Canucks: B.C. cancer initiative hits home for Kirk and Genevieve McLean
McLean lost his parents to cancer and his wife, Genevieve, is a three-time cancer survivor. They're lending support to provincial 'Greater Than Cancer' funding campaign
Source: Vancouver Sun
By: Ben Kuzma
Former Vancouver Canucks goalie Kirk McLean and his wife, Genevieve, have a history with cancer and are supporting a B.C. funding initiative to fight the disease. PHOTO BY VGH AND UBC HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
Kirk McLean was adept at saving the day for the Vancouver Canucks and is a Ring of Honour member.
Now the franchise icon, along with wife Genevieve, are lending support for the biggest save in the game of life.
They both have a history with cancer — Kirk lost his parents to the disease, and Genevieve is a three-time survivor — so supporting the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation's “Greater Than Cancer” province-wide initiative really hits home.
It was one thing for McLean to endure the NHL career disappointment of losing Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final. Suddenly losing his parents to cancer in a short span of time was much harder to process, but a path to help others inflicted by the disease is always there. And he’s happy to help.
“I was just freshly retired and it happened so quick,” McLean recalled Tuesday. “They were both diagnosed, and then gone six months apart. My mom was 65 and dad was 67 and they had just retired. It was extremely tough because I was very close to them.
“And to lose them to this brutal disease, it hits you like a ton of bricks.”
It could have changed McLean, but he has always championed causes, and works tirelessly as a Canucks ambassador. Adding his support to the “Greater Than Cancer” initiative was a no-brainer.
“I was always brought up to give back and appreciate every day to the fullest,” stressed McLean. “And this is an extra nudge to use my so-called celebrity status and connections for charities. Cancer is right there at the top for obvious reasons, and this campaign is awesome. There’s an urgent need to expand capacity and better diagnosis, treatment, and advanced care.
“As much as money is thrown at this disease, there as diseases within the disease, and we have to kick this in the butt.”
Trevor Linden and Kirk McLean hug it out at Pacific Coliseum after Game 6 win in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final against the New York Rangers. PHOTO BY CHRIS RELKE /PNG
The initiative focuses on advancing state-of-the-art cancer diagnostics, surgery, and research at Vancouver General Hospital. It’s where the most-complicated cases in B.C. are treated, and timing of this campaign is imperative. Cancer cases in the province continue to escalate, with more than 30,000 expected to be diagnosed with the disease this year.
One in two British Columbians will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, so ensuring specialists and superior resources are present to combat the disease is of paramount importance. VGH is the largest and most advanced hospital in the province, but there is an urgent need to expand capacity to better address cancer cases.
The campaign has a goal of raising $35 million to produce treatments for patients across B.C. The initiative aligns with the provincial government’s 10-year Cancer Action Plan announced in 2023. Community support and donations are also essential to help deliver world-class care and drive the next generation of cancer-fighting technology and treatments.
Funding addresses the following foundation goals:
• Renewed pathology laboratory at VGH to use the power of robotics and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to decrease diagnostic turnaround time and facilitate more accurate diagnosis.
• State-of-the-art operating rooms and surgical tools. In April, VGH became the first hospital in Canada to conduct a surgical procedure by using a spine robot. In May, VGH opened the province’s first in-patient clinical trials unit.
Genevieve was diagnosed with leukemia as a child, and nine years later at the age of 24 there was a relapse. She received a life-saving blood transplant from her brother at VGH. However, in 2017, Genevieve faced another cancer battle. A six-by-five centimetre tumour was discovered in her adrenal gland and successfully removed.
She remains cancer free today and is beyond grateful.
“It for sure changes you, because the little things now don’t matter as much after going through that,” said Genevieve. “It changes your perspective as the years go by because you realize how lucky you are. There’s the cancer portion and the treatments and a lot of parts in your body are affected.
“Cancer doesn’t just happen, it goes much further along and is always evolving. You get it and you think you’re not going to graduate or get married and worry about the future. That’s where it changed me. Faith is a big part of us. And so is being happy day by day because life isn’t guaranteed.”
Cancer doesn’t play favourites. Genevieve played sports in high school and was modelling when struck by the cancer relapse. There was no family history of cancer. She had been in New York and Italy and then returned home, and wham, it hit her again. And when it struck for a third time, her mettle was tested. Was this like baseball, three strikes and she’s out?
“I had lower-back pain, but I played sports growing up and thought it was just from working out, but Kirk told me it was ridiculous. Your back shouldn’t be hurting all the time,” recalled Genevieve. “I had such pain before, that this was nothing in the grand scheme of things, and I just put it (examination) off.
“I got tested at VGH and it was completely unrelated the other (cancers). I had to prep for three weeks with medication before the surgery and they do huge complex care and surgeries. I need to find that cancer-free bell and ring it.”
For more initiative information, visit vghfoundation.ca/GreaterThanCancer