Ian Cooper was diagnosed with colon cancer a year ago yesterday.
Doctors told him he had been living with the disease for at least ten years and now it had spread to his liver.
“A year ago yesterday was the first time they said the word cancer and I guess I was officially diagnosed sometime in July. Basically I was day to day. I had a 98 per cent blockage in my colon,” said Cooper.
“I block a lot of it out,” Cooper laughs nervously.
“I’m not going to lie.”
At the end of July he was given no more than six months to live.
“My doctor says, my oncologist says that it’s his job to keep me alive for science to catch up,” said Cooper.
Cooper is currently taking chemotherapy which means his immune system is weak.
If he catches a cold it could knock him down for weeks or potentially lead to pneumonia.
He has to be careful, but at the same time, not shut himself out from living his life.
Cooper has two sons, Cameron, 12, and Colin, 10, who understand the disease as much as they can.
“They had to grow up a lot quicker than I wished they would have had to,” said Cooper.
Last summer was pretty tough on them visiting with their father in the hospital.
“Just seeing the strain on them is hard,” said Cooper of his sons and his supportive wife, Angela.
On Monday Cooper found out he has won new windows for his house from Centra Windows.
For the first time the company has awarded new windows to a family in need.
There were more than 300 entries from across the province.
Cooper had heard about the company Centra Windows while he worked in sales for home renovation.
When he heard about the contest he decided to enter.
His house needed new windows and he wanted to be able to contribute because he is on disability.
“You want to be able to provide for your family and help them out, that’s the main thing,” said Cooper.
Right now Cooper’s windows are 30-year-old aluminum single-pane windows.
Centra Windows will be replacing 15 windows plus a big sliding door.
The new windows will be energy saving, cooling the house in the summer and keeping the heat in in the winter.
Cooper is humbled and overwhelmed over winning the contest.
He was told that his entry into the competition was very touching.
“People say to me my spirit is great but I don’t understand that, I don’t know how else to be,” said Cooper.
“It’s hard to ask for help. It took me a couple of days before I even filled in the application,” Cooper admitted.
“Swallowing my pride, I suppose was the hardest thing of it all. And then being chosen is amazing.”