“The biggest thing for me is creating great memories with my wife and my kids”

WELLINGTON , NS — A Wellington man battling melanoma who only has a few months to live wants others to live life to the fullest.

Brent Garrison, 37, was diagnosed with the skin cancer in January 2011. What he initially thought was a pimple on his back turned out to be a malignant mole.

The mole was removed and Garrison thought he was in the clear, but malignant cells had already spread to other parts of his body.

“I cried a lot, an unbelievable amount,” he said.

Melanoma develops when UV rays from the sun damage the DNA in skin cells. It can be treatable at its early stages but can become more difficult to treat as damaged cells multiply.

In Garrison’s case, he soon found growths on his back, one which grew to the size of a peach, and his stomach. Other scans revealed even more tumours.

“There were three tumours in my pancreas, the lymph node outside my stomach had cancer in it, a growth which was nothing the month before had grown into the size of a quarter between my heart and my lung,” he said.

Garrison is not quite sure how he developed melanoma; he has not family history of it. But according to the Melanoma Network of Canada, risk factors of getting melanoma include having fair skin, frequent sun exposure and a history of severe sunburns.

The father of two found himself crippled by the cancer. He lost about 50 pounds and, with all the doctor appointments, had to stop working at his custom home building business.

“You never think something like this will happen to you,” said wife Melanie.

But the help of neighbours and others in the community are helping lift the family of four up in their time of need.

The family has received meals and offers to clean their house and do their laundry. That in turn has allowed them to focus their attention on Garrison’s treatment.

“It’s all the small things… it means a lot to us,” Melanie said. “The help we’ve been getting has been unbelievable and has made it possible to keep going and moving on.”

“I feel very fortunate for having such a great life and great family and friends,” Garrison said as he tried to maintain his composure. “It’s so hard to communicate and find the right words to thank everybody.”

With doctors predicting he only has a few months to live, Garrison is shifting his attention to his wife and two young children.

“I really wanted to create as many memorable moments with my children so they would remember me and lots of good times,” he said as he held back tears.

Wife Melanie says their children know their father is sick.

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The couple, who have been together for more than 15 years, say they have no regrets, having traveled extensively and had successful careers, and hope their story inspires others to live life vicariously.

“Life is really short. If you want to do it, do it now,” Melanie said.

“Everything becomes… let’s do it now. The procrastination stops,” said Garrison.

Help from the community

The community is holding a fundraiser on Saturday at the LWF Community Hall to help the family financially as they go through appointments and medical tests. Tickets are sold out but there is also an online fundraiser.

A Boston Bruins jersey signed by Brad Marchand is up for grabs. A member of the community knows the Marchand family and, after hearing about Garrison’s story, reached out to them.

If you are interested in bidding on the jersey, visit www.gofundme.com/brentgarrison

Bids will be accepted until 5 pm on Friday.

What is melanoma?

According to the Melanoma Network of Canada, it is one of the top seven most frequent cancers in Canada. The lifetime risk of an individual developing melanoma is 1 in 63.

Signs of melanoma include a mole that changes in colour or size, that has irregular borders, is more than one colour or is asymmetrical.

One way to protect yourself against melanoma is to frequently apply sunscreen.

The Melanoma Network of Canada says you should check your skin every month to check for irregularities. If detected, 90% of skin cancers can be cured.