2-time survivor challenges Ride to Conquer Cancer
Shannon LeClair – Times Reporter
Testicular cancer is not something many, if any, teenage boys like to think about. For Chad Munroe it is something he has had to deal with twice in the past seven years. When he was 20-years-old he was first diagnosed with testicular cancer, and in August 2009 it came back with a vengeance.
“It just happened so fast that it was almost like it hadn’t happened. I did two years of remission and all the results were good. I had a one in a million chance of getting that same cancer again and then seven years later it came back,” said Munroe.
“You think of cancer and you think it’s an old persons thing, and its not.
“Before I use to think cancer, that’s what old people get, but not anymore. Anyone can get it,” said Chris Wainwright, who has been Munroe’s best friend since they were 14.
Munroe was suffering from swelling and pain and left it for a while before going to get checked out. Because he had left it for so long, he was fast tracked through surgery. This time he was having lung pain and thought he might have pneumonia and found out instead the cancer had come back.
For a number of years the friends had been thinking about doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer, but something always came up and they have never done it. This year the two are determined to do the ride, which takes place June 26-27. Their team name is SKYSUNLIMITED and they are hoping to raise $5,000 towards cancer research.
“Up until about a month ago we didn’t think he would be here next week,” said Wainwright.
“Some days are just so crazy thinking about everything and then I look at my own kid and don’t know how I would get through it. I’m not the same person now that I was a year or two ago, I definitely appreciate the little things more.”
When the cancer came back this time it had spread to Munroe’s abdomen, lymph nodes and to his lungs. The doctors told him the tumors in his lungs were too numerous to count. He went through four months of chemo and it wasn’t working so 10 weeks ago he went for surgery. They took out his lymph nodes and the tumors in his stomach, which after testing were found to be benign.
“There were no future plans, I was living just for today, there were times I was just living for that hour,” said Munroe. Every six weeks he is going for surveillance and after that it will be cut down to every three months. Right now Munroe is considered a high risk because there are still two spots on his lungs and if they grow even one millimeter he will have to go for double lung surgery. He recently has received good results back and is hoping they stay that way.
Both Munroe and Wainwright have begun training for the ride, which starts in Spruce Meadows, goes through the Rockies and ends up back at Spruce Meadows.
“Last year they raised $7M and I want to be a part of it, even if we’re a speck of sand on that beach I want to be a part of it,” said Munroe.
“I’m really grateful to have someone like Chris to go with.” He is positive that once they are among the 17,000 other riders they will be able to do it. The two have also been running bottle drives, where they go door to door asking people to donate their bottles towards their cause.
“I think people are generally more willing to give up their bottles than give money, or give out their credit card numbers. I think it looks better to be out there putting out the effort, instead of just sitting around looking for donations,” said Wainwright.
“It really doesn’t matter how much money is raised, it would be nice, but it’s more about awareness, and people seeing what’s going on. A dollar, a quarter, it all adds up and makes a difference,” said Munroe. Next year they would like to start their own trek and go 5k or 10k and eventually maybe work their way across Canada.
“There’s no stopping, this is just the beginning to our journey and I really believe that,” said Munroe.
Munroe is also planning to start going to schools to speak about his battle. He remembers when he was 17, and knows it will hit home more coming from a younger guy than somebody older.
“If I could just go to someplace and give just one kid, one person, one elder some experience and hope that they are going to be ok, that I made it through and maybe they can too, that’s all that matters.” To donate and help the Cancer Society people can go to www.conquercancer.ca and enter either Chad or Chris’s name. A receipt is sent right to your email and all of the proceeds will be going to the Cancer Society.