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Kelowna man with 'trifecta of cancers' boasts about local care

David MacLean has been battling prostate cancer, lymphoma, and skin cancer
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David MacLean (far left) and family.

David MacLean got news in September 2022 that he had prostate cancer. 

Around March 2023, MacLean learned he also had stage four non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 

Another few months down the road, the Kelowna resident learned his skin cancer was back, a diagnosis he had received years earlier. 

The past two years have been a hard-fought battle and MacLean said his tests are getting closer to where they need to be, but he's not out of the woods yet. 

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and MacLean is sharing his journey with the disease while fundraising for the BC Cancer Foundation with the sales of his new book on leadership. 

MacLean works as a leadership coach and when he was diagnosed with the "trifecta of cancers" he told his clients to "plan the worst and pray for the best."

"I was talking to one of my clients after my six months of extensive chemo, he said 'Hey, you know how we planned for the worst and prayed for the best? It looks like we got better than the best'."

MacLean said he had anticipated the chemo to take more of a toll, but with the advances at BC Cancer was told he wouldn't even lose his hair. 

"I was able to continue to do all of the work with my clients and my coaching. The side effects of the chemo were very minimal, almost non-existent."

In treating prostate cancer, MacLean learned Kelowna has a world-class brachytherapy oncologist with BC Cancer. 

"So grateful for the world-class people and the world-class technology we have here. Literally, we drive 20 minutes down the road to go to the BC Cancer Centre to get the kind of treatment that people travel great distances to get access to."

On top of the clinic's support, MacLean said he's had a wonderful community of people helping him along the way. 

"I believe life is a team game, it's not an individual sport. We're meant to do life in community," MacLean offered words of wisdom to others fighting a tough diagnosis. "Especially when you're going through a difficult, intimidating, overwhelming journey there is a community that you can plug into."

With more time at home during treatment, MacLean was able to complete his book ', a collection of 52 leadership articles he's written. 

With each book sold, $1 will be donated to the BC Cancer Foundation. 

"All of the donations that people make to BC Cancer impact lives in an incredibly positive way through the expansion of facilities, the acquisition of technology, funding research and development."

Learn more about BC Cancer Kelowna or make a donation by visiting their . 

 



Brittany Webster

About the Author: Brittany Webster

I am a video journalist based in Kelowna and capturing life in the Okanagan
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