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National Post

Canucks: B.C. cancer initiative hits home for Kirk and Genevieve McLean

Article content Funding addresses the following foundation goals: Article content • Renewed pathology laboratory at VGH to use the power of robotics and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to decrease diagnostic turnaround time and facilitate more accurate diagnosis. Article content • State-of-the-art operating rooms and surgical tools. In April, VGH became the first hospital in Canada to conduct a surgical procedure by using a spine robot. In May, VGH opened the province's first in-patient clinical trials unit. Article content Genevieve was diagnosed with leukemia as a child, and nine years later at the age of 24 there was a relapse. She received a life-saving blood transplant from her brother at VGH. However, in 2017, Genevieve faced another cancer battle. A six-by-five centimetre tumour was discovered in her adrenal gland and successfully removed. Article content She remains cancer free today and is beyond grateful. Article content 'It for sure changes you, because the little things now don't matter as much after going through that,' said Genevieve. 'It changes your perspective as the years go by because you realize how lucky you are. There's the cancer portion and the treatments and a lot of parts in your body are affected. Article content Article content 'Cancer doesn't just happen, it goes much further along and is always evolving. You get it and you think you're not going to graduate or get married and worry about the future. That's where it changed me. I was fortunate to meet Kirk's parents and it was very similar because faith is a big part of us. And so is being happy day by day because life isn't guaranteed.' Article content Cancer doesn't play favourites. Genevieve played sports in high school and was modelling when struck by the cancer relapse. There was no family history of cancer. She had been in New York and Italy and then returned home, and wham, it hit her again. And when it struck for a third time, her mettle was tested. Was this like baseball, three strikes and she's out? Article content 'I had lower-back pain, but I played sports growing up and thought it was just from working out, but Kirk told me it was ridiculous. Your back shouldn't be hurting all the time,' recalled Genevieve. 'I had such pain before, that this was nothing in the grand scheme of things, and I just put it (examination) off. Article content