At 24 years old, Winnipeg resident Adrian Dano quickly learned priorities in life would quickly change after a health scare stopped him in his tracks. “The words, ‘you have cancer,’ I don’t think anyone would ever expect that,” Dano said. Those words, however, became reality for Dano after being diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer. “It was uncharted territory; that would be the best way to describe it,” Dano said. Three years ago, Dano was diagnosed with spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma, an extremely rare soft tissue cancer. A lump on his chest alerted him something wasn’t right. “It got to a point where the lump got bigger and bigger, and to this day, people, doctors, oncologists still don’t know what might have caused it,” he said. Dano said he’s the first member of his family to be diagnosed with cancer and he went through a whole range of emotions. Dano underwent major surgery in 2024 to remove his thyroid and a tumour that was found in his chest that had spread to his collarbone. “I had to go through 27 straight days of radiation, and it was painful; it was agonizing,” he tells CTV News. Dano said CancerCare Manitoba’s Adolescent and Young Adult Program gave him a sense of belonging. He met other young Manitobans who were also going through treatment. “They were the ones that surrounded me with professionals and individuals that not only knew how to navigate mentally and physically,” he said. Since recovering, Dano has greatly improved his cardiovascular health. He’s taken an interest in running, going from five and 10-kilometre runs to half- and full marathons here in the city. “Fighting cancer doesn’t have to be a crutch,” Dano said. “I’ve done the Hecla triathlon event and things like that and found great people.” Funding cancer research helped Dano get to where he is today. Ahead of Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1, CancerCare Manitoba is asking the public to help even more people. “This year, we are raising funds to outfit two specialized labs at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute with the equipment required to keep the cancer research moving forward here in our province,” said Laura Curtis, director of marketing and communications with the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation. Dano hopes his story will inspire other Manitobans to not give up their fight against cancer. “Being able to share my story and things like that has been very much of a blessing,” Dano said.
