Learn how CCS supporters help hope bloom for people like Tyler — and how you can get involved this spring.
1 min. read
Tyler and family
Every spring for over 65 years, people in Canada have rallied around the daffodil as a unifying symbol of hope for people facing cancer. During Daffodil Month, people from coast to coast to coast come together to help hope bloom for everyone affected by cancer — people just like Tyler Cook.
Tyler had already lost his mom and one of his sisters to stomach cancer. Then he learned that certain genetic mutations could increase the risk of getting this type of cancer — which meant there was a risk that Tyler could get the disease as well.
Thankfully, Tyler learned about a blood test that resulted from CCS-funded research that could identify the genetic cause of hereditary diffuse stomach cancer, an aggressive disease often diagnosed at very late stages when it is no longer treatable.
When the test determined both he and his sister Shelly carried the mutation, both siblings decided to undergo lifesaving surgery to remove their stomach — a drastic step, but one that reduced their chances of dying from the disease from 70% to less than 1%.
“Research saved my life and my sister’s life,” says Tyler. “We both knew we wouldn’t have been around in a couple of years if we hadn’t had the genetic test and the surgery.”
Today Tyler is a proud dad to two boys. He is grateful for every day, and hopeful that even more research breakthroughs will be made to benefit future generations.
“Cancer research gives me hope that my children won’t face the challenges I did,” he says.
It takes all of us to take on cancer. Learn how you can get involved this Daffodil Month — and help hope bloom for people facing cancer.
Tyler had already lost his mom and one of his sisters to stomach cancer. Then he learned that certain genetic mutations could increase the risk of getting this type of cancer — which meant there was a risk that Tyler could get the disease as well.
Thankfully, Tyler learned about a blood test that resulted from CCS-funded research that could identify the genetic cause of hereditary diffuse stomach cancer, an aggressive disease often diagnosed at very late stages when it is no longer treatable.
When the test determined both he and his sister Shelly carried the mutation, both siblings decided to undergo lifesaving surgery to remove their stomach — a drastic step, but one that reduced their chances of dying from the disease from 70% to less than 1%.
“Research saved my life and my sister’s life,” says Tyler. “We both knew we wouldn’t have been around in a couple of years if we hadn’t had the genetic test and the surgery.”
Today Tyler is a proud dad to two boys. He is grateful for every day, and hopeful that even more research breakthroughs will be made to benefit future generations.
“Cancer research gives me hope that my children won’t face the challenges I did,” he says.
It takes all of us to take on cancer. Learn how you can get involved this Daffodil Month — and help hope bloom for people facing cancer.