‘It’s heartbreaking for the Westman area’: Cancer patients lament loss of oncologist

Cancer patients across Brandon say they are heartbroken by the impending departure of medical oncologist Dr. Brady Anderson from the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre.

When Lesa Carey learned Anderson would be leaving his role as the sole medical oncologist outside of Winnipeg due to burnout and a lack of additional compensation, she said she was “sick to my stomach.”

“I can honestly say that the three scariest words someone I think could ever hear is, ‘You have cancer,’” said Carey, a Brandon resident who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024.

“My husband and I walked into the appointment at cancer care overwhelmed, terrified and scared for my life,” she said. “After meeting with Dr. Anderson, we left informed, listened to and felt extremely cared about.”

After four years at the WMCC, Anderson’s last day practising as a medical oncologist will be on Nov. 13.

Anderson told the Sun last week that he had spent “several years of strongly advocating to medical leadership” and was repeatedly denied additional staff and supports to make the work place “sustainable.”

On Sunday, CancerCare Manitoba and Prairie Mountain Health announced another medical oncologist will be joining the WMCC in early December, but Carey says she’s “very sad” to see Anderson go.

“I think what’s important for the powers to know is that we don’t just want any oncologist. We want Dr. Anderson and we deserve him,” Carey said in an interview Monday.

Carey saw Anderson at medical appointments throughout 2024 and says she was “completely shocked” to have learned about the conditions he was working under.

“I never would have guessed because not once, in dealing with him, whether it was a phone call, whether it was an in-person appointment, did we ever feel rushed, or not listened to,” she said.

Carey said Anderson always went “over and above” in his care and helped her to find alternative and affordable treatments.

With her type of cancer, Carey said she was had a “very high chance of recurrence,” and was recommended for genetic testing to see if she was prone to developing a secondary cancer, “but the province didn’t cover it.”

“(Anderson) found a study at the University of Toronto that I could enrol in that completely paid for all my genetic testing,” Carey said.

The testing found she was genetically very low risk for a recurring cancer, which she says allowed her “to get back to living a normal life.”

“For him to find that study for me, I cannot tell you what it meant for me,” Carey said. “I feel strongly that he saved my life.”

For cancer survivor Michelle Budiwski, it “broke my heart and angered me” to learn the circumstances of Anderson’s departure.

“His employers — our government — listened to him talk about how he was burning out, how he was practically begging for the resources to continue his oncology practice in Brandon, and it did not result in change,” Budiwski said.

“He left oncology because he was burnt out and couldn’t get the support to do his job properly. And that’s infuriating. It absolutely breaks my heart,” she said.

Budiwski was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer in summer 2024 and was assigned Anderson as her primary oncologist in the fall of that year.

“I never saw the struggles that he was going through. He hid that from his patients, and still was performing at such an exceptional level,” Budiwski said in an interview Monday.

Navigating the health-care system after receiving a cancer diagnosis is complicated, but Anderson made it accessible, Budiwski said.

“Knowing that I could see a specialist that was overseeing my care right in Brandon, that made it a lot easier to deal with,” she said.

“When I was first diagnosed, that was a big question. Are we going to have to be going back and forth to Winnipeg all the time?”

Budiwski lives about 30 minutes outside of Brandon and said even the half-hour drive into the city could be difficult some days.

“I did 25 days of daily radiation. I was lucky enough to do it in Brandon, but some days that 30-minute drive was almost more than I could manage,” she said.

“Winnipeg is not always accessible, and it costs a lot of money to have cancer” between the travel and time off work, Budiwski said.

“It’s heartbreaking for the Westman area,” she said. “All of our governments have failed rural Manitoba when it comes to health care, and we deserve better.”

Budiwski said she hopes Anderson’s replacement will get the resources he wasn’t able to so “that we just don’t see a rinse and repeat of what happened.”

“I think that his loss is going to be felt through future patients. But all of us who were who were lucky enough to have him as an oncologist are incredibly grateful,” Budiwski said.

CancerCare Manitoba did not respond Monday to several requests for an interview and reiterated Sunday’s statement in an email.

“We emphasize that patients can be assured that they will continue to have access to an oncologist and receive the cancer care and support they need,” the statement said.

“Patients currently receiving care at the Western Manitoba Cancer Centre will be contacted directly by their care teams regarding their individual care.”

An online petition started by Carey is asking CancerCare Manitoba to reinstate Anderson and calls on the provincial government to ensure there are “proper resources and support” at the centre.

» rgerrard@brandonsun.com