In July 2021, Jordan's previously cured osteosarcoma made a grand reappearance in the form of a 13cm mass in his right lung. After 7 years of remission following his initial chemotherapy and surgery to remove his affected knee, the likelihood of his cancer metastasizing was as low as someone who had never had it. Yet there he was, rejoining the cancer fight.

One month later, he underwent extensive surgery to remove the upper and middle lobes of his right lung and large portions of his affected ribcage. The surgery was deemed a success, and he recovered swiftly and resumed normal activities by October. 

However, in November, his progress stalled and a CT scan revealed the worst possible news. The cancer had spread dramatically throughout his entire body. Countless tumours were pointed out one by one on a screen as we processed this news. He asked if he was dying, and his oncologist nodded. 

Jordan entered in-patient chemotherapy the very next day. He was to spend 5 days in BC Cancer's chemo ward, take a couple weeks off to recover, then come back again. On his second day, he proposed to me. With spirits considerably raised, he was quick to make a silly joke with his nurses and staff throughout his visits over the next 6 months. During this time, we vacationed in Mexico, visited family in Ontario, got married, and he acted as Best Man in his brother's wedding.

When the chemo's effects began to wane and the disease progressed, he switched to a new drug and the effects were nearly immediate. His energy returned and we spent our honeymoon in Tofino. This drug, which he was prescribed due to a promising result in a clinical trial, gave him another 4 months. He accomplished a major goal to return to his boarding school and university to visit and reminisce about these formative experiences. While in Ontario, Jordan experienced a sudden health complication in the form of blood clots blocking both legs. He was told not to expect to go back to BC, and potentially not even to leave the hospital. He rejected that opinion and was out within a couple days, just in time to spend his 30th birthday surrounded by family and friends. 

After a week of recovery, he decided to take it one step further and return to BC. With flying out of the picture, we settled on renting an RV and driving across the country over 6 days. We made it back safely and were greeted ecstatically by our two dogs. Jordan spent the next 10 days relaxing, working on computer projects, playing board games, and visiting with family and friends. He was transferred to hospice on a Tuesday evening, and passed away peacefully at 2:30am Wednesday morning, on September 21, 2022.

Throughout his experience, the staff at BC Cancer were fantastic. The clinical trial that they suggested gave him extra time to accomplish his goals, and we are forever grateful for that. His care was referred to the North Shore Hospice and Palliative Care team, who supported us in keeping him home and comfortable for as long as possible. There's a reason he was willing to ride in the back of an RV across the entire country to be back in their care. We are deeply appreciative of their hard work and compassion during such a difficult time, and hope that Jordan's friends and loved ones will help contribute to BC Cancer's initiatives to support patients and their families the way that they did for us. 

The BC Cancer Foundation has confirmed that all donations will go specifically to two funds that directly impacted Jordan:

1. PROFYLE Program: The testing that Jordan had of his lung specimen after his surgery to identify any new treatments for his cancer, and identified a second treatment option that gave him extra time.

2. The Nielsen Sarcoma Research Fund: This fund researches sarcomas, the broader type of cancer that Jordan had where the cancer originates in bones and soft tissues.