'Faith for the future': 82-year-old man living with stomach cancer shares his journey

First at Five: A Gut Feeling First at Five looks at the warning signs of stomach cancer – as rates rise in Canada.

Around 4,200 Canadians are diagnosed with stomach cancer each year.

It's a rare cancer with no screening programs, so people are often diagnosed at an advanced stage – including Frank Marshall who lives in Halifax.

“I had a huge tumour … a 13-centimetre tumour, and there was other cancer in the stomach as well,” said Marshall. “It was devastating when I heard that.”

The 82-year-old has lived a healthy life, so he was shocked when he received the diagnosis in August 2023.

“The doctors gave me a year. I was in fourth stage cancer. I didn’t realize that at the time, but I sort of thought, when you look back and see the problems I was having with swallowing and that sort of thing, I believe the cancer was there for a while,” said Marshall.

After his first round of chemotherapy, his tumour shrunk to less than six centimetres.

“They couldn’t believe it. The doctor came in with a big smile on her face,” said Marshall.

He's considered a miracle patient with the way his cancer has responded to different treatments.

“He's a perfect example of somebody who's living his best life with his cancer,” said Dr. Stephanie Snow, a medical oncologist at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.

Marshall has been a patient of Snow’s for about a year.

“When I first met him, of course, the diagnosis of an incurable cancer was hitting him and his family pretty hard, but now they've kind of settled into a routine,” said Snow.

“Frank is very full of hope and faith, and he understands the importance of remaining socially connected. He's very physically active and his attitude is great and he's able to still do all the things that he used to do.”

If stomach cancer is caught early, it can be cured, but the survival rate for those with incurable cancer is typically one to two years.

“But we are making a lot of advances in our treatments. We're seeing more and more long-term survivors and people who are able to live their best life, but even if you've been cured of stomach cancer, it will impact you for the rest of your life,” said Snow.

“Our stomach cancer patients really struggle nutritionally getting adequate nutrition in, and often they need to take a lot of supplements, protein supplements or things like Boost or Ensure. So, some of our patients will struggle to actually access those resources.”

There is also now a growing number of younger Canadians in their 20s and 30s who are being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

“We don't have a really good sense why, but it may have a lot to do with our diets and how they've changed over the years. In general, a healthy diet is going to consist of whole real foods, and over the past few decades, we've been eating more and more processed foods, foods with a lot of preservatives. So that may be playing a role,” said Snow.

The symptoms of stomach cancer can vary, but some of the common ones include:

For Marshall, his main symptoms prior to diagnosis were fatigue and trouble swallowing.

“No matter what the situation, I felt that there’s a way out, and that’s exactly how I feel about this situation that I’m in. It’s bad, but I’m going to get through it,” said Marshall.

Now, 15 months past his initial diagnosis, the great-grandfather is staying positive.

“My life up until now has been beautiful, and it’s continuing, and I have faith for the future,” he said.

“My faith in God and my faith in the doctors and my attitude, I believe, is going to help me get through this situation.”

Stomach Cancer Awareness Day is coming up on Nov. 30. There will be a free virtual medical conference taking place. Buildings around the world, including several in the Maritimes, will be lit periwinkle blue to raise awareness for the disease.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.