Dr. Philip Gordon, a Montreal surgeon who spent more than 42 years treating cancer patients before being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer himself, has died.
A surgeon, writer and professor, he served as the director of colon and rectal surgery at McGill University.
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He was diagnosed with the deadly disease in 2016, undergoing several rounds of intensive chemotherapy treatments.
“It was shocking, it was devastating and it threw me for a loop,” Gordon told Global News in February.
“As a surgeon, you’re in control of the situation. As soon as you become a patient, you’re absolutely no longer in control.”
The Saskatchewan native has already made a massive contribution to medicine.
WATCH BELOW: Dr. Philip Gordon’s “Chemotherapy: A Senior Surgeon’s Personal Challenge”
He wrote chapters for dozens of books and co-authored Principles and Practice of Surgery for the Colon, Rectum and Anus, considered the gold standard guide to colorectal surgery.
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According to his peers, his publication, written as a cancer patient, was possibly his most profound piece of work.
In Chemotherapy: A Senior Surgeon’s Personal Challenge, Gordon tackled his struggles with the deadly disease that he so often treated.
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“The most debilitating side effect is the enormous fatigue,” Gordon said. “Unless you’re there, you can’t really understand it.”
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His hope was to help change the way doctors treat their patients.
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Gordon leaves behind his wife of 48 years, Rosalie, as well as two children and three grandchildren.
“He was a surgeon, professor and mentor at McGill University and the Jewish General Hospital. Phil made a difference in the lives of so many,” his obituary states.
His funeral service will be held Friday, April 13 at 12 p.m. at Paperman & Sons (3888 Jean-Talon St.), followed by Shiva hours until Thursday, April 19.
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Donations in his memory can be made to the Dr. Philip H. Gordon Memorial Fund of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at the Jewish General Hospital Foundation.
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