A former Estevan man is fighting for his future.
This past summer Rob Olson, now of Rabbit Lake, was diagnosed with a rare lymphoma in his intestine. In the fall, he learned the cancer had spread to his bladder, complicating chemotherapy treatments.
The 35-year-old is now on his third type of chemotherapy at the Royal University Hospital (RUH) in Saskatoon, which is designed to attack the cancer in both locations.
"He wasn't feeling very well in late July, and he was actually hospitalized, and it was in early August when they had the cancer diagnosis," said co-worker Chris Hamel, speaking about when the diagnosis was made.
Told by doctors the odds aren't in his favour with that treatment, Olson has investigated the possibility of travelling to Houston to seek further treatment at one of the best cancer centres in the world.
Olson's Cameco co-workers are now raising funds to help cover the cost of the second opinion he could receive at the centre in Houston. The group is aiming to raise $10,000, which will cover Olson's initial consultation in Houston.
There is, however, still hope that treatments in Saskatoon will send Olson's cancer into remission, and if he doesn't need to seek further options in the U.S., all the money raised will be donated to lymphoma research, the cancer centre and the hematology/oncology ward at RUH.
"Rob has stated that any of the excess funds, if he doesn't need them, then he would donate them," said Hamel, who is among the co-workers spearheading the fundraisers for Olson.
"Here's a guy who needs some help. It's just the right thing to do," said Hamel. "It could be anyone out there, and we're just lucky enough that we have a network of people here at work who we can call on. Rob's a great guy, and we can all get together to help him out."
The fundraising supper held on Tuesday at the Sutherland Bar in Saskatoon had 250 tickets for sale. The event, called Rob Gets Healthy, had a number of draws and silent auction items available to be won.
Hamel has known Olson for about 10 years, and noted they no longer work at the same site, as Olson moved on to work at one of Cameco's mining operations.
While Olson and his friends and family are hopeful the treatment he is receiving will work, Hamel said the fundraising will allow for a safety net if he needs to seek treatment elsewhere.
"If Rob does need to go to Houston to seek treatments beyond what they're capable of doing here at the cancer centre in Saskatoon, we want to have that safety net in place for him. If he needs that option, it's there and he can use it."
In a release sent to the Mercury, Olson said "My case is so rare that there could be a chance they see more in Houston. I want to know that I gave my best to find out if there was a way to beat this thing."
