Race of her life: Terminal pancreatic cancer not stopping Sindy Hooper from helping others

Sindy Hooper has toed countless start lines over the years but her next race will be special.

Hooper was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that has also spread to her left lung, spine and rib.

"When I asked my two physicians what my diagnosis, they said I had a year. If I am lucky, a bit more, if I am unlucky, less, and I am at eight months," she says.

An avid runner, Hooper will be participating in the Ottawa Race Weekend's 5-kilometer event on Saturday, raising crucial funds for pancreatic research and treatment.

"I have a team of 210 runners that will be joining me doing events all the way from the 2k to the marathon."

Hooper knows what it is like to fight the odds of a cancer diagnosis. In 2013, when she says she was in the best shape of her life, she was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was given six months to live. Hooper says the next stage was daunting as she looked to the future.

After beating the odds, Hooper says she wanted to share her story for hope.

"When I was diagnosed, I couldn’t find anyone who had survived pancreatic cancer beyond two years, so that was devastating. I had my physicians telling me there were people who made it through, but I couldn’t find anyone," she says.

Hooper is a competitive triathlete and marathoner. She has completed the Boston Marathon three times, and finished Ironman triathlons three times. She says she has always found joy every time she runs.

"It makes me feel healthier when I am running."

Hooper’s husband, Jonathan, is a physician and has been with her every step of her athletic and health journey.

Despite being diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Sindy Hooper, right, pictured beside husband Jonathan, will be participating in this year’s Ottawa Race Weekend 5k event, raising funds for pancreatic cancer research and treatment. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

"Holding her back it the hardest thing," he says. "She will go for chemo, feel grumpy, and then she will be up gardening. You tell her to relax, but she won't; she will just keep on going.

"I am just in awe of all she does,” Jonathan Hooper adds. He is serving as the race weekend medical director. He jokes he will need "thick sunglasses so no one sees the medical director cry," when Sindy crosses the line on Saturday.

He says his wife has become a champion for pancreatic cancer and serves as a beacon for those fighting the odds.

Sindy Hooper says she has participated in Ottawa Race Weekend every year since 2008, even while undergoing chemotherapy.

She is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Ottawa Hospital and says she is so thankful for her team of physicians.

Despite her diagnosis and treatment, fundraising and offering hope to others with similar diagnoses has always been central for Hooper. "Pancreatic cancer currently doesn’t have a treatment that works well like (some) other cancers do, so I am hoping with more funds, there will be more research into finding a better treatment for pancreatic cancer."

The average survival rate for pancreatic cancer is six months and 75 per cent of the people diagnosed with this form of cancer die within the first year.

Hooper says, "My doctor said a year, which is horrible, but I am at eight months and I am feeling pretty well and handling the chemo well, so maybe I am going to bust that statistic too."

Her advice to those undergoing health challenges is to keep hanging onto hope.

"Hope that you are going to do well, and you are going to have a good team of physicians and nurses and healthcare workers around you as well as love and support from your family and friends and that’s what gets you through," she says.

"I am pretty hopeful most of the time. There are times when it is tough to stay hopeful… You just hope, hope, and hope that you are going to not follow the statistics.

"With pancreatic cancer, because people die so quickly, and there are not many people that live two years and beyond, there are not many people there to champion the fundraising and raising awareness, so that is why it is important to me... Because I have been lucky to live."

For more information on Sindy Hooper and fundraising, you can visit Make Every Moment Count.