P.E.I. man describes the limbo of living with cancer when health care isn't close to home

Dwight Gardiner, a Summerside, P.E.I., man who has been living with cancer since 2018, says the Canadian health-care system is not keeping up with those who live in rural areas.

Gardiner has multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that affects one in 2,500 Canadians. It is not curable, but treatments can improve a patient's quality of life.

"When I was first diagnosed in 2018, I had to go to Moncton — off-Island — to see a hematologist to get diagnosed and I started my treatment there," he said in an interview with Louise Martin of CBC News: Compass tied to April being Daffodil Month for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Gardiner was able to transfer his treatments to Summerside after that, but then he faced another issue.

"Since then I've had five different doctors overseeing my care, because on P.E.I. we seem to have a revolving door."

P.E.I.'s longstanding shortage of workers in the health-care sector has been marked by the loss of specialists, including the hematologists who diagnose and treat blood-related conditions and disease. 

"The current one retired before Christmas, and our current oncologist that could look after me is also retiring this summer," Gardiner said. "They've been making referrals for people that we are aware of... off-Island, from Halifax to Ottawa."

His wife, Megan Gardiner, is now working as a leader of the P.E.I. Myeloma Support Group.

"It's been very hard because my father also died of this disease," she said.

When her husband was diagnosed, she said it "was like a really hard blow," lessened by strong family support, including from the couple's four daughters.

"We've had a lot of help with Myeloma Canada," she added. "That has gotten me started as a group leader on the Island and it's been wonderful.

Our health care is the worst it's ever been, in a lot of years.— Dwight Gardiner

"It seems to be a rare type of cancer, but ... we help each other, we get information from even our members that come to our meetings."

Though Dwight Gardiner said his numbers are good at the moment, the family is stuck in a kind of limbo between doctor's referrals as they wait to see what his next avenue will be.

He's been referred back to Moncton, but says they haven't heard anything back, and "that's a couple of months ago."

All this care comes with a cost, with patients needing to travel long distances to get the care they need, but it's not just about the money.

"We're all waiting and nobody's getting any answers yet," Megan Gardiner said.

Cuts into finances, job time

Dwight Gardiner said they have had to go off-Island to get care only a handful of times so far, but he hears stories from members of their group who have had to travel frequently to Halifax, Moncton, N.B., or Ottawa: "That it is quite a burden on some people."

His wife said some of the support group members are taking part in clinical studies, which means even more more travel.

That adds up financially, and with their time as well, because they're missing work. Sometimes myeloma patients aren't able to work anymore.— Megan Gardiner

"They have to travel for all their bloodwork, all their treatments," she said. "It begins, they're going a couple times a week, than they're going weekly, then bi-weekly, then monthly — and that adds up financially, and with their time as well, because they're missing work. Sometimes myeloma patients aren't able to work anymore."

That is the case for Dwight Gardiner, who hasn't been able to work for nearly seven years, after stepping back from his job in 2018.

Then there are the patients sent off-Island for appointments who are being told that relocation is their best bet. The Gardiners know of one couple in that situation.

"They had their appointment, and they were told that they will have to move to Ontario to get the care that they need," Megan Gardiner said.

Travel expenses add up

Another expense comes when Maritimers are referred for treatment in another province during the winter, and choose to travel extra early to ensure bad weather won't prevent them from arriving on time. That adds hotel costs to the bill.

"Our health care is the worst it's ever been in a lot of years," Dwight Gardiner said, quoting the stats on multiple myeloma, which is twice as prevalent in Canada as liver cancer, for example. "It's getting to be a bigger issue, and not to have access to treatment on this Island, it just makes it harder to continue on."

For now, Megan Gardiner wants people to know there is support for those who need it on the Island.

"People [ought] to know that they can reach out to us and join our group and have support from one another," she said. "Families are welcome as well, that we'll support."

The support group is looking for more volunteers, especially outside of Summerside. Ideally, they'd find someone in the Charlottetown area so that there could be a Multiple Myeloma March in the capital as well as in P.E.I.'s second-biggest city each fall.

"It's a great way to get the awareness out there for the disease."