Facing adversity with laughter
One-woman show fights cancer with humour, personal anecdotes
MONTREAL — Tracey Mckee is a self-described Type A personality — gregarious to a fault with an energy so concentrated she could squeeze 25 hours into 24.
So when she was diagnosed with a deadly form of breast cancer in 2017, the teacher, administrator, actor and media personality stayed true to form and became “the best cancer patient.” Mckee went through six months of chemotherapy, five weeks of radiation, a partial mastectomy and one year of immunotherapy.
She only cried twice — once immediately following the diagnosis of the aggressive, triple-negative, Stage 2, Grade 3 breast cancer and once in the shower when her hair began to fall out by the handful.
Her clinical research nurse Gladys El Helou became her guardian angel, coaching her on the wise ways of absorbing the cancer shock.
Mckee brings her play “I’ve Got This: Humorous and Provocative Personal Tales from Cancer Diagnosis to Recovering” to the stage Saturday. Musical accompaniment is by
Tom Simpson with visuals by Dale Crockett. The single benefit performance has sold out, with 100 per cent of the money raised going to the cancer centre where she received treatments — West Island Cancer Wellness Centre in Kirkland.
Mckee turned to the centre for help in her darkest hour and she wanted to give back.
The cancer was discovered after a mammogram. Mckee had visited her family doctor on another matter and was asked when she’d had her last mammogram. It had been a while, so she was given a requisition. Mckee has never been the type to pay attention to medical requisitions but for some reason, this time, she called the next day to make an appointment.
“Everybody handles a cancer diagnosis in their own way,” Mckee said. “I quit everything. My focus was on the disease, getting better. I tend to over achieve in everything I do.”
The results were a triumph. She was declared in remission. Friends and family launched the celebrations.
But instead of joining the party, Mckee was slammed with a debilitating depression so acute she could barely crawl out of bed. Even with cancer treatments over, she did not return to her pre-cancer schedule of work and activities. Social activities dried to a trickle.
“Survivors guilt?” Mckee said of the dark period.
“A bit of post-traumatic stress disorder? I remember going for a three-month followup at the hospital and feeling like I was going to vomit. I did my research and a lot of people experience the same thing. The ‘after’ is more difficult than the ‘during’.”
When the depression hit, she turned to the centre. The plethora of free programs on offer are designed to help cancer patients navigate the emotional and physical fallout of the disease. It took six months for Mckee to get back on track, but with the help of the programs and anti-anxiety medication, Mckee is now “the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”