Christianna & Terry

Just over a year ago I became acquainted with Cholangiocarcinoma and life has not been the same since.

 

On August 15, 2024 my husband Terry was diagnosed with Stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma. He had been complaining off and on about a ‘gnawing discomfort’ in his abdomen. All that spring he had been trying to get back into running shape after a knee surgery the previous fall. He had been getting frustrated with his lack of progress which was out of the norm for him. 

 

Terry is an emergency physician and has always prioritized fitness in the over 30 years that I have known him. Not only to stay in good physical shape but to maintain his mental health in a stressful profession and busy family life with three kids. 

 

Terry completed his first line treatment in February 2025 and unfortunately had disease progression on maintenance immune therapy. He has had stability back on chemo. 

 

On June 01, 2025 we organized a fundraising run with the help of our friend Todd Harris in the village where we live. The ‘Dr. Terry May’s Vile Bile’ sold out with 400 participants and 60 plus volunteers coming out to support the work of C3. This was an incredible day for our family and one we will always remember.

 

C3 has been great support to Terry and I throughout this last year. Terry has benefited from genomic testing, we have participated in support groups and attended the C3 conference in Toronto this past spring. It has been a comfort to know that there is a coordinated effort of people working towards better outcomes for those diagnosed with this rare and aggressive cancer. 

 

As a family we continue to hold out hope that there will be a clinical trial or treatment on the horizon that will keep Terry with us longer. We will continue to do everything we can to support C3 and other patients and families affected by Cholangiocarcinoma in Canada.