Barrie Stafford shares how the Alberta Cancer Foundation impacted his cancer journey and how fundraising, like hockey, is a team effort
By: Michaela Ream
Before Barrie Stafford worked for the Edmonton Oilers organization, he dreamed of becoming an NHL player. He played varsity for the University of Alberta Golden Bears and won three championships. While Stafford wasn’t drafted into the NHL, he did become an NHL trainer with the Oilers in 1982. Stafford was behind the bench for Edmonton’s five Stanley Cup championship teams, which included players like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Glenn Anderson.
During the final three years of his 38-year career with the Oilers, Stafford helped establish the Oilers Alumni Relations Department. Before retiring in 2019, he worked alongside alumni involved in philanthropy work, which inspired Stafford to give back, too. However, like an unexpected goal in the third period, life took a turn when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2011 and is currently in a clinical trial. He is also a board member with the Cure Cancer Foundation, where he counsels others with multiple myeloma and offers them hope.
Q: What has your cancer journey been like?
“In the world of cancer, there are no guarantees. And, with multiple myeloma, there is no cure; it’s a relapsing disease. After chemotherapy treatment and a stem cell transplant in December 2011, I went into remission for 11 years, but relapsed in 2022. Coming out of remission hit me hard [emotionally], but I immediately got into one of Dr. Michael Chu’s clinical trials through my oncologist, Dr. Irwindeep Sandhu. It’s going well, and I’m back to living a ‘new normal.’”
Q: What impact has the Alberta Cancer Foundation had on your cancer journey?
“When I was first diagnosed, my life expectancy at the time was three to five years. But, in the years since, there have been different clinical trials and treatment protocols, thanks to the Alberta Cancer Foundation’s fundraising. When I relapsed, I moved right into one such Foundation-funded clinical trial and am still part of it today, fortunately with very few side-effects.”
Q: What inspires you to give back?
“Hockey and fundraising are both team efforts: no one wins alone. We’re so lucky to live in Alberta where we have the Cross Cancer Institute, Alberta Cancer Foundation, the Cure Cancer Foundation and, of course, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. Some of the brightest minds in cancer research are right here in Alberta, but they can’t do it alone. Fundraising supports these trials and research, and we’re all working together to cure cancer.”
“Brian Anstice and I are co-chairs of Edmonton’s Toast of the Town cancer fundraiser. As myeloma patients, we’re inspired daily by the great work of the oncologists at the Cross, as well as the unwavering support of the Alberta Cancer Foundation.”
