On a regular Sunday morning back in 2009, Loren Onyschuk awoke with an unusual symptom: the ankle on his left leg was swollen, as though he had twisted it. This was in spite of not doing anything that would result in such an injury.
Throughout the day, the Westlock man's leg continued to swell painfully. “By suppertime, my whole leg was ... large,” he said. "It was so big I could hardly walk."
Onyschuk said he intended to go to the hospital the next day, but at his sister's insistence, he went to the emergency room. Though the doctor on call was uncertain about the cause of the swelling, she called St. Albert to set up an ultrasound.
After the ultrasound, Onyschuk recalls meeting with a specialist who expedited the process of doing a biopsy (a removal of tissue to discover the extent of a disease). It took a couple of weeks, but eventually Onyschuk learned he had lymphoma, or cancer of the lymph nodes.
The lymph nodes are part of an internal network that support the body's immune system. These nodes swell as they work to fight cancer cells, which is why Onyschuk's leg had also swelled up to what Onyschuk estimates is about 20 per cent larger than normal.
When asked how he felt about receiving his diagnosis, Onyschuk recalls being nervous leading up to his diagnosis, as he wasn't sure what was going on. But when the news finally came, it was actually kind of a relief.
“I understand why they don't say the C-word because until they know for sure, they don’t want to scare people," he said, adding that once knew what the problem was, he could focus on what comes next.
While lymphoma can sometimes be treated by the surgical removal of lymph nodes, Onyschuk underwent chemotherapy in order to treat his cancer.
Initially, he had to undergo fairly intensive chemotherapy, though that eventually slowed down to undergoing treatments every three months.
While horror stories among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are fairly common, Onyschuk indicated that his first bout of chemotherapy went pretty well, aside some minor side effects.
However, Onyschuk said he continued to undergo regular testing for a long time after that first round, and in 2015, the doctors found something in his blood work that was cause for alarm.
“I had a bad cough that I could almost pass out from," he said. “Other than that, there were no other signs of the cancer."
After his first cycle of treatment, Onyschuk said he felt better than he had in a long time. It was the second cycle, however, that the side effects really hit, including the loss of his hair.
"With the hair loss, even though you know it’s a possibility, it freaks you out when it does happen, because it happens fast," he said.
Luckily, Onyschuk recovered, and though he still undergoes regular testing, the 50-year-old's cancer appears to be gone or in remission. However, he still has an odd memento of his experience: his left leg, while not as big as it was, is still somewhat enlarged.
While he tries not to let it interfere with his life — Onyschuk currently works as a millwright — he said he does have some trouble with scaling ladders or bending at certain angles. And of course, he's had to adjust his wardrobe.
"I used to wear tight-leg jeans, but now I have to wear baggier jeans," he said. “And my socks stretch out.”
Although his brush with cancer may not be as horrific as some of the stories out there, it was still a very unpleasant time in Onyschuk's life. One thing that helped him stay positive throughout that difficult time, however, was a chance meeting with another man at the Cross Cancer Institute.
Onyschuk said it was a beautiful spring day not long after winter had receded when he met the other man coming out of the institute. He got chatting with the other man, who Onyschuk recalls had a big smile on his face.
“He had been given six months, which wouldn’t have even got him to Christmastime. But he was so happy, because he made it ... through the birth of his first grandchild," he said.
“He was still battling cancer, but he had already gotten the big bonus of seeing his first grandchild. It made it a lot easier for me to keep my thoughts on the battle.”
When asked if he had any takeaways from his experience, Onyschuk points out the sudden onset of his symptoms and how quickly he went from living his life to battling cancer.
"Basically, enjoy life while you have it," he said.
