Leo Sabulsky had no desire to be a cooperative cancer patient.
The retired teacher had been diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and had made his way from his hometown of Chetwynd to the B.C. Cancer Centre for the North for treatment. His wife was unable to be with him at the time, due to the ill health of her mother. He was told his initial treatment would last two months and that he needed to find accommodation in Prince George.
"I was going to do this battle alone," Sabulsky said on Friday.
To his surprise, Sabulsky, who is also the fire chief of Chetwynd, found refuge at the Korbyban Lodge, which provides a comfortable stay for cancer patients from other parts of the north. The 36-bed lodge, operated by the Canadian Cancer Society, B.C. and Yukon division, celebrated its fifth anniversary on Friday afternoon, with an audience of donors, Canadian Cancer Society staff and survivors like Sabulsky.
Sabulsky described his own battle with the illness and the difference the lodge made in his quality of life. He described his initial arrival at the lodge. Three volunteers immediately began helping him unload his belongings from his truck.
"I felt like I was being helped by three fairy godmothers from Cinderella," Sabulsky said.
He befriended another cancer patient at the lodge, who introduced him to his favoured term for treatment - cancer conveyor belt.
"Sign-in! Radiation! Chemo! Probing! Testing! What's your birthday? Look up at the picture as you are radiated," he explained in a speech.
"It's a conveyor belt, a cancer conveyor belt."
Sabulsky described Kordyban Lodge as an "oasis."
The lodge was built after a sustained community campaign generated $12 million. The funding was spearheaded by a $2 million donation by local philanthropist Mary Kordyban. Her husband, Bill, passed away after a battle with liver cancer in 2000.
Over the last five years, the lodge has housed 3,500 patients, according to Sandra Krueckl, vice-president of cancer control for the Canadian Cancer Society.
But Krueckl said this statistic does little to describe the improvements in quality of life the space has provided for those dealing with cancer.
"I'm so proud and grateful to be a part of an organization that is doing this work. It is a great privilege in my life and I'm so thankful for all of you who continue to support the work of the Canadian Cancer Society," Krueckl said in a speech.
Sabulsky presented a quilt his wife had stitched together to Mary Kordyban. He said the quilt was designed to commemorate the lodge.
In his speech, he said the lodge had allowed him to "embrace the good" while undertaking 240 bouts of chemotherapy.
"This is an incredible place," he said. "If you live out of town, Kordyban Lodge welcomes you."
