp, walking with crutches, until eventually his femur broke. After an agonizing 11 day hospital stay, the diagnosis came back that Art has a Neuroendocrine Tumour (NET cancer) that started in his rectum and has metastasized to his bones and liver.
NET cancers are classified as either low-grade or high-grade. Unlike your high school marks, you do not want your cancer to be high-grade. Where low-grade tumours are slow spreading cancers, high-grade are very aggressive. Of all NET cancers, approximately 80% of them are low-grade and the remaining 20% are high-grade. Art’s NET cancer is classified as high-grade, but here’s where his cancer becomes even more unique. Art’s tumour is actually made up of both high-grade AND low-grade cells. Essentially, Art has a very rare form of an already rare cancer.
To give some perspective on the rarity, our oncologist said that in Nova Scotia, between himself and his colleagues, they may have had 15-20 cases of NET cancer last year. So presumably 20% of those (or 3-6 cases) would have been of the high-grade variety. Add to that the unique twist of Art’s hybrid NET cancer, and you can see just how rare it is.
As you can imagine, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Sometimes it feels like I’m observing and reporting on someone else’s life. Thankfully, I am surrounded by an amazing community of friends and family, and I am so grateful to have their love and support. The kindness of people has been overwhelming.”
The entire MacDonald family – Art, Christina, Alexander (17), Adam (15) and Olivia (13) – are a big part of our community. They have formed friendships and given their time and talent to our local hockey families over the years. Now, we are teaming up and paying it forward to them.
Anyone who’s ever played hockey with (or against!) Art has witnessed his ability to battle – so let’s help with this fight. By supporting this GoFundMe page or sharing it with your network, you’ll make a big difference in helping with the unexpected costs and pressures of a cancer diagnosis.
A sincere thank you for your support!
Fundraising team: Team Support Art (3)
Marvin F Hayes
Organizer
Timberlea, NS
Christina McGovern
Beneficiary
Francine Chisholm Galloway
Team member
Jennifer MacIsaac
Team member
