Martensville man raises awareness for rare form of cancer

Myeloma Canada’s 3rd annual Saskatoon Multiple Myeloma March took place on Sunday.

Former volunteer firefighter Ray Wilgenbusch has been battling the rare form of cancer called multiple myeloma since 2014.

The Martensville man marched through his community, while fellow marches took place in Saskatoon in hopes of reaching the fundraising goal of $12,000 to help further critical research of the deadly blood cancer.

“The whole idea of today is to create awareness and encourage people to donate in helping fund research,” Wilgenbusch said. “This year we are having a virtual march, and we are having it take place in multiple locations.”

The idea to have each family have their own march was so that physical distancing rules could be more easily enforced, as well as preventing crowding.

Wilgenbusch had slipped and fell back in 2014, resulting in him having to undergo x-rays.

“I dealt with a lot of bone pain and back pain, I was seeing physiotherapists and chiropractors, they thought I had a pinched nerve,” Wilgenbusch said. “I eventually changed doctors and this doctor’s father-in-law had multiple myeloma, he saw the x-rays and sent me to the cancer center.”

Wilgenbusch underwent a stem cell transplant that killed 95 per cent of the cancer cells in his body, followed by radiation treatments that have helped him greatly.

“There could be people who are experiencing similar symptoms that I was experiencing, it’s important to look into it,” Wilgenbusch said. “The sooner it’s caught, the less bone damage there is because multiple myeloma steals the calcium out of your bones.”

Wilgenbusch added that he is very fortunate to have the support that he has.

“My wife has been a caregiver for six years, and it isn’t a fun job,” Wilgenbusch said. “She’s had to do a lot of things that I can’t do.”

Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer that affects a type of immune cell called the plasma cell, found in the bone marrow. Every day, nine Canadians are diagnosed.