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Couple unites to fight cancer
Brooke Larsen
Now Contributor
Jeff Gawron could do Scottish, Indian and Australian accents like nobody's business. A member of Toastmasters' White Rock chapter, Gawron was a natural storyteller whose blue eyes danced when he spoke. In other words, he loved to talk.
So it was a sad coincidence when Gawron was diagnosed with tongue cancer last year, causing him to lose the tip of his tongue and making his speech difficult to understand.
But that hasn't stopped Gawron from speaking about his fight against cancer and creating a resource centre for those who want an alternative to mainstream cancer treatments.
Gawron, 37, is a doctor who studied holistic medicine through UBC. He's outgoing and handsome, despite the gauntness caused by his disease.
His girlfriend, 32-year-old massage teacher Terry Tierney, has a clear, kind voice. They fell in love a year-and-a-half ago when he was a student in Tierney's massage class.
"He was a good student, and I marked him harder than everyone else in the class," says Tierney.
She and Gawron live in a small house in White Rock's Ocean Park neighbourhood with their cats, Sprite and Sweetie.
The cancer started last fall as a tiny cut on Gawron's tongue that just wouldn't heal. He didn't smoke or chew tobacco; both are habits associated with tongue cancer.
In December, when doctors prescribed a standard combination of chemotherapy and radiation, it was an easy decision for Gawron.
"I knew in my heart that it was the worst thing we could possibly do," he says, adding that the treatment would have cost him his salivary glands, his hair and some of his hearing.
"At one point a doctor told me that if I wasn't on chemo and radiation, I should check into palliative care," Gawron recalls.
The couple then took to the Internet, wading through an ocean of conflicting medical opinions in an effort to save Gawron's life.
What they found took them to Santa Monica Hospital in Rosarito, Mexico, where Gawron underwent a series of alternative-medicine treatments, including one that uses heat to kill cancer without harming normal cells. He also received a small amount of chemotherapy.
"The only side effect I had was a little hair loss," Gawron says.
Since he returned from Mexico several weeks ago, he no longer needs the mega-doses of morphine and other painkillers he was taking before he began his treatment. He's gained back 15 of the 50 pounds he lost when it was too painful to eat.
There's some healthy pink tissue growing back on his tongue, and his most recent blood tests suggest the cancer is going away.
The experience has inspired Gawron to create a non-profit organization called Integrated Choices for Cancer Treatment (ICCT), which will work to provide information and financial aid for those who want to explore alternative cancer treatments.
"Health is changing. You almost need to do your own research, and that's why we want to do this," he says.
"We both have medical backgrounds, but I can't imagine what it would be like for normal people," Tierny adds.
Both are busy organizing a fundraiser to help pay for Gawron's treatments and get ICCT started.
"Our goal is to raise $22,000, but I think we're going to blow that out of the water," Tierney says.
Former B.C. Premier Bill Vander Zalm has agreed to emcee the event, which will take place on Friday, May 27 at the Star of the Sea hall in White Rock. Canadian Idol finalist Shane Wiebe will also be performing.
Gawron and Tierney's tale is one of teamwork, from the moment he was diagnosed with cancer to their plans for the upcoming fundraiser.
"You really know how strong your relationship is when something like this happens. It's hard to put into words," Tierney says.
What's unique about this team is the way Tierney can tell you exactly what Gawron is saying during the moments when you can't quite make it out. There's something intimate about the way they co-operate to tell their story, as if you're talking to one person, not two.
"I know we're going to beat this thing," says Tierney.
Gawron nods, his blue eyes wide open.
The Inspired Choices fundraiser
takes place Friday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Star of the Sea Community Centre
in White Rock. For more information call 604-531-4877 or visit
www.cancerchoices.ca.
posted on 05/11/2005
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