Supporting the CCTG Thoracic committee Resides in Ottawa, ON | CCTG Patient Representative since 2018 “My role means listening to patient experiences to better represent people affected by different kinds of lung cancer across the country. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, please consider enrolling in a clinical trial. A clinical trial could extend your life!” #ChooseHope Jill grew up in Ottawa where she now lives with her three awesome teens/young adults and large white dog. In 2013 Jill was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and treated with traditional chemotherapy which was followed with a targeted therapy drug. When the cancer progressed Jill was very thankful to participate in a clinical trial which gave her another treatment option to extend her life. The trial drug worked so well that for months there was no sign of cancer on her CT scans. It extended her life long enough for more drug treatments to become available. Two terrific targeted therapy drugs kept her alive after her clinical trial ended, and currently her care team has added chemotherapy to her treatment plan. She is living an active life, filled with lots of cancer advocacy work. “Research matters because it is giving us longer and better lives. I and my family and friends are very grateful. It is important for me to be a voice of lung cancer because it deserves to be heard. The patient and survivor voice is critical in the development of clinical trials because the Canadian Cancer Trials Group wants to have the very best clinical trials possible to offer, both in terms of patient experience and for the research value. We cannot achieve our goal without the patient voice.”
