First Annual GBM (Glioblastoma) Skate for a Cure

Why we do what we do: Paul’s legacy. Gord’s legacy. James’s legacy.

 

As Widows of husbands who were all diagnosed with Glioblastoma, our goal is to advocate and educate for both the person fighting this stage 4 primary malignant brain cancer and their caregivers. With your help, we hope to change the outcome for those diagnosed with brain cancer. By supporting the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research at Sunnybrook, you will be part of Paul, Gord, and James’s legacy.

 

Here are our stories:

 

Paul J. Hood (March 1, 1969 – November 9, 2019).

Paul was my husband, best friend, health and fitness guru, weekend breakfast date, kitchen dance partner and the one who had the biggest piece of my heart. Paul lived a healthy lifestyle; he was physically fit and had zero pre-existing medical conditions. The morning of July 24th, 2018 was the day our lives were forever changed. Paul was only 49 years old.

Paul had returned home early from his morning run and described an onset of left-sided weakness, a loss of balance and lack of coordination. My first thought was he had experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA – stroke) and that we had to get him to the closest emergency room. The staff at Lakeridge Health Oshawa rapidly assessed him and pushed him to the front of the lines on a stroke protocol. The CT scan discovered a mass in the right frontal lobe of Paul’s brain.

Within 2 hours of our arrival, Paul was transported by ambulance to Toronto Western Hospital to meet with the neurosurgeons at the Krembil Brain Institute. Two days later his team performed a craniotomy, resected the mass and pathology confirmed the mass was Glioblastoma. Paul completed 42 days straight of chemotherapy and radiation, 10 cycles of temozolomide chemotherapy, received Avastin infusions, and despite increased fatigue, weakness, and frequent seizures he never lost his energy, his optimism, or his zest for life. Glioblastoma may have created a monstrous fortress inside Paul’s brain, but it was Paul’s love for life and positive “be present” way of living that made the crack in the wall that let the light in.

-written by Paul’s wife, Lyndsay Porter-Hood

 

Gord Somerville ( January 11, 1962 – December 8, 2019).

It was a beautiful fall day and we had just brought our new puppy home the night before and were outside playing. I looked at Gord and he seemed off and said he had a headache and felt sick, so he went to shower, a half hour later he looked like he was having a stroke and off we went to emergency and our lives without warning were never the same. Gord was diagnosed within a few hours with a brain tumor and was transported a few days later to Kingston for a craniotomy. The first few weeks and months are a complete blur with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy with treatment at Sunnybrook. Gord had a tremendous team which made everything so much more manageable. From day one, Gord amazed me with his positive attitude and constantly told himself and everyone he met that he was going to be the guy that people would talk about for years to come….he would beat this! He lived life to the fullest and knocked off a few bucket list items such as a stand-up comedy, a trip to Mexico with family and we went to the top of Whistler to witness our son get married. The drugs and treatment took its toll on his body but until only a few days before his death he was making those around him laugh. Gord endured many visits to the hospital for falls, flu and side effects from various treatments. He fought a tuff battle with a smile and I can only hope that we can find a cure so no other family has to witness the destruction of a young man in such a horrible way.

-written by Gord’s wife, Cindy Somerville

 

James W. Morton (April 18, 1973 – September 24, 2021).

In June 2020 James just finished putting up a shelf in the bedroom and went to lay down after. He complained of a very bad pain in his eye and began to have mobility and speech issues. I thought for sure it was a blood sugar issue. I called for paramedics and expected him to be back at home an hour later after some medicine. I wasn't allowed to go with him because of Covid restrictions. I got a call 10 min later telling me to go to the St. Mike’s trauma centre because he was being rushed there for a bleeding brain tumor. I was shocked. We had no idea. James was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. While recovering from surgery he had a massive MCA stroke. He came home 2.5 months later not being able to walk, stand, had aphasia, and couldn’t talk, read, write, was on a g tube and required total care. I quit my job to take care of him and stayed in that place of hope as long as we could. While he was able to gain some speech back and get off the g tube, he was left with many deficits. His comprehension and intelligence were intact, and he was acutely aware of everything. He still managed to wake up with a smile every single day. Every scan came back clear baffling the tumor board and there was reason to believe he would be a long-term survivor.

When two areas of concern showed up a year and a month later on the MRI along with increasing headaches and seizures, I advocated for James to die by medical assistance in dying as per his wishes. He had already suffered enough, and he wanted to die before the Glioblastoma completely took over his brain which could result in another massive stroke or losing what little ability, he had to move the one side of his body or take away what little speech he had. He died September 24th, 2021.

Before Glioblastoma James led an incredible, full, adventurous, successful, and beautiful life. He was a police officer and ex-paramedic and ex-military. During time of diagnosis he was running, doing jujitsu, doing keto and taking care of himself and his sugar issues were borderline. This cancer does not discriminate. We need research for a cause and a cure. James always faced adversity with the motto of Improvise, Adapt, Overcome and he carried this through his cancer and stroke journey. He defied statistics and the odds for someone like him and even though he is no longer here he showed me that I can take the motto of Improvise, Adapt and Overcome to shift through the grief and advocate for research and a cure.

-written by James’s wife, Sue Morton

 

First Annual GBM (Glioblastoma) Skate for a Cure

Date: Tuesday December 28th, 2021

Time: Stick and Puck 3:00-4:00 pm, Family/Friends Skate 4:00-5:00pm

Location: Campus Ice Centre - 2200 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa

Admission Fee: donation of your choice to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research

*double vaccination proof for 18+ and anyone not skating

*RSVP only as numbers are limited due to COVID restrictions