(Posted 6:30 a.m., Feb. 5)
Ottawa-Orléans MP plans to run for reelection in wake of positive test results
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

After undergoing dialysis treatment for the past three months the prognosis for Ottawa-Orléans MP Royal Galipeau is looking bright. Ottawa Sun photo

Ottawa-Orléans MP Royl Galipeau has set his sights on the next election after getting some good news in his battle with cancer.

Galipeau was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form od blood cancer after he had broken rib while trying to stifle a sneeze. Blood tests showed that he had unusually high levels of calcium and creatinine, a chemical waste molecule generated from muscle metabolism.

“My doctor told me, ‘Get yourself over to the emergency at the General Hospital right now; you’re on the verge of cardiac arrest,’” he said.

Multiple myeloma represents one per cent of all cancers and two per cent of all cancer deaths. It is treatable but has no known cure.

The 67-year-old Galipeau was immediately put on dialysis eoght hours a day for eight straight days. The dialysis was gradually scaled back over the last two months and was stopped entirely more than a week ago.

On Monday, he got his latest test results back. The verdict -- his creatinine levels have continued to fall, which means his kidneys are once again functioning properly.

His long term prognosis is good considering multiple myeloma has no cure. Doctors have told him he can expect to live another seven to 15 years.

Despite the treatments, Galipeau has never stopped serving his constituents.

“Even when I was flat on my back in the hospital bed, I returned phone calls in the morning and the afternoon,” he said.

The only thing he cut back was his “omnipresence at bean suppers and community events.”

The only treatment he’s now receiving is acupuncture, which he began in December on a friend’s advice. “I’ve been going three times a week,” he said. “Quite frankly, it energizes me every time.”

Going forward, Galipeau said he’ll have to be closely monitored, with weekly blood tests for the foreseeable future.

His next blood test is Friday. “They anticipate that the results will continue to get better.”

In the meantime, Galipeau isn't going to let hs illness or the possibility of a recurrence slow him down. After all, he has work to do and constituents to serve.

(This story was made possible thanks to their generous support of our local business partners.)

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