Leslie McBride first experienced symptoms of pancreatic cancer in May 2018. As Captain of the Ottawa Fire Department, physical exhaustion was not an unheard-of side effect of the job. He was also an avid sportsman who could often be spotted on the golf course with his fellow firefighter colleagues.
“For 20 years, that was his passion,” Leslie’s wife of 32 years, Catherine, explained. He even instilled a love of golf in his son, Jakob, from an early age. “When Jake came along, Leslie took him to the golf course and driving ranges.” Given his active lifestyle, it was not immediately clear to the McBrides that Leslie’s condition would only continue to worsen.
“He was tired and lethargic. He worked shift work, so he thought it was just the toll of shift work catching up with him,” Catherine explained. Leslie’s symptoms became more prevalent but were overlooked by doctors. Even when a routine checkup revealed a sudden diabetes diagnosis (which can be an early warning sign of pancreatic cancer), further tests were not scheduled.
“The doctors never put two and two together,” said Catherine. By January 2019, signs of jaundice were undeniable as his eyes became noticeably yellow.