Windsor city councillor Fred Francis is speaking out about his cancer diagnosis.
The 38-year-old Francis first shared the news in a Facebook post on January 9 that he has been diagnosed with Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Francis says he went to see his doctor on December 5 after experiencing chest pains, and he received the cancer diagnosis on December 31.
"I passed out," remembers Francis as he laughed. "I did, and I am not ashamed to say that. It was a little overwhelming and I've never obviously received that information before."
The Ward 1 councillor received the news a little over a month after his sister-in-law, Michelle Prince, passed away from cancer.
"One of the things I learned from Michelle's cancer journey is that cancer doesn't discriminate," says Francis. "It doesn't care if you just turned 38, it doesn't care if you just had a death in the family, it doesn't care about anything. It could hit anybody at any time."
Prince was the wife of Fred's brother Eddie, the former mayor of Windsor.
Fred Francis however remains upbeat because he has been given a positive prognosis.
"It is very treatable and I also hear curable, you're talking about over 90 per cent, 95 per cent success rates with treatment being chemotherapy," says Francis.
Francis tells CTV Windsor he began his chemotherapy last week and he will try to keep a normal work schedule while still attending regular city council meetings.
"This is a non chemo week for me so I can continue to work today and this week," says Francis. "I did schedule my chemo on off council weeks and towards the end of the week so I could take advantage of the Saturday and Sunday."
Francis adds he is grateful for the support he has received from his brother, former mayor Eddie Francis, his girlfriend Caroline, all of his family and the community.
Francis hopes his story will encourage others, no matter what pain they have, to see a doctor.
"If you're having a pain in the chest, arm, or leg don't ignore it. Go see the doctor. Don't put it off. Don't say it might go away in a month or not. Get it checked out. It might make all the difference to you in the long run," says Francis.