Oliver's Story

The cancer returned many times resulting in a bone marrow transplant; an amputation of the leg above the knee, removal of part of his left lung, removal of his right lung, a removal of a recurrence in the leg above the knee, and what took Oliver’s life was the final recurrence in the sternum. When the doctors removed his sternum in 2007, within a short time the sarcoma had metastasized throughout his whole body.

The courage and strength Oliver displayed, we’d never seen in all our days. He was the athlete of the year; he won every race and showed no fear.

No one was safe from his practical jokes. He loved to fake agony whenever his favourite nurse removed a sticky bandage from his hairy arm. Oliver was also a relentless competitor who never lost at anything; he never gave up. He took up golf and became unbeatable, once shooting a 67! He surrounded himself with positive people who did everything possible to make some of his life’s wishes come true. His aunt Mary sold her house to live in the same duplex with him; Auntie Betsy (Crazy Auntie Bets, CAB) bought Oliver a jeep to give him freedom and purpose to live. His family, friends and “fans” gave him visions by contributing financially to many trip including his life-long dream vacation of an African Safari.

Given a prognosis of only 6 months, Oliver fought his battle for 13 years.

Oliver was an extremely talented student and he eagerly returned to school every time he went into remission.

“There are so many adjectives to describe Olivier. Talking to him is not about talking to someone who has a serious illness. It is about talking to an energetic young man whose positive attitude, deep intelligence, emotional maturity and bravery, simply shine.” said Audrey Goldner-Sauve Ph.D, Oliver’s professor.

Few eyes were dry when he graduated from McGill University with a degree in Physiotherapy at 28. Sadly he worked only 3 days before the cancer returned one last time.