This is an opinion column by Niagara Health Communications Specialist Michelle Pressé, originally published in the St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review and Welland Tribune.
Chris Kavanagh credits running and the care he received at Walker Family Cancer Centre in St. Catharines with helping save his life following a cancer diagnosis in 2021.
Chris Kavanagh has cheated death twice.
The first time was because of running. The second time, it was running that helped save him.
An avid marathon runner, Kavanagh’s love of long-distance running has taken him to pounding pavements and trails all around the world. Among other famous marathons, he’s competed in the Boston Marathon three times, including in 2013, when he crossed the finish line six seconds before the first bomb exploded.
At first, he thought it was a gas leak, until the entire area behind him became engulfed in thick, dark smoke. What he saw, and what was a clear sign that something terrible had happened, was the sheer look of panic and fear from spectators, and police acting immediately to stop the runners. Kavanagh’s wife, Mary Jo, thought he had died, and was unable to be reunited with him for more than an hour. Cellphone networks across the borough of the marathon, as well as Boston’s airport and subway system, were shut down.
Eight years later, another bomb – this time a metaphorical one – would set off in his life.
An active person since childhood, Kavanagh, now 73, thought he pulled a calf muscle while running midway through 2021. He figured it would take a few weeks to recover, but recovery never came.
“My calf continued to bother me, so I went to my family doctor and he ordered an ultrasound, which revealed a blood clot,” he says.
Chris Kavanagh stretches before going for a run at the Port Dalhousie pier. The St. Catharines man credits running and the care he received at Walker Family Cancer Centre in St. Catharines with helping save his life following a cancer diagnosis.
He received care for the blood clot at the Emergency Department in St. Catharinesand was prescribed blood thinners, which he is now on for life. About a month later, he noticed one of his testicles was enlarged. Again, he went to his family doctor, who urgently sent a referral to a urologist, who ruled it necessary to surgically remove.
Five days after his surgery, he had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Reem Maida, an oncologist with the Walker Family Cancer Centre (WFCC).
“She sized me up pretty quickly to assess how to deliver the news,” says Kavanagh. “Then, she came right out and said, ‘You have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and we’ve got to get at this.’ Dr. Maida is extremely capable, and one of her best strengths is how well she communicates.”
It was a difficult conversation, and one that Kavanagh will never forget.
“I had the typical mindset where someone gets diagnosed with cancer and they say, ‘Why me?’ Dr. Maida’s response was a simple one: ‘Shit happens.’ It was the right answer for me – there is no explanation.”
According to Dr. Maida, if Kavanagh hadn’t taken such good care of his physical health prior to his diagnosis, he likely wouldn’t still be here today.
He shares her belief: That, in addition to modern cancer treatment, his love of sports, being active and having a positive attitude was monumental in saving his life.
“The more positive outlook toward my unique journey is ultimately what can lead to recovery as quickly as possible,” Kavanagh says. “At Walker, it’s necessary for all of those gifted people to predominately be dealing with your physical side. The mental side is a tougher situation for a host of reasons.”
Kavanagh says he never doubted his ability to overcome cancer and endure the necessary treatment. At one point, during a three-week span on the oncology floor, he followed a workout regimen that would force him to sit as little as possible – save for reading seven spy novels during that time. He played hockey competitively his entire life until his mid-50s, when he discovered the magic of marathons. He and Mary Jo had travelled to New York City to watch a family member in the race, and he was mesmerized. He ran his first marathon the following year, and put his hockey stick down to focus on running.
“Watching that marathon completely consumed me,” he says. “I thought, ‘I have to do this.’ I was crazy about it from the beginning.”
It made taking a break while undergoing cancer treatment even more challenging. He underwent 18 weeks of chemotherapy once a week, which eventually turned into additional cancer treatment, followed by 15 sessions of radiation. His last treatment was in June 2022.
Kavanagh still sees Dr. Maida every four months to make sure the cancer doesn’t make a comeback. He will continue to see her for another three years, and will officially be considered cancer-free five years post his first clear scan, which marks June 2027.
Chris Kavanagh takes a run on the Port Dalhousie pier. Kavanagh said he never doubted his ability to overcome cancer and endure the necessary treatment.
In addition to Kavanagh’s care team at the WFCC – who he dubs “fantastic, truly gifted, wonderful people” – he received overwhelming support from Mary Jo, his friends and his family of marathon runners.
In November 2022, Kavanagh ran his first post-cancer treatment marathon in Hamilton.
“I took forever to finish,” he says. “From the start of the race, there were close to 50 of my running mates taking turns running with me or cheering me on in groups through to the finish line.”
That moment, Kavanagh recalls with tears, “was everything.” He’s since competed in two more marathons, and underwent his first triathlon this June in Welland since being diagnosed with cancer. He’s determined to complete his eighth Half Ironman in 2025.
“I didn’t get through the triathlon, and I complained to Dr. Maida about it. She said, ‘First of all, you’re old, so get over it.’ So I said, ‘Okay.’ And second, she said, ‘We kicked the crap out of you for nine months, so just get on with it. You’re doing well.’ That was precisely what I needed to hear. All I could think of is how fortunate I am to have her leading my recovery team.”
Kavanagh still runs like his life depends on it. He runs as early as 5 a.m. wherever he is in the world when he’s not in his home base in St. Catharines. He says he’s constantly working to become the best he can be: as a person, as a runner.
“The concept of doing all that I can to be the best that I can is the result of my falling into the trap of comparing myself to my former self. I’ve always taken pride in being fit and relatively strong… I can’t return to my former self, physically. I am older and slow, but I am out there, working each day to be the best that I can be. Be thankful and seize each day. At least try.
Life is a journey, but more importantly, it is a gift. Being a cancer patient is a daily reminder of that.”
