BURST
Dan Fine doesn’t walk as far as he used to. Not since pancreatic cancer has spread to his liver, lungs and lymph nodes.
These days, a short walk leaves him breathless. But on Nov. 8, he’ll be at the starting line of Stanley Park’s Kicking PancreAs 5K — not to run it, but to cheer the entire way as its race director.
For the 66-year-old West Vancouver resident, this isn’t just a run. It’s a mission. A legacy.
“I have chosen to dedicate much of my remaining time on Earth to raising awareness and supporting those still in the fight,” Fine told Postmedia News.
There are no regular screenings for pancreatic cancer in Canada, and symptoms, like back or leg pain, typically don’t appear until the disease is already advanced. In B.C., around 800 people are diagnosed each year.
Fine’s diagnosis came nearly a year ago while he and his wife of 38 years, Kim, were vacationing in France.
“I had started working out consistently at the gym, and was thinking I had lost 20 pounds and was really sore in my arms, back and legs because of all the workouts,” he said. “But as soon as I visited a doctor and was sent for tests, they knew right away that it was cancer.”
Since then, he has endured more than 2,000 hours of chemotherapy through B.C. Cancer and enrolled in a two-month clinical trial in Texas. At first, the treatments worked but now they’ve stopped.
“Tumours are everywhere — my liver, bones. It’s so painful,” he said. “The first 32 rounds of chemo, I did OK. But now, I’m getting tired.”
This week, he begins one last treatment, a new form of chemotherapy in Seattle, not yet offered in B.C. He hopes it will slow the disease down just enough to make it to the race. Maybe even to December.
“Since my diagnosis, time has started speeding by in dog years,” he said. “I am focusing on what matters most to me: it’s time with my grandson, my two daughters and my wife.”
When pain keeps him from sleeping, Fine walks through fond memories — of hiking, meeting fellow travellers and exploring with his dog.
In 2022, after meeting a Ukrainian dog owner in a Vancouver park, Fine travelled to Ukraine to volunteer at a pet sanctuary. That trip turned into co-founding the Ukraine War Animal Relief Fund, which has helped sterilize, treat and re-home thousands of abandoned animals in war zones.
Fine has been approved for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). He’s not rushing to use it. But he knows what lies ahead.
“I just want to be surrounded by Kim and the kids when I decide it’s time. Nothing fancy,” he said.
“I’m not sad. I don’t want to be greedy. I’ve had a great life. I met the right person. I got to live to meet my grandson. I still get to laugh every day. What more can you ask for?
“Friends I haven’t spoken to in years are texting. One is flying in from Colorado for the race. People check in and ask how I’m doing, and it brings me back to when we first met, when we were younger. It’s an overwhelming feeling of being loved.”
This November’s Kicking PancreAs 5K is in it’s second year. Last year, it drew just 28 participants and raised around $5,000 for research. More than 70 people are signed up for this year, raising more than $14,000 so far.
“You can make every day a diamond,” he said. “It’s your choice. You can do something right now, deciding to enjoy life.”
People interested in participating in the Kicking PancreAs 5K can register online .