The Ottawa man doctors have called an "improbable statistic" has beat cancer repeatedly and lives to tell the tale.
"I've had many bouts with it and I really believe right now that I have survived. I'm cured," said Harvey Nuelle.
Nuelle's first fight was with an aggressive recurring form of tissue cancer. He says the survival rate was two to five years to live.
Nuelle managed to live longer but then cancer struck again – this time attacking his prostate.
Described as a warrior, Nuelle managed to beat that too along with 100,000 other Canadians who the Canadian Cancer Society says beat cancer in the past two decades.
"There are a lot of families and a lot of individuals that can be celebrating with this news," said Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society.
The push is on for that number to grow through education and awareness campaigns.
Events like the Alterna Ultimate Run raises money for new surgical technology and clinical trials.
The Fathers Day event, which launched Wednesday, has raised $2.5 million to date.
Money from these fundraising initiatives has helped people like Senator and former Ottawa Police chief Vern White beat the disease.
White found out he had colon cancer about a week before the Alterna Ultimate Run last year.
"These improvements in treatment and in screening do make a difference and there remains a lot of work that needs to be done," said Cunningham.
It's work Nuelle believes will get done.
"We're going to beat you (cancer). At some point in time there will be a cure."
With a report from CTV Ottawa's John Hua
