Another B.C. MLA reveals battle with cancer
West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Karin Kirkpatrick has revealed she is battling breast cancer, making her the third MLA over the past several months to go public with a cancer diagnosis.
Kirkpatrick credits the discovery of her cancer to a reminder letter from the BC Cancer Agency telling her it was time for a mammogram.
"I almost put that letter down and I almost just threw it into the pile on my desk," she told CTV News in an interview. "But that little voice that had made (me) promise to look after myself this year, made me pick up the phone."
After a mammogram in October, she said she was diagnosed on Nov. 10 with Stage 1 invasive lobular carcinoma.
"I've got to say, I'm very lucky. I'm feeling very positive, and it's because I went for that mammogram, and I did it when I was supposed to do it," Kirkpatrick said.
Her diagnosis came weeks after Premier John Horgan revealed he was battling throat cancer and would undergo treatment. In late November, Richmond-Queensborough MLA Aman Singh revealed he had been diagnosed with colon cancer and was also undergoing treatment.
In a Twitter thread, Kirkpatrick wrote: "I would like to acknowledge my friend @AmanSinghNDP MLA for Richmond-Queensborough, who recently shared his own cancer diagnosis journey & the importance of colon screening. We r so fortunate to have access to these health tools we owe it 2 ourselves to use them!"
The news also came during the fall legislative session. Kirkpatrick was unrelenting in asking questions about the province's proposed changes to a "hub" model for kids with special needs and she raised concerns on behalf of parents of children with Autism.
"Family's very important to me, this was important that I looked after myself. But everything we talked about that last week in the legislature was about families and making sure you know parents are advocating for their kids and they've got to be healthy themselves."
Kirkpatrick underwent surgery Dec. 20 and is now encouraging everyone to book their mammograms as soon as they get their reminder letters. She believes early detection is making a difference in her cancer battle.
"It was caught so quickly, the prognosis is excellent," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.