At 65, Albert Pisani has battled not only to hear, but to be heard.

He has his hearing aids synced to his cell phone, making sure the connection is clear before he shares his story. After five years navigating cancer, hospital corridors and a health-care system stretched thin, the Nepean, Ont., resident has learned that clarity matters.

In June 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Albert had a seven-and-a-half-pound liposarcoma tumour removed from his abdomen, along with parts of the organs it touched. The surgery was complicated, but it worked. Scan after scan came back clear, and Albert had no evidence of disease for five years.

Then, his headaches started. Through the surgeon who treated his sarcoma, Albert was referred to a neurologist.

A CT scan showed what he was told were “white-matter lesions,” thought to be a buildup of cholesterol. Albert was prescribed cholesterol medication, which didn’t seem to help. If anything, it made him feel worse, so he stopped taking it.

“One hurdle after another”

His headaches persisted, though, and he was dealing with a new symptom of nausea multiple times a day.

His neurologist ordered an MRI, but a backlog of appointments meant a longer-than-usual wait time. Albert was persistent in calling the MRI department, managing to get his appointment bumped up to five weeks—still not ideal, especially when he learned the results.

“It showed possible gliomas,” Albert says.

His neurologist told him to go straight to The Ottawa Hospital’s Civic Campus, insisting he should not be sent home until he received a follow-up MRI with contrast.

The MRI confirmed three tumours in Albert’s brain, found to be glioblastoma.

“So here I am, starting all over with a second, separate cancer diagnosis,” Albert says.

He remained in the hospital while he waited for his surgery, which took place two weeks after his diagnosis. He was an inpatient for the next month as well, as he recovered from surgery and went through chemotherapy and radiation.

Since he’s been home, Albert has looked into potential options like the Optune device and clinical trials, but cost and proximity have been factors. He’s been on an oral chemotherapy drug for the past six months, which has come with some difficult side effects.

“It’s one hurdle after another,” he says.

Holding on to what matters

Through it all, Albert is keeping active, travelling and spending time with family, which includes his beloved “grand-dogs.”

“I call myself a ‘grand-paw,’” he says, laughing.

All three of his kids—Loni, April and Perry—are dog owners, and Albert has bonded with their pups. He often watches Loni’s dog while Loni, a paramedic, works long shifts, and Perry’s dog, when Perry is out of town for his job.

Albert, who worked in the newspaper industry for 35 years, was more into intense sports before his first bout with cancer—running, whitewater kayaking, biking and skiing—though dog-walking is his activity of choice these days.

“My goal for the last five years has been to keep myself in the best shape possible, because I was worried about a recurrence of my sarcoma,” he says. “Never did I think I’d be preparing to battle glioblastoma, but here I am. I’ll do my best with this as well, and I’ll never give up hope.”

He enjoyed a family trip to the Caribbean over the holidays, noting that travel insurance—given his pre-existing conditions—was a concern.

“It’s sometimes tough to do, but you have to try to live,” he says.

Looking ahead

Albert is doing just that, thinking positive and looking ahead.

He’s in an independent living unit, where he can cook his own meals and walk his “grand-dogs” at his leisure. That’s important to him, saying he needs to keep doing what he loves and living for who he loves.

“I have to exist for my kids,” he says. “And the dogs. I want to be around as long as possible for them.”

He offers words of encouragement to others in a similar situation.

“All the best to those fighting alongside me, with this glioblastoma lingering in our brains,” he says. “We can get through it together. T.E.A.M. stands for together everyone achieves more.”