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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, J an ua ry 1 1, 20 18 | Visit insidehalton.com for more coverage Late music teacher's awareness message more relevant now than ever Music teacher sought to raise awareness o f the Silent Killer - pancreatic cancer DAVID LEA dlea@oakvillebeaver.com He may be gone, but an Oakville music teacher's call for more research to be done to find a cure for pan­ creatic cancer is more rele­ vant now than ever. Gregory Cross died Nov. 20,2017 after being di­ agnosed with the dreaded illness a few months earli­ er on June 19. He was 64. The husband and father of two, who had made his home in Bronte, is remem­ bered by many for his in­ credible singing voice. Some of his most nota­ ble work includes playing Monsieur Firmin in the award-winning Toronto production of Phantom of the Opera. Locally, Cross spent 12 years teaching singing for Sheridan College's Music Theatre Program and of­ fered private singing les­ sons from his studio at Oakville's Walton United Church, where he sung in the choir. Cross was much-loved by the community, which is why so many came to his aid when he sought to raise funds for an experimental cancer surgery in England called IRE (Irreversible Electroation/NanoKnife), which uses electrical im­ pulses to shrink tumours without damaging the sur­ rounding tissue. The GoFundMe.com ac­ count he set up succeeded in raising almost $53,000 and while that surgery was considered a success Cross emphasized at best it could only buy him more time. The Canadian Cancer Society says pancreatic cancer usually grows quickly and is often not found until it is at an ad­ vanced stage, where the tu­ mour has spread or cannot be removed with surgery. These ankle-high boots don't just look good: more than that, they protect your feet perfectly against the cold and wet. Thanks to the unique air-cushion sole your feet hardly feel tired at all. You can quickly put them on using the zipper on the inward-facing side, and elastic insert on the outer. Regular price s a l e p r ic e T h e s e b o o ts s u re m a k e w a lk in g fu n a g a in !199 www.kyboot.com v g -j\ A e d ic in e S h o p p e d P H A R M A C Y 267 Lakeshore Rd. E., Oakville Mon.-Fri. 10-6, Sat. 9-1 Richard Price Pharmacist/Owner A Trusted name in Oakville for over 20 years! www.kybun.com 905.842.2770 Facebook photo Gregory Cross In an August interview with the Oakville Beaver, Cross spoke about what he wanted to do if the treat­ ment bought him more time. "It might be too late for me, but I would wish that everyone may be aware of 'the silent killer,' pancreat­ ic cancer," he said. "I hope that this experi­ mental procedure in Lon­ don, England will give me another five years to make others aware of pancreatic cancer and perhaps in that time a cure might be devel­ oped. I will use the time re­ maining to me, to raise awareness of this dreadful disease." Walton United Church congregation member Su­ zanne Whiteley said Cross was true to his word. She said from his bed at the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton, Cross continued to post messag­ es on his Facebook page seeking to raise aware­ ness. One post by Pancreatic Cancer Canada, which Cross shared, noted that by 2020 pancreatic cancer would be the second dead­ liest cancer in Canada. The post went on to say that a lack of awareness of the disease and its lethal nature is a key reason there is not a bigger push to fund research. "Gregory's greatest leg­ acy was to help raise the awareness of this terrible, devastating disease," said Whiteley. "His wishes were that anything left of his fund­ raising money be given to­ ward raising the aware­ ness. We only wish he could have survived longer to persevere in this cause." In his past interview, Cross thanked those who made donations to help him. "It overwhelms me. At times it brings me to tears because I can't believe it. There are even anony­ mous people who have been supporting me," he said. For more information, visit www.pancreaticcan- cercanada.ca. F a b io D e R ango Pharmacist/Owner S H O P P E R S D R U G M A R T Voted Oakville's Favourite Pharmacist Come and get your flu shot today • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care • Home Visits • Consultations & Pharmacy • Free RX Delivery DE RANGO PHARMACY INC 2501 Third Line 1905-465-3000 Open 24 hours 17 Days a Week DE RANGO PHARMACY INC 478 Dundas Street West 1905-257-9737 jtiJJiiJB ilSIB Canada Post www.shoppersdrugmart.ca mailto:dlea@oakvillebeaver.com http://www.kyboot.com http://www.kybun.com http://www.pancreaticcan-cercanada.ca http://www.pancreaticcan-cercanada.ca http://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca Visit insidehalton.com for more coverage sale price These boots sure make walking fun again! Richard Price 905.842.2770 DRUG MART • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care • Home Visits • Consultations www.shoppersdrugmart.ca