In fall 2005, Bruce Ross was enjoying the things he always enjoyed – as much kayaking and biking as he could fit in. But when a troublesome mark on his front tooth gum led Bruce to be referred to Dr. Stacy Matheson, a Halifax periodontist, life took an unexpected turn. “Dr. Matheson was extremely thorough and insisted a sample be checked by a pathologist,” explains Bruce. “Without her attentiveness, my oral cancer may not have been discovered for quite some time.”

Bruce was diagnosed with a form of head and neck cancer. “My amazing surgeon, Dr. Chad Robertson, discovered cancer in my upper jaw, right up into my nasal cavity. After I had surgery to remove the cancer, I was fitted with a prosthethesis by Dr. Paula Yliheikkila. I thought I had beaten the cancer and that was that,” says Bruce.

Unfortunately, Bruce’s bout with cancer was not over. During a checkup, Dr. Robertson felt a lump under Bruce’s chin. The result this time was Stage 4 cancer, meaning the cancer had spread to other organs, in Bruce’s case, his lymph node system. With such an aggressive cancer, further treatment was needed.

Bruce credits Dr. Robertson with being incredibly meticulous during the surgery to remove the cancerous lymph nodes. “Dr. Robertson took his time and did an amazing job.” Following surgery, Bruce underwent both radiation and chemotherapy treatment by a team of radiation technologists and nurses directed by Dr. Murali Rajaraman. With his previous medical sales background, Bruce found it ironic that he received treatment on imaging equipment that he had helped sell many years ago.

In May 2006, Bruce received his last treatment and was able to finally breathe a sigh of relief. He resumed his active lifestyle and became heavily involved with cancer fundraising initiatives, such as Give to Live, which in 2010 organized a bike tour from Vancouver to Texas. On his most recent check-up, he was given the ‘cured’ signal meaning, for him, a chance to continue working to make people aware of oral cancer and raise funds for the diagnosis, care and cure of all cancers.

A native of Nova Scotia living in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Bruce visits Nova Scotia every three months for a checkup to make sure he is still living cancer free. When asked if he minds the travel, Bruce simply smiles and says “I live in Niagara but it is only my home, away from home.