Sindy Hooper raises $500,000 for cancer research at The Ottawa Hospital

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An Ottawa woman has raised more than $500,000 for cancer research at The Ottawa Hospital during the decade she has lived with pancreatic cancer.

Sindy Hooper has led fundraising teams at the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend every year since she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early 2013.

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Those teams, Team MEMC and Marathoners Gone Viral, recently surpassed the half-million dollar milestone.

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Hooper, a former marathon runner and Ironman competitor, was honored Tuesday night by officials of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, which celebrates 50 people who have had a significant impact on this city’s running community over the past 50 years. .

Karie Ford, marketing coordinator for Run Ottawa, said Hooper was being recognized “for his commitment to his community and his inspiring story of perseverance and positivity against all odds.”

Hooper called the fundraising milestone “a great achievement.”

“Just the fact that my friends and family have continued to support me in this cause for the last 10 years is just incredible,” he said in an interview. “It’s a really nice feeling to know we’ve done it.”

The 115 people on Hooper’s Make Every Moment Count (MEMC) team this year have already raised more than $55,000.

Hooper, who has been living with stage 4 pancreatic cancer since September 2022, will walk the 5K on race weekend with the goal of finishing in one hour.

He managed to join a US clinical trial in January and the treatment it offers has kept his cancer under control.

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The clinical trial is testing the safety and clinical activity of RMC-6236, a targeted therapy designed to treat patients with advanced pancreatic cancer driven by a mutated KRAS gene. Hooper has this altered form of the gene, which is responsible for most pancreatic cancers.

“I’m fine,” Hooper said. “I haven’t had any progression of my disease since September, nor any new metastases, which is really fantastic.”

Hooper suffers from repeated fluid buildup in his left lung and must have it drained every three days. This condition largely prevents him from participating in the long-distance sports that have been the center of his life for decades: running, swimming and cycling.

“It means I can’t run anymore. Path. And I can’t swim anymore because I can’t breathe enough. But I bought an electric bike, so I still ride my bike, but cheating a little.”

Hooper walks three miles every day and twice as much on weekends. “It’s not easy: I come home feeling very tired,” she said. “My legs are fine, but my chest gets a little tight.”

He continues training with a group of friends preparing for the Mont Tremblant Ironman competition in June. Hooper will take a scooter to accompany them on their races.

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“I wish I could swim,” he said. “I would really love to get into Meech Lake this summer. “I really miss the long baths at Meech.”

Hooper was training for an Ironman in December 2012 when he began experiencing pain in his back and abdomen. Her skin was itchy and she felt unusually tired.

An ultrasound revealed a tumor in his pancreas. People diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive an average of six months, as the disease is usually advanced when it is discovered.

Hooper underwent surgery to remove part of his pancreas and stomach and, five weeks later, resumed his resistance training. Over the next decade, he completed two Ironmans and 15 triathlons, in addition to the Ottawa Marathon and the Boston Marathon.

He now travels to the United States every three weeks to continue his clinical trial treatment. Later this week, she will travel to Fairfax, Virginia, for a CT scan and checkup.

“I hope the scan shows everything is stable,” he said.

PHOTO GALLERY: Sindy Hooper

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