Canadian ski legend being treated for thyroid cancer
Sen. Nancy Greene Raine, Canada’s most decorated ski racer, is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer.
Sun Peaks Resort, where Greene Raine is the director of skiing, said she was scheduled to have her thyroid removed Thursday in Kelowna, B.C. Additional treatment will begin within four or five weeks to manage the suspected spread of cancer cells.
Nicknamed “Tiger” because of her speed and aggressive turns, Greene Raine dominated women’s skiing for two years. She won Olympic gold and silver in 1968 as well as overall World Cup titles in 1967 and 1968.
She was voted Canada’s female athlete of the 20th century in a countrywide poll conducted in 1999.
Thyroid cancer occurs in the cells of the thyroid — the gland in the neck that produces the hormones that regulate heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight.
It’s not known what form of thyroid cancer the 73-year-old Greene Raine has, but there are several types. The most common is papillary thyroid cancer, which arises in the cells that produce and store thyroid hormones. Papillary thyroid cancer can occur at any age, but most often affects people aged 30 to 50.
Each year, an estimated 6,800 Canadians are diagnosed with various forms of thyroid cancer and about 200 die from the disease, which is roughly three times more common in women than men, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Overall, thyroid cancer has an average 98 per cent five-year survival rate.
Greene Raine, who was appointed to the Senate in 2009, plans to return to her duties as soon as possible following her treatment.