Scott’s Story

Hope that Grows

Scott Fitzsimmons was just 42 when he heard the words “you have Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia”. His only hope for long-term survival was a stem cell transplant. But that life-saving treatment required him to leave his home and family in Yorkton to live in Saskatoon for four months.

Every day in Saskatchewan, more than 17 people are told they have cancer. Most must travel to the Cancer Centres in Regina or Saskatoon for treatment. For nearly half of our province who live in rural communities, that means long, costly trips, and time away from home. You can help make their cancer journey a little easier.

For patients like Scott, the Stem Cell Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program in Saskatoon becomes a second home. The process – tests, chemotherapy, isolation, and recovery – can take months. Many patients need a caregiver by their side, meaning two people away from work while bills keep coming in.

Scott remembers how hard it was to keep a sense of normalcy for their three young children – a six-year-old and eight-year-old twins. His wife, Sharlene, spent four months driving back and forth between Yorkton and Saskatoon.

“Every trip meant planning for gas, accommodations, and meals,” Scott says. “It all quickly added up.”

No patient should have to worry about how they will pay to live while they fight for their life. That’s where you come in.

Your donation to the Stem Cell Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program helps patients like Scott cover essential costs like travel, meals, and lodging – up to $1,500 per year during treatment and recovery.

And right now, your gift will go twice as far.

The Canadian Tilling Foundation believes that stem cell patients and their families heal best when they can focus on their health and not worry about their families at home. Access to treatment should not be a financial burden, and that is why they’ve chosen to provide a generous $50,000 matching gift to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan – doubling the impact of every donation you make today.

Scott underwent weeks of tests and high-dose chemotherapy to prepare his body for his stem cell transplant day, which is often called “Day 0”; for Scott, this became his new birthday.

The treatment left him weak and susceptible to infection, so Scott remained in the hospital for months, waiting for the new cells to take hold and rebuild his immune system. Through it all, Scott drew strength from his family – and from the generosity of people like you, who help make this specialized care possible here in Saskatchewan.

When Scott’s new stem cells began to grow, so did hope. This year, Scott celebrated six years cancer-free! He’s alive because of the care made possible through donor support.

Your donation eases the burden of cancer so more Saskatchewan families can focus on healing. Please, send your gift today and watch it double to help twice as many stem cell transplant patients and families.

Together, we can give more patients the chance to celebrate their own “new birthdays,” just like Scott.

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