BMS employee inspired by caregiving through father's cancer battle
“If there's one patient that I can help, it makes going to work worthwhile”
When his father died of lung cancer in 2012, Michael Shatsky lost his “best friend and confidante” but he remains forever grateful that he walked alongside his dad on every step of a cancer journey that he describes as a “rollercoaster” because it was full of highs and lows.
“My dad was such a fun, happy guy. He loved life,” says the Montreal resident. He brings that same passion for life and the lessons he learned as a caregiver to his work in helping Canadians living with cancer. “If there’s one patient that I can help, it makes going to work worthwhile,” says Shatsky, who leads a specialty cell therapy team with Bristol Myers Squibb Canada (BMS).
His father’s cancer journey inspired him to focus his pharmaceutical career in immuno-oncology – the study of how the immune system interacts with cancer cells in order to find ways to prevent or treat cancer. “The field is evolving super quickly, which is exciting for everybody involved because we’re starting to see outcomes change for some cancers that were not happy stories in the past.”
“Are we there yet? Of course not, but we won’t stop until we are and that’s what brought me to BMS. No matter what your role, you’re helping someone,” he says. Shatsky’s work with BMS focuses on a promising new cell therapy currently under investigation for cancer treatment where cells are
AS A CANCER CAREGIVER, I WANTED TOWORK WITH A COMPANY THAT COULD HAVE AN IMPACT AND OFFER HOPE TO THOSE LIVINGWITH CANCER.
reprogrammed in a lab and then reintroduced into the patient’s body for a personalized attack on cancer.
He finds his work tremendously rewarding. “The advances that BMS is making in treating cancer are transforming patient lives,” he says. “Do I regularly think about my father? Yes. Is it sad? The only thing I’m sad about is that he never had the opportunity to get to some of the clinical trials that are now available. He got close. Really, really close.”
Shatsky was 23 years old when his father was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer and given just three to six months to live. At the time, that cancer had a one-year survival rate of 17 per cent and ensuring their dad was part of that percentage quickly became the family’s mantra. Knowing how badly his dad wanted to live, Shatsky supported his decisions to undergo chemotherapy and take part in clinical trials.
Even scarier for Shatsky was saying goodbye to his dad the night before he underwent a very risky surgery to completely remove one of his lungs. “He was given a 50- 50 chance of making it through that surgery. As a family, we needed to prepare ourselves for the possibility that he would not survive the operation. We had some really difficult conversations; the types of conversations people rarely have with their parents. It was one of the scariest experiences I’ve lived through,” he recalls.
Shatsky and his younger brother were living at home for the first few years following their father’s diagnosis and were active in his care. “My mom was a saint but also needed a hand, especially when my dad had his lung removed,” he says. His family remains grateful for the support they received at the Jewish General Hospital from Hope & Cope*, an organization that provides psychosocial support and practical resources that help patients regain a sense of control and wellbeing, reduce isolation and restore hope.
“Physically, being a caregiver is draining, but mentally it’s a rough ride for everyone involved – my dad and mom especially,” Shatsky says. “Towards the end, my dad needed care 24/7. He didn’t want hospice care, so we transformed part of our home into the ‘Elliot ward’ and tried to make sure he was as comfortable as possible.”
Shatsky cherishes childhood memories of summers spent at cottages in the Laurentian Mountains and was determined to “step up” by making every moment, holiday and milestone throughout his father’s illness count. Admittedly, his father’s cancer journey forced him to grow up quickly.
“One of the things I look back on most fondly are some very real conversations I was able to have with my dad. I can’t say I didn’t get closure. I was with my father when he passed away and as difficult as that was, I don’t regret it for a second.”
As a cancer caregiver, he wanted to work with a company that could have an impact and offer hope to those living with cancer. “Hope was not on the table when my dad was being treated. It was about trying to prolong life,” recalls Shatsky, who also lost his paternal grandfather to lung cancer. “My dad wanted to hear the word ‘cure.’ He wanted to hear that they were going to get him into remission, but no one would ever tell him that. That’s what he was fighting for.”
Shatsky was drawn to the mission of BMS to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases and is inspired not just by the progress being made but the pace at which that progress is accelerating. “I would never use the word ‘cure’ lightly but that’s the mission and it’s one I can get behind a thousand per cent,” he says.