The past few months haven't been particularly kind to Bruce Moore.
In May, the retired Terry Fox secondary teacher and counsellor had to call 911 - he couldn't breathe. He was rushed to Eagle Ridge Hospital, then Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) for tests. Doctors found a blood clot in his lung.
Moore was put on blood thinners but on June 30, the 71-year-old Port Coquitlam resident again complained of respiratory problems.
His specialist ordered scans and diagnosed him with low-grade lymphoma. There were more scans to be done, which proved inconclusive, and at the end of August, a needle biopsy at RCH. He phoned for the results over the Labour Day long weekend, but the offices were closed for the holiday.
Finally, last week, he got the news he was looking for: "Negative."
"I was relieved," he said during an interview at his home yesterday. "I wasn't jumping for joy but, at last, I knew."
During the summer, he tried to stay positive through all the waiting and wondering: "I have got to deal with it," he told himself. "I'm going to beat it again. When you go through that - for a second time - all you think of is, When's the first treatment? It's not something you look forward to."
'IN GOOD HANDS'
The last time Bruce Moore beat cancer was in 2000.
He was three weeks away from retiring from teaching when he learned he had non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the abdomen. His sister, 55, had been diagnosed with lung cancer a month before so Moore knew what to expect.
"I felt bad because I couldn't help her," he said. "We were both going through the same thing."
He underwent surgery in the summer of 1999, which was followed by three or four months of chemotherapy. He had the same doctor and three nurses Terry Fox had at RCH "so I felt that I was in good hands there," said Moore, who coached Terry and Fred Fox in soccer at the former PoCo High in the mid-1970s.
The check-ups were weekly at first, then less often, until he was declared cancer-free a year later.
His sister didn't see the end of 1999.
'A BETTER CHANCE'
Moore, father of PoCo Mayor Greg Moore, said he won't be talking about his latest cancer scare on Sunday when he emcees the Terry Fox Hometown Run, an "honour" he has enjoyed for about a decade. Rather, he said he'll likely speak about the positive impact Terry Fox had on his life.
"My chances with cancer were much better than when Terry was alive," he said. "Today, Terry probably wouldn't have lost his leg."
Moore added, "Terry was positive. He was always 'Be the best that you can be.' He was first on the field and the last one off. He was focused and determined.
"And he took what he learned in the cancer wards from being with those sick kids and became a leader and raised money on their behalf.
Thinking back, Moore said: "I never thought I would have a player and a student who would be my hero."
But while he's thrilled with his recent diagnosis and proud to be part of the Hometown Run, he'll miss introducing Betty Fox, Terry's mom, who died in June and who was a fixture at the PoCo run. Moore remembered her and her husband, Rolly, from the PoCo high school days as they attended to their four children.
Still, he's looking forward to continuing to spread Terry's dream of beating cancer one day. Moore is booked to speak at Dr. Charles Best secondary in Coquitlam on Sept. 28 for the National Terry Fox School Run Day.
"When I talk to schools, I ask them, 'How many of you have had family members affected by cancer?' I'm always surprised at the number because it's quite a few. It's hard to find someone who hasn't been affected. But the high success rate of stopping it has been because of the research, and Terry was very instrumental in opening up the disease and getting people to pay attention.
"I believe it's because of Terry that everybody has a much better chance," he said. "Me included."
RUN DETAILS
The 31st annual Terry Fox Run will be held across the country on Sunday, Sept. 18, including four run sites in the Tri-Cities:
Coquitlam (10 a.m. at Blue Mountain Park);
Port Moody (10 a.m. at city hall);
Anmore (noon at the village hall);
and Port Coquitlam, Fox's hometown (10 a.m. at Hyde Creek rec centre).
For the latter, Terry Fox's father, Rolly, will be a guest of honour.
Meanwhile, cancer survivors will be at the start of the runs wearing red shirts, identifying them as Terry's Team members. Cancer survivors wanting to lead the runs are asked to call the run organizers before Sept. 18 to sign up.
