Love conquers all – and sometimes it makes fighting cancer easier, too.
Jeannette Labbé and Joe Turner are cancer survivors. They both agree that if it weren’t for each other’s caring and support, their cancer journeys would have been more difficult. And through it all, their new-found romance thrived.
Once high-school sweethearts in Nipigon, in northwestern Ontario, they went their separate ways after graduation and raised their respective families. She became a school principal in Calgary, he a heavy-machinery mechanic in Thunder Bay. But some 40 years later, when both of them were single again and she returned to their hometown for a visit, he asked her out for dinner and their love was rekindled.
Then, in 2010, Ms. Labbé was diagnosed with Stage 3 estrogen-receptive breast cancer. Within a month, she underwent a lumpectomy followed by 23 radiation treatments and two-and-half years of estrogen-blocking medication. Now, at the five-year mark, Ms. Labbé, 64, is in remission.
In 2013, Mr. Turner was diagnosed with prostate cancer after his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood readings went from 3 to 8.7. “It was a red flag,” he says. His oncologist recommended that he have a radical prostatectomy to remove the prostate gland. Now, two years later, his PSA levels are undetectable; Mr. Turner, at age 65, is cancer-free.
The couple have supported and cared for each other through the most difficult periods of their cancer battles.
In Ms. Labbé’s case, the estrogen-blocking medications brought on severe hot flashes.
During those times, Mr. Turner was extremely understanding. “I’m normally a cuddler, in bed and on the couch, but when the hot flashes came on, I’d give her lots of space.”
He’d also keep the temperature in the house low and wore extra sweaters and socks. At night, when the thermostat was set at 17˚C, he’d layer on an extra duvet on his side of the bed. He also made sure she always had a cold drink on her night table.
In Mr. Turner’s case, Ms. Labbé went to all the appointments, tests, assessments and surgery.
”The cancer diagnosis knocked me off balance,” Mr. Turner recalls. “She would take notes at the doctor’s office, and then we’d go home and talk about it.”
During his recovery, when he had to rest for several weeks, they’d do simple things like watch TV together. “It made all the difference in the world to me to have her by my side,” he says.
They also had to cope with the effects of the cancer treatments on their sex life. Breast cancer surgery can make you question your sexual attractiveness as a woman, Ms. Labbé notes, but Mr. Turner reassured her that the surgery didn’t make any difference to him.
“She’s always been a very beautiful woman to me,” he says.
Similarly, Ms. Labbé knew that Mr. Turner was scared of what might happen to him after surgery. “I told him, ‘I don’t make love to a body part; I make love to you!’ ”
How has surviving cancer changed their lives?
“We concentrate on prevention,” Ms. Labbé explains. “We get more exercise, we eat better and, as a couple, we encourage each other to stay healthy.”
They try to get outdoors as much as possible. “I paddle our cedar-strip canoe while Joe fishes for pike and trout,” says Ms. Labbé.
The couple also support cancer charities, like the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) and the Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC).
“Breast and prostate cancers are the most commonly diagnosed cancers among men and women,” says Randy Hutchings, PCC’s vice-president of marketing and philanthropy. (One in nine Canadian women are expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime, and one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.)
It made sense, Mr. Hutchings says, for the two cancer charities to collaborate on raising funds for the campaign called Kiss2Cure over the next month. “Donations go to funding grants and the best of the best research. Early detection in breast and prostate cancers can result in higher rates of survival.”
Ms. Labbé and Mr. Turner are extremely grateful that they benefited from the advancement in cancer care.
“With more cancer research, improved treatments and education,” says Ms. Labbé, “we can make a better place for our children and grandchildren.”
This content was produced by The Globe and Mail's advertising department, in consultation with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and Prostate Cancer Canada. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.