It is to “transform an event into a driver of hope” that David Gagné has set himself the goal of cycling across Quebec next June to raise awareness of multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that attacks the bone marrow and affects, like him, nearly 4,300 Canadians each year.
Accompanied by his colleague and sports partner, Noël Pelletier, a great sportsman by nature, hopes to reach the Dundee border crossing in the southwest of the Montérégie and the Laroque Bridge in Sainte-Flavie, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, in 13 days, a journey of 1,700 km. The departure of the sporting duo is scheduled for June 4.
“Project MM132” was born in Gagné’s head in 2023, when he had just received his diagnosis. Faced with the medical wandering from which he had just emerged and the lack of knowledge surrounding this type of cancer, he made it his mission to raise awareness of this cancer while inviting them to donate blood to help patients.
“The symptoms are so similar to other ailments and other physical conditions that it’s one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose,” explains David Gagné. By the time the patient is diagnosed, they’ve been damaged by the disease for a really long time, so I’ve gone through a lot of treatments.”
He describes multiple myeloma as a long-term cancer whose damage occurs very slowly. The Canadian Cancer Society describes multiple myeloma as a disease that starts in a type of white blood cell that makes antibodies to fight infections. This cancer is estimated to cost the lives of nearly 1,750 people, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
The sports duo also has set a goal of raising $50,000 for medical research. Gagné is hopeful of reaching this goal as many sponsors have already agreed to make a spontaneous donation.
It will be possible to follow Gagné and Pelletier’s journey directly on the MM132 project’s Facebook page, on which video clips about multiple myeloma will be published daily. Gagné hopes that the population will be more aware of the symptoms of potential multiple myeloma and that this will promote earlier diagnoses.
This 50-year-old Lévis resident, who works as a heritage advisor for the City of Lévy, had to undergo radiotherapy, chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants to regain a good quality of life.
“Before, we extended the life expectancy of patients, but now, and thanks to research, we no longer talk about life expectancy, we talk about extending the recovery period between treatments,” explains Gagné. “I’ve been extremely lucky, the treatments have been successful, I’ve managed to get back in physical shape and I feel healthier than the last seven years, so I’m going to travel across Quebec, introduce multiple myeloma and teach this word to the people I’m going to meet.”
He says he is nevertheless lucid about his medical condition and the physical demands that this project represents, which is why the duo wants to be flexible on the duration of the journey and has planned moments of rest during the itinerary.
Myeloma Canada will provide logistical and communication support for the project, as well as the management of fundraising.
“The MM132 project is a gesture of immense courage. It provides a critical showcase for a disease that is still under-diagnosed,” Myeloma Canada said in a statement. “We are proud to support them in this mission.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
