Sindy Hooper raises $500,000 for cancer research at Ottawa Hospital

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An Ottawa woman has raised more than $500,000 for cancer research at The Ottawa Hospital during the decade she has lived with pancreatic cancer.

Sindy Hooper has led fundraising teams at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend every year since she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early 2013.

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Those teams, the MEMC crew and Marathoners Gone Viral, recently topped the half-million-dollar milestone.

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Hooper, a former marathon runner and Ironman competitor, was honoured Tuesday evening by officials with Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, who are celebrating 50 people who have had a significant impact on this city’s running community during the past 50 years.

Karie Ford, marketing coordinator for Run Ottawa, said Hooper was being recognized “because of her commitment to her community and her inspiring story of perseverance and positivity against the odds.”

Hooper called the fundraising milestone “a huge accomplishment.”

“Just having my friends and family continue to support me in this cause over the last 10 years is just so incredible,” she said in an interview. “It’s a very nice feeling to know we’ve done that.”

The 115 people who are this year part of Hooper’s Make Every Moment Count (MEMC) team have already raised more than $55,000.

Hooper, who has been living with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer since September 2022, will be walking the 5k on race weekend with the goal of finishing inside an hour.

She managed to join a U.S. clinical trial in January, and the treatment it offers has kept her cancer in check.

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The clinical trial is testing the safety and clinical activity of RMC-6236, a targeted therapy designed to treat patients with advanced pancreatic cancer that’s driven by a mutated KRAS gene. Hooper has this altered form of the gene, which is responsible for most pancreatic cancers.

“I’m doing OK,” Hooper said. “I’ve had no progression of my disease since September, no new metastases, so that’s really great.”

Hooper suffers from repeated fluid build-up in her left lung, and must have it drained every three days. The condition largely prevents her from taking part in the long-distance sports that have been at the centre of her life for decades: running, swimming and biking.

 “It means I can’t run at all anymore. I walk. And I can’t swim anymore because I can’t get enough breath. But I’ve bought myself an e-bike so I’m still biking – but kind of cheating a little bit.”

Hooper walks five kilometres every day, and double that on weekends. “It’s not easy: I come home feeling pretty darn tired,” she said. “My legs are OK, but my chest gets kind of tight.”

She continues to train with a group of friends preparing for the Mont Tremblant Ironman competition in June. Hooper will take a scooter to accompany them on their runs.  

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“I wish I could swim,” she said. “I’d really love to be able to get into Meech Lake this summer. I really miss the long swims in Meech.”

Hooper was training for an Ironman in December 2012 when she began to experience pain in her back and abdomen. Her skin was itchy and she felt unusually tired.

An ultrasound revealed a tumour in her pancreas. Those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive an average of six months since the disease is usually advanced by the time it’s discovered.

Hooper underwent surgery to remove part of her pancreas and stomach, and five weeks later, resumed her endurance training. During the next decade, she completed two Ironmans and 15 triathlons, along with the Ottawa Marathon and Boston Marathon.

She now travels to the U.S. every three weeks to continue her clinical trial treatment. Later this week, she will travel to Fairfax, Virginia for a CT scan and checkup.   

“I’m hoping the scan shows everything’s stable,” she said.

PHOTO GALLERY: Sindy Hooper

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