Sindy’s Run: A run in memoriam for Sindy Hooper

When he considered what his late wife, Sindy, would have wanted for her memorial service, Jon Hooper didn’t have to struggle for an answer.

“It was an easy decision,” said Dr. Jon Hooper, her husband. “Sindy and I had a hundred conversations about it, and she said, ‘Jon, I’m not going to be there, so do what you want to do.’

“Sindy wasn’t particularly religious and didn’t want to have a funeral and didn’t want to have a formal celebration of life. But I know that what Sindy always wanted is for people to get together and go for a walk or go for a run.’

Mourners will gather on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. near the Hoopers’ home on Hansen Avenue and run or walk up to five kilometres around the Kanata Beaver Pond. What’s being called “Sindy’s Run” will also be an event to raise money for pancreatic cancer research at The Ottawa Hospital.

Sindy Hooper, 61, a former hospital administrator and triathlete, died from pancreatic cancer in September, more than 11 years after being diagnosed with the disease.

She raised more than $500,000 for pancreatic cancer research while living with the disease, which kills more than 6,000 Canadians a year.

“I think it’s a good way to carry on what she would do — and celebrate her at the same time,” Hooper said of the fundraising memorial.

About three-quarters of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within the first year since it tends to develop with few symptoms. In Canada, only about 10 per cent of patients survive five years.

Sindy Hooper defied those odds in spectacular fashion. Five weeks after undergoing Whipple surgery — a complex 10-hour operation to remove part of her pancreas, small intestine and gall bladder — she restarted training for an Ironman competition. Her son, Chris, convinced her it was better to feel lousy on a bike than to feel lousy on a couch.

Hooper found that running, swimming and biking made her feel like an athlete again, not a cancer patient, while also squelching some of the fear associated with cancer.

In August 2013, still undergoing chemotherapy, she flew to Whistler and completed the Ironman Canada race in a little more than 16 hours. She also raised $50,000 for cancer research.

For most of the next decade, Hooper lived in six-month intervals, from CT scan to CT scan. Each time the test confirmed her cancer had not returned, she planned another round of training and travel.

Hooper completed two Ironman races and 15 triathlons, including world championships in Mexico and Switzerland. She ran the Ottawa and Boston marathons. She travelled with Jon to France, Spain, South Africa and California.

In August 2021, a CT scan revealed a tumour in her lung. She underwent surgery and more chemotherapy, but the following September learned the cancer had spread again. She had chemotherapy every two weeks to keep it in check.

Last December, she secured a place in a U.S. clinical trial that brought positive results and a short reprieve. In August, however, Hooper was told her cancer had spread again. She developed pneumonia and declined rapidly.

Hooper said he wanted to have a celebration of life while Sindy was still alive to enjoy it, but her health deteriorated too quickly this summer.

“When I look back, it’s amazing how tough she was: human but tough,” Hooper said. “She certainly had bad days, bad weeks, but she would eventually find a way to get a positive out of every situation.

“When you think about Sindy, she certainly made every moment count — and not just for herself. She was always positive towards people, always encouraging them, offering to help them train.”

Since Sindy’s death, Hooper said, he has also learned about the many cancer patients she corresponded with to help them with their own bouts of depression and fear.

Andrew Duffy is a National Newspaper Award-winning reporter and long-form feature writer based in Ottawa. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe