Mike Flaherty says he owes his life to the staff at Juravinski Hospital.
He began to notice something was wrong in 2018, when he started losing his balance.
“I started falling off towards my right side, stumbling and whatnot,” Flaherty said. “It came to a point within a day or two where if I wasn’t holding on, I would fall right down to the ground.”
Within a few weeks he was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Flaherty’s lymphoma was based in his brain, which according to his oncologist, happens to only 1 per cent of patients.
“It was a nightmare,” Flaherty said. “Everything went upside down.”
Flaherty isn’t able to remember much about his nine-month stay in Juravinski Cancer Centre’s Ward C4, the hematology and oncology ward. His wife Kathie remembers his treatments in great detail, including four rounds of intense chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.
“At one point he was even on life support, on Father’s Day that year,” Kathie said.
The couple had a lot of support from their family, friends and community through this difficult time, as well as support from the staff in Ward C4.
“They were beyond amazing,” Kathie said. “They know that they felt like our family.”
Flaherty returned home in December 2018 and began the difficult process of regaining his strength. He started walking both outside and using the indoor track at the J.L. Grightmire Arena. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic closed recreation centres, Flaherty had to find something else to keep his mind and body active.
Before Flaherty became ill, he occasionally took on woodworking projects, like making Adirondack chairs, but it was just one of his many hobbies. Now that it was part of his recovery efforts, woodworking took on a new meaning for Flaherty.
“I’m thinking of my woodworking all the time, so that keeps my mind off of my problems,” Flaherty said. “I’m getting a lot stronger using my right side.”
Since last November, Flaherty says he has created over 150 pieces of woodcraft, including dozens of charcuterie boards, wine racks, fishing pole holders, bowls, a baseball bat and shelves shaped like a biplane.
As a way to give back to the hospital that treated his cancer, Flaherty and his family plan to sell his work from the family’s yard, once COVID restrictions allow, and donate the proceeds to Juravinski.
“This is going to an awesome cause,” Kathie said. “We feel they saved his life.”
Mike Flaherty says he owes his life to the staff at Juravinski Hospital.
He began to notice something was wrong in 2018, when he started losing his balance.
“I started falling off towards my right side, stumbling and whatnot,” Flaherty said. “It came to a point within a day or two where if I wasn’t holding on, I would fall right down to the ground.”
Within a few weeks he was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Flaherty’s lymphoma was based in his brain, which according to his oncologist, happens to only 1 per cent of patients.
“It was a nightmare,” Flaherty said. “Everything went upside down.”
Flaherty isn’t able to remember much about his nine-month stay in Juravinski Cancer Centre’s Ward C4, the hematology and oncology ward. His wife Kathie remembers his treatments in great detail, including four rounds of intense chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.
“At one point he was even on life support, on Father’s Day that year,” Kathie said.
The couple had a lot of support from their family, friends and community through this difficult time, as well as support from the staff in Ward C4.
“They were beyond amazing,” Kathie said. “They know that they felt like our family.”
Flaherty returned home in December 2018 and began the difficult process of regaining his strength. He started walking both outside and using the indoor track at the J.L. Grightmire Arena. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic closed recreation centres, Flaherty had to find something else to keep his mind and body active.
Before Flaherty became ill, he occasionally took on woodworking projects, like making Adirondack chairs, but it was just one of his many hobbies. Now that it was part of his recovery efforts, woodworking took on a new meaning for Flaherty.
“I’m thinking of my woodworking all the time, so that keeps my mind off of my problems,” Flaherty said. “I’m getting a lot stronger using my right side.”
Since last November, Flaherty says he has created over 150 pieces of woodcraft, including dozens of charcuterie boards, wine racks, fishing pole holders, bowls, a baseball bat and shelves shaped like a biplane.
As a way to give back to the hospital that treated his cancer, Flaherty and his family plan to sell his work from the family’s yard, once COVID restrictions allow, and donate the proceeds to Juravinski.
“This is going to an awesome cause,” Kathie said. “We feel they saved his life.”
Mike Flaherty says he owes his life to the staff at Juravinski Hospital.
He began to notice something was wrong in 2018, when he started losing his balance.
“I started falling off towards my right side, stumbling and whatnot,” Flaherty said. “It came to a point within a day or two where if I wasn’t holding on, I would fall right down to the ground.”
Within a few weeks he was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Flaherty’s lymphoma was based in his brain, which according to his oncologist, happens to only 1 per cent of patients.
“It was a nightmare,” Flaherty said. “Everything went upside down.”
Flaherty isn’t able to remember much about his nine-month stay in Juravinski Cancer Centre’s Ward C4, the hematology and oncology ward. His wife Kathie remembers his treatments in great detail, including four rounds of intense chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.
“At one point he was even on life support, on Father’s Day that year,” Kathie said.
The couple had a lot of support from their family, friends and community through this difficult time, as well as support from the staff in Ward C4.
“They were beyond amazing,” Kathie said. “They know that they felt like our family.”
Flaherty returned home in December 2018 and began the difficult process of regaining his strength. He started walking both outside and using the indoor track at the J.L. Grightmire Arena. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic closed recreation centres, Flaherty had to find something else to keep his mind and body active.
Before Flaherty became ill, he occasionally took on woodworking projects, like making Adirondack chairs, but it was just one of his many hobbies. Now that it was part of his recovery efforts, woodworking took on a new meaning for Flaherty.
“I’m thinking of my woodworking all the time, so that keeps my mind off of my problems,” Flaherty said. “I’m getting a lot stronger using my right side.”
Since last November, Flaherty says he has created over 150 pieces of woodcraft, including dozens of charcuterie boards, wine racks, fishing pole holders, bowls, a baseball bat and shelves shaped like a biplane.
As a way to give back to the hospital that treated his cancer, Flaherty and his family plan to sell his work from the family’s yard, once COVID restrictions allow, and donate the proceeds to Juravinski.
“This is going to an awesome cause,” Kathie said. “We feel they saved his life.”