Chris & Tina Lees’ Story

As a cattle ranching couple from Arcola, SK, Chris and Tina Lees made many friends over decades in the ranching community. Their friends were there for them, both on the farm and as they experienced cancer together.

On November 1, 2019, Tina was diagnosed with breast cancer, and had a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery two months later.

While Tina was recovering, Chris was diagnosed with four different, independent cancers: prostate, colorectal, kidney, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. He had chemotherapy treatments and radiation therapy, followed by surgery in October of 2020.

Chris was home recovering when Tina found something in her underarm – cancer in her lymph nodes. By December 2020, both Tina and Chris were receiving chemotherapy treatments at the Allan Blair Cancer Centre every Wednesday – dubbed “Date Wednesday”.

“We got through calving and the winter with the help of family and friends,” said Tina.

Chris was President of the Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) in 2021, so he and Tina decided that year’s CWA Hereford Sale would be the perfect place to share their story and to give back. The ranching community and their many friends answered the call. The charity auction raised more than $70,000 with the proceeds shared between STARS and the Cancer Foundation in support of the Allan Blair Cancer Centre.

Sadly, Tina was diagnosed with myeloma and liver cancer on December 1, 2022.  She fought valiantly but lost her battle on August 28, 2023. She will be remembered for her sense of humour, the strength of her community, and the love she shared with Chris.