Going for the green
Bev Moir has gone from Sunnybrook patient to fundraising champion, and she’s setting her sights on her most ambitious target yet
Because of biomarker testing at Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Program, Bev received a treatment plan personalized to her Stage 4 lung cancer’s unique genetic signature.
For Bev, a retired nurse and wealth management advisor, it meant taking a single daily pill would be more effective for her than chemotherapy.
So effective in fact, five years since her diagnosis – and after initially being told she had as little as six months to live – Bev is travelling the world with her husband, Ron, scheduling playdates with her granddaughters Ophelia and Violet, and golfing every chance she gets.
Golf isn’t just one of Bev’s favourite pastimes. She has turned it into her own unique signature event, launching the “Crush It with Bev” Golf Tournament.
Bev’s popular community fundraiser hit a momentous milestone in 2024, surpassing $600,000 cumulatively raised since 2019 for clinical research testing, technologies and treatments at Sunnybrook, including investigating the efficacy of a non-invasive alternative to surgical biopsy.
Known as liquid biopsy, the non-invasive test detects fragments of cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream. If proven effective, it could offer a viable alternative for people who can’t undergo a traditional tissue biopsy, with faster results and less worry.
World-first clinical trial
“Liquid biopsy gives us more information about how we might treat cancer. It can also be helpful at detecting early-stage cancer that you can’t see with scans,” explains Dr. Alexander Louie, a Sunnybrook radiation oncologist, researcher and member of Bev’s care team, who is leading a world-first clinical trial exploring how liquid biopsy can detect dying cancer cells following radiation therapy.
Dr. David Hwang, Co-Chief of Sunnybrook’s Precision Diagnostics & Therapeutics Program, meanwhile, is validating Sunnybrook’s liquid biopsy testing processes to ensure the results are as precise as possible.
Both studies received critical support from Bev’s tournament for the liquid biopsy tests, which cost $1,500 per specimen, and to attract and support clinical trainees and purchase specialized equipment for expanded biomarker testing.
Fundraising ace
On Dr. Louie’s recommendation, Bev is now attending a seven-month research advocate training program through the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
One of just 20 current participants from around the world, Bev is learning about lung cancer science and research and how she can help research generate meaningful outcomes for patients and their families – including the 20 per cent of patients who are non-smokers just like Bev.
At the fourth annual tournament this summer, Bev and her dedicated community raised more than $100,000 to further accelerate diagnosis and improve access to personalized treatment options for patients with lung cancer.
“The needs are so big, and my goals are too,” says Bev, who shares support and her thanks to longstanding Sunnybrook donor and volunteer Curtis Odette, who made a point to call Bev just before she hosted her first fundraiser for Sunnybrook, and has since supported Crush It with Bev every year since. Curtis is the son of Edmond and Gloria Odette, whose landmark gift resulted in the naming of Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre.
“Curtis encouraged me to keep aiming higher and higher,” says Bev. “He gave me the confidence to strive for more and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Now Bev is teeing up for a new milestone, setting her sights on raising $1 million for Sunnybrook.
"Lung cancer needs a voice and it definitely needs more funding,” says Bev. “I hope to live for many more years to use the skills and knowledge I’ve gained to do even more for lung cancer research.”
