Kerrie B.’s Story

My name is Kerrie B. and I am a cancer survivor living in Kamloops, B.C.

As of April 5, 2024, I am 10 years cancer free.

I got my diagnosis of cancer on July 31, 2013. It was the beginning of November when I started my treatment. My treatment consisted of 35 rounds of radiation on both sides of my neck; and I was scheduled for eight rounds of chemotherapy, but was only to take six.

Due to breaking my foot shortly before starting my treatment, I went through treatment in a wheelchair. This made it even more difficult as I had to travel to Kelowna to receive my cancer care.

I lived Monday to Fridays at the Kelowna Cancer Lodge. On Friday’s, my wife would leave work early to pick me up. Then on Monday’s we would wake up early and she would drive me back on Monday morning and go to work later that night. 

We asked if I could get community transportation from one of the community organizations, however because I was in a wheelchair they couldn’t take responsibility for me getting in and out of the van.

At the very end of my follow-up at the three year mark was when I finally saw my oncologist in Kamloops. That was the only time I did not have to travel.

With my personal experience of having to travel for treatment and to mark my 10 years of being cancer free, I am now a volunteer driver for the Canadian Cancer Society's ‘Wheels of Hope’ Transportation Program. I drive people living with cancer in Kamloops to and from their cancer treatment appointments in Kelowna. 

There is a need for the Kamloops Cancer Centre and the need to get shovels in the ground. We need to see that, we need to hear the equipment moving and it can't come soon enough.

- Kerrie B., Cancer Survivor and Kamloops Resident