By Darren Lum
Published June 8 2017
Sometimes you need superheroes to bring people together.
Kinmount residents Robert and Melissa Moody and Regan Correia are becoming Team Angiosarcoma Avengers to compete at the Spartan Sprint Race on Friday Sept. 8 at Canadian Forces Base Borden.
Motivated by Robert’s father Bob Moody 64 who was diagnosed this past January with angiosarcoma the veterans are using the race to show their support for him.
Angiosarcoma is a rare aggressive cancer of the inner lining of the blood vessels. It accounts for less than one per cent of adult malignancies.
Money raised goes to Angiosarcoma Awareness Inc. dedicated to researching a cure for the disease and supporting those with it.
Initially Melissa wanted to raise money for Bob but he refused saying his treatments were covered. The couple felt like they needed to do something she said.
“Rob and I aren’t the [type of] people to sit around and worry about it” Melissa said.
Tackling their first Spartan event – a challenging obstacle course race – was a start.
Angiosarcoma Awareness Inc. is an organization primarily run by volunteers so the money goes where it is needed she said.
“It’s very inspiring to see how far they’ve come and that they’re always making headway. There really isn’t enough known especially in Canada there really isn’t anything” she said.
The organization was founded by two women Lauren Ryan and Dr. Corrie Painter who both had angiosarcoma of the breast. Ryan has since died from the cancer and Painter continues to work to raise awareness and to find a cure.
The Moodys’ GoFundMe has raised $475 of the $5000 goal as of press time.
Melissa sees Angiosarcoma Awareness Inc. as a hope for everyone who is afflicted with this disease.
Unlike some tumours she said which can be taken out the biggest issue is this cancer can travel to any organ and area in the body such as the skin breast liver spleen and deep tissue making it difficult to eradicate with surgery.
The Moodys first learned Bob had cancer just before Christmas.
A lesion on his nose and recurring lesions on his cheeks prompted a biopsy which revealed angiosarcoma.
So far Bob has had chemotherapy to kill as much of the cancer as possible. These treatments have helped him feel better but worsened the pre-existing arthritis in his joints led to foot pain and numbness and thinning hair. Without the cancer visible radiation is not an option and chemotherapy is the only treatment Melissa said.
She said her father-in-law has not let the cancer slow him down too much despite everything.
He continues to work full time as a property manager in Mississauga and remains dedicated to his family and responsibilities even redoing the flooring in his daughter’s Brampton home where he resides.
The grandfather of five grandchildren was upset at the initial diagnosis but has been hopeful since starting his chemotherapy.
In the face of this struggle and the poor odds for full recovery he would love to be around a lot longer to see his youngest granddaughter grow up Melissa said.
To donate to the Moodys’ Team Angiosarcoma Avengers go to: www.gofundme.com/team-angiosarcoma-avengers. To find out more about Angiosarcoma Awareness Inc. go to www.cureasc.org.
