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Guess who's back? G-Rant returns to airwaves after cancer battle

Hot 93.5 host back on the air next week
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Hot 93.5 Morning Hot Tub host G-Rant returns to the air Monday morning after more than seven months away for cancer treatment. Photo: Matt Durnan.

The Morning Hot Tub will once again be full as G-Rant will take his place behind the microphone alongside his co-host Sherri K on Aug. 29.

The longtime morning show host stepped away from the airwaves on Dec. 14, 2015 to undergo a number of rounds of chemotherapy and stem cell transplants at Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital. 

He also received treatment at Toronto General Hospital and aftercare at Health Sciences North. 

“HSN has been an integral part of my aftercare,” said G-Rant. “I spent a lot of time in their cancer centre. I had a line in my chest called a Hickman line, so they did a lot of servicing there, they did my bloodwork and cleaned my line.”

G-Rant was discharged from Toronto for the last time on June 6 and has been getting weekly blood work at HSN since that time.

When he stepped away from the mic for his cancer treatment, there was a tremendous outpouring of support from the community, including video well-wishes, email messages, gift baskets, and some quirky gifts for his cat as well.

“My cat's name is Tom Brady, and I got a bunch of New England Patriots stuff for cats, which I didn't even know existed,” said G-Rant. “It's just tough to put into words how amazing the support from the community has been; overwhelming is an understatement.”

Raised in Ottawa, G-Rant is a transplant who came to the city for work and has been with Hot 93.5 from Day 1 in 2009. The station will be celebrating its seventh anniversary this year. 

“I'm a Sudburian, this is my home. I have a house here, and I love this community,” he said. “When I go back to Ottawa, I don't even call that home anymore. It's the place where I grew up.”

Despite his colourful and outgoing on-air personality, G-Rant admits to keeping to himself when not behind the microphone.

“I'm actually a pretty private person when I'm not on the air,” he said. “I had an open line of communication with Sherri and there was a lot of sharing of info while I was away, but being away from the mic was devastating.”

And while he's looking forward to getting back to work, he says there's some jitters.

“I'm definitely nervous about Monday, and I think I'll be a little bit rusty, but I'm expecting that I'll adapt quickly and get back into it,” said G-Rant. “It's time to get back. I feel great, and I don't think it's beneficial to just sit at home. You can only watch so much TV or play so many video games.”

Sporting a full head of hair and a beard, G-Rant says he's been amazed at the ability of the human body to recover, and he attributes a lot of his speedy recovery to his wife, Kristina.

“The normal recovery time for stem cell transplants is about nine to 12 months. I had my last one in June, so it's been just about three months and I'm ready to go. People who see me with the hair and the beard are saying it looks like I was never sick,” he said.

“My wife was amazing throughout the whole thing, every day for two months she brought food to the hospital for me because I wasn't really able to eat the hospital food.”

G-Rant also explained she was a driving force behind his bounce back after his first stem cell transplant.

“After my first transplant, I wasn't feeling good at all and was saying 'I don't know if I can do this', and she was right there saying 'you can, what other option do you have?' Her support, as well as a diet change, are a big part of why I was able to make the turnaround.”

The diet change is something that G-Rant is sticking to, and he's much more health conscious when shopping now. On top of his new eating habits, he has a new outlook on life in general 

“I've been on the sidelines for a long time, and it's been really frustrating, and when you think you're going to die, it really changes your perspective. I'm a much different person now than I was before Dec. 14, 2015 when all of this happened,” he said.

“What happened to me sucks, but it can be extremely beneficial. I find that I'm much more thoughtful and much more grateful for everything. I thought I was a pretty good dude before this, but you really start putting things into perspective and realize that we all have a very limited time on this earth. I started thinking, if I leave now, what have I done? What's my legacy?”

G-Rant has been able to work with foundations like the Sam Bruno PET Scan committee, helping to raise thousands of dollars. He is also a huge supporter of blood donor clinics and the act of donating blood. 

“I'm looking forward to being part of more things like that, I'd like to work with the Northern Cancer Centre and Northern Cancer Foundation in some capacity,” he said.

“I have this big soapbox that I get to stand on and this ability to influence with the radio station and I'd love to use it more effectively than perhaps I have in the past.”

G-Rant will be making an important announcement Monday morning at 7:50 a.m. live on the air. Listeners are free to call in and wish G-Rant a happy return.

"Our phone lines are always open," he said. "Without our listeners I wouldn't be able to do what I do, so I'm always happy to hear from them."

His first day back coincides with Sudbury.com's Adopt a Blood Donor Clinic Week. Sudbury.com is encouraging Sudburians to help meet and exceed the demand for 160 units of blood all this week at Canadian Blood Services. 


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