There are everyday headaches, then there are excruciatingly painful headaches that make working, walking and even thinking nearly impossible chores.
It was the latter sort of pain that sent Calgarian Alyson Woloshyn to hospital three years ago to find out what was causing the aches in her head.
The diagnosis was grim.
In the spring of 2009, Woloshyn, 32, was diagnosed with one of the most deadly forms of cancer, called glioblastoma.
The aggressive brain cancer usually strikes middle-aged men.
Woloshyn, who worked in client services at the University of Calgary, was young, fit and female ? and, according to the odds, had little more than a year to live.
?When the prognosis is 12 to 18 months, that?s a tough, tough thing to deal with,? said Woloshyn?s longtime partner, Jared Long.
?Alyson was really empowered. There were things she could control and things she couldn?t. She certainly turned her focus onto the things she could control.?
One of those things, it turns out, was advocating for brain cancer research.
Indeed, Woloshyn?s enthusiasm for helping others diagnosed with brain cancer became her trademark as she struggled with the deadly disease.
Since her May 2009 diagnosis, the Calgary woman raised more than $50,000 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
Woloshyn died on May 27.
Those who knew her, however, are determined her legacy will live on.
To that end, a research fellowship now carries her name.
According to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, the Alyson Woloshyn Cancer Research Clinical Fellowship is set to be awarded to a top-ranking candidate to carry out research related to brain cancer. The fellowship is intended to allow the researcher to work in Alberta for up to three years.
Alberta Cancer Foundation?s Darren Neuberger, who counted Woloshyn as a friend, said the tribute is fitting.
Neuberger first met Woloshyn in 2009 following a U of C medical student?s club speech on young adult cancer, soon after her first brain surgery.
?I remember when I walked away, thinking, ?Wow, this girl is crazy. She?s essentially been given the worst diagnosis you can hear as far as brain cancer. She was so bubbly, she was so enthusiastic.?
Oncologist Dr. Jacob Easaw, head of the brain cancer program at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, treated Woloshyn as she went through surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy.
?The problem with a brain tumour is there?s nowhere for it to grow. The skull is fixed, it can?t expand,? said Easaw.
The brain pressure causes the severe headaches, but it can also lead to a life-threatening situation called coning, when the brain is forced even further down.
While the median age for a glioblastoma multiforme ? the most aggressive form of brain tumour ? is about 55 in Calgary, Easaw said he?s starting to see younger and younger patients.
?We?re starting to see this occurring more and more frequently in younger patients and we don?t know why.
?The science really hasn?t caught up.?
The puzzling trend is just one of the many questions researchers are tackling, he said.
?What made Alyson different and unique, and really special, was the fact she really had a focus on, ?How can I help other people?? ? said Easaw.
The fellowship in her name will help train new brain cancer doctors, who will, in turn, treat other patients, he added.
Friends have organized a Woloshyn Fellowship fundraiser event, set for Thursday at 5 p.m. at Soho Bar and Grill.
The evening is being billed as a pre-Stampede event, said friend Cathy Parker, who noted Woloshyn, a Stampede volunteer, was a big fan of the 10-day show.
Even though Woloshyn knew her own prognosis wasn?t great, she wanted to do all she could to ensure others who receive the same diagnosis face a better chance.
?When Alyson was given a terminal diagnosis, she said, ?What can I do to leave a legacy and leave the world a better place for the ones I leave behind? To me, that?s so selfless,? Parker said.
More information is available by contacting woloshynfellowship@gmail.com or visiting albertacancer.ca/woloshynfellowshipfundraiser.
jkomarnicki@calgaryherald.com
? Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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