On December 1, 2023, Beth Johnston was diagnosed with leukemia after a sudden, intense back pain sent her to the hospital. The diagnosis came as a shock. She was young, healthy, active. She fed her kids organic food and didn’t allow them to play with plastic toys. She had just run a half marathon and played hockey on a regular basis. How could she have cancer?
Within 24 hours, Beth was transferred to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, where she was admitted for a 30-day hospital stay while she underwent an initial round of chemotherapy. With the support of her doctors and nurses at The Princess Margaret, she continued being active, lifting weights, walking 12,000 steps a day, and eating home-cooked food that her husband prepared and brought to her.
"Everything felt personalized at The Princess Margaret. I was able to advocate for myself, and I always felt safe doing so. The nurses, especially Jen Catsburg of the AYA Program, have quite literally saved my life as much as the drugs."
Beth achieved remission, but nine months after her diagnosis, the cancer came back. After all the progress she’d made, it felt like a gut-punch. But her team had a plan. At The Princess Margaret, there was always a plan. And that made all the difference.
Beth needed to get back into remission to qualify for a stem cell transplant. She started on a new immunotherapy drug that was delivered through a three-pound pump she had to wear for a month at a time. And she felt fantastic on it. No nausea. No weird symptoms. She even found a running vest to hold the pump so she could run with it.
"Each dose cost [thousands of] dollars. I like to joke that it was my most expensive running outfit ever."
The new drug brought her back into remission, and luckily, three perfect stem cell donors were immediately found. The transplant was successful and now, almost one year later, her biopsies look excellent. If leukemia doesn’t return by year two, she’ll be considered cleared. Thanks to groundbreaking innovations in immunotherapy, Beth was able to keep living her life – keep exercising, eating well, and seeing her family – while undergoing treatment.
"The Princess Margaret gives people miracles, both big and small, every hour of the day. When you buy a Lottery ticket, you are literally buying someone time with their family, friends, time for running, time for baking, time for art, time for the sunrise…all of the things that make us human."