by Lorne Johnson
Belmont Lake, Ontario, Canada
February 2025
Hi, my name is Lorne Johnson, I am 61 years old. I have owned and operated an industrial construction business for 32 years. I reside on Belmont Lake near Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. I have been married for 38 years, have two beautiful daughters and one grandson.
In 2021, I noticed a small marble-sized hernia in my belly button. After an ultrasound revealing caking on my omentum, I underwent a CT scan followed by a biopsy to confirm I had a rare appendiceal cancer (peritoneal malignancy).
I was referred to Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, one of the best cancer facilities in the world. In January 2022, the doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital advised that I had too much disease to be offered CRS-HIPEC surgery. They advised that I probably had 3 years to live. I continued with 6-month follow-up CT scans and consults at Princess Margaret Hospital for the next 24-months. My stomach became quite distended over this period and I developed abdominal and back pain while eating and digesting. Princess Margaret Hospital advised me during my October 13, 2023 appointment that my pain was due to the extra weight I was carrying with the distended belly (I did not believe this to be the case at all) and that I should go away and return in another 6-months for another scan and follow-up.
In December 2023, I came across a Global News article about a BC woman in Canada, who received life-saving surgery for a rare cancer in the USA. As I read on it was clear that this woman, Allison Ducluzeau, had the exact same rare cancer that I had. She too was told that she was not a candidate for surgery and to go home and plan her affairs. Allison had sought out experts in the field of CRS-HIPEC surgery and found a surgeon in Baltimore Maryland named Dr. Armando Sardi who advised her she was indeed a candidate for CRS-HIPEC surgery and she had surgery in February 2023.
In January 2024, I met with Dr. Armando Sardi in Baltimore, who advised that I also was a candidate and surgery would be scheduled for February 8, 2024.
My CRS-HIPEC surgery involved a 12-hour cytoreduction surgery (CRS) (removal of all visible tumour possible) followed by 90-minutes of Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (a heated chemo applied inside the abdomen).
The recovery from this procedure was very difficult and took a long time. Today February 8, 2025 is my one-year survivorship anniversary and I am pleased to say I am 95% recovered and doing very well. I still have a small amount of tumour that could not be resected which I am treating with oral chemotherapy and it appears the tumour markers are stable. Again, I am feeling great, travelling and enjoying life in my “Bonus Round”, thanks to Dr. Sardi, Allison Ducluzeau, and my wife and entire family for their incredible support.
My advice to anyone with a cancer diagnosis is to get a second opinion. I put my trust in Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and what the Doctors told me. In hindsight, it is clearly apparent to me that our bar for treating this rare disease in Canada is set far too low. Be it due to a lack of resources, experienced surgeons or sufficient Insurance funding? Dr. Sardi advised that I should have been operated in Canada in early 2022 thus giving me an even better chance at long term survival.
I am very grateful that Allison put her story out there in hopes it would help others. She saved my life by doing so. We have become “Bonus Day Buddies” and very good friends. Allison just celebrated her 2-year survivor anniversary!
Many thanks to all the Doctors and Nurses and staff at Mercy Medical Center for their exceptional care and compassion.