Oncologist

A Life Saved. A Community Built. A Legacy of Hope.

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When Kathy Barnard was told there were no remaining treatment options for her advanced melanoma, her family braced for the unthinkable. Years of surgeries and therapies had brought courage and resilience, but also the constant fear of being on borrowed time.

Then came a miracle: Dr. Michael Smylie.

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Kathy’s sons found a clinical trial happening in the US, but had no way to get her to it. The trial administrators agreed to let Kathy participate if she could find an oncologist in Canada willing to administer the drug. That's where Dr. Michael Smylie came in. He agreed to take Kathy on as a patient and treat her with the novel immunotherapy. That decision quite literally saved Kathy’s life. 

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For Kathy’s family, Dr. Smylie was more than a physician. He was hope in human form.

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In a testimonial shared by Kathy’s sister, Rosemary, she describes the moment everything changed:

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“When you love someone who’s diagnosed with cancer, the world as you know it comes to an end… But then, when we were at our most desperate, we were granted a miracle. And that miracle was you, Mike Smylie.”

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Dr. Smylie helped Kathy and her family understand what was happening, what to expect, and how to move forward when everything felt uncertain. Rosemary recalls how he made them feel like Kathy was his only patient, his top priority, something they learned he gives to every person in his care. To their family, he became a superhero. 

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Beyond Kathy’s personal journey, Dr. Smylie has been a steadfast supporter of Save Your Skin Foundation since its earliest days. He serves on the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Committee and regularly shares his expertise through SYSF webinars and educational initiatives, including post–Canadian Melanoma Conference updates and the All.Can Canada initiative. His commitment to patient-centred care and knowledge-sharing continues to shape and strengthen the melanoma community.

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Dr. Smylie is a medical oncologist at the Cross Cancer Institute and a professor in the Department of Oncology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to melanoma care and patient outcomes, he received the 2023 Canadian Melanoma Conference Legacy Award. 

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Today, Dr. Smylie remains a close friend to Kathy and to Save Your Skin Foundation—a trusted advisor, advocate, and champion for patients across Canada.

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Dr. Michael Smylie reminds us that behind every medical breakthrough is a person who chooses compassion, courage, and care—again and again.

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Thank you, Dr. Smylie, for saving lives, shaping futures, and being an enduring part of the Save Your Skin community.