Thank you, Wellspring Alberta, for being there for us. For letting us lean on you, for the support, for caring, for listening. We started going to Tai Chi in 2023. It was great for stress. But it was the people and their support that we valued the most — Wellspring staff and volunteers — thank you for always making us feel welcome and making us laugh sometimes when we feel like crying.
This is our story…
In April 2023, when Malcom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer, we said ‘No, that can’t be possible.’ He never smoked, never drank, was always very active, cycling, hiking, skiing… no history of this cancer, they had to be wrong. They weren’t. I had to learn new words such as metastasized and Stage 4. We had to learn what cancer is. We felt like we’d been hit by a semi-truck.
After lots of crying and then resolving that we are going to get through this, Malcolm was still able to go for walks and ride his bike 150 km a week. We told ourselves it was going to be okay.
We found Wellspring through the Prostate Support Group. At the first meeting we went to, there was a Tai Chi demonstration and someone mentioned this was available at Wellspring. We went to Carma House to see what it was about. We had a tour and signed up for Tai Chi. We weren’t sure what to expect, but after the first class we could hardly wait for the next one. The people in the class were so supportive, and the program leader was so patient and such a great instructor. We really found it helped with stress and took our minds away from cancer.
In September 2025, we cycled in the Cancervive ride to raise funds for Wellspring. Malcom rode 25 km on his road bike. It was so much fun and Wellspring did such a great job organizing it and made it just a wonderful experience. We didn’t want the day to end. Thank you again Wellspring for such a great event.
In October, Malcolm was getting so tired, he couldn’t cycle, couldn’t walk, something was wrong. It was like he fell off a cliff. I was at Carma House and was encouraged to be persistent – to keep calling until I got some answers. I didn’t get any answers really except to wait, but then in November, after a visit to Emergency and an MRI, they found a tumour on his spinal cord. Surgery and radiation removed the tumour, but Malcom is still struggling with regaining his mobility.
Wellspring has been a sanctuary for the turmoil we’ve been struggling with. What is so great is that we have a bond with everyone in Tai Chi because we are all struggling with something. When I went to Tai Chi one morning while Malcolm was still in the hospital, after I got there, I felt I couldn’t stay — I just had to quickly return to the hospital. I ran up the stairs crying and scared and two people in the Tai Chi class came to ask if I was okay. Thanks to those people for being there. When I really needed someone to talk to about what we were going through, my Wellspring community was there, listening, supporting me, guiding me. They are there every week when I show up with something new that we’re going through. I am grateful.
Cancer is scary. Treatment is scary. Thank you Wellspring for making it okay to be scared and for listening. Thank you for letting me lean on you. Thank you for understanding what we’re going through. Thanks for helping us through this struggle.
Click the link to view Judith’s fundraising page for Cancervive.