Bev Brisco is a well-known local volunteer, especially for cancer causes. Unfortunately, Brisco has been diagnosed with terminal (stage 4) lung and bone cancer herself.
A GoFundMe has been set up in support of Brisco, and had raised more than $6,600 as of late Friday morning.
Brisco, who is in her early 70s, does not have a pension and was still working to support herself.
She was a former manager at Sears and then Sears Home — the stores went out of business nearly three years ago.
On top of her cancer diagnosis, Brisco also underwent hip replacement surgery this week, as she could no longer walk. She is a widow, whose husband, Hilary Savarie, passed away from cancer in 2011.
The crowdfunding page was set up by Brisco’s former Sears coworker, Marilyn Martin.
She said Brisco had asked her to spread the word to the “Sears girls,” as she didn’t want to hide her health condition. Those Sears girls got together and started cooking meals for Brisco and a friend who has been living with her.
Then someone suggested Martin set up a GoFundMe page for Brisco — she said the response has been “phenomenal.”
“I don’t want her to have to worry about working, and thank goodness she won’t have to,” she said.
“This horrible disease, it’s not fair. For someone who has given so much to the cancer society to end up with it … She took care of her husband and sat by his side while he died, and now it’s just not fair that she’s going through this herself.
“If we can just make what time she has left easier and happier, that’s all I want to try to do … for whatever time she has left, I want it to be her time and to worry about herself and not anyone else anymore. It’s our turn to give to her.”
Martin said she got to know Brisco years ago, when she put out a call for volunteers for Summerfest, which was raising funds for the muscular dystrophy society.
“And of course Bev jumped at it, and she became a regular volunteer for the muscular dystrophy chapter, and gave us over 15 years of her time,” she said.
She said Brisco is a straight shooter, boisterous, with a great sense of humour, and is the most giving, caring person you’d ever want to meet.
“There’s so much I can say — she’s amazing,” Martin said. “If there’s a cause, she is there 100 per cent. That’s what she’s all about.”
As Brisco has raised many thousands of dollars for the Northern Cancer Foundation, Sudbury.com also spoke with the foundation’s executive director, Tannys Laughren, about her.
“I don’t want this to be misconstrued, because nobody deserves to get cancer, period, nobody,” Laughren said.
“But you kind of think people like Bev should be immune from getting the disease, given everything she’s done to help others with it. There’s a real sense of unfairness. I’m struggling with it, to be honest — really struggling with it, as are many people. People are kind of in shock.”
Laughren said Brisco hasn’t lost her irrepressible spirit.
“In typical Bev fashion of course, she’s saying to them (the doctors), ‘You haven’t met me, so we’ll see about that length of time,’” she said. “And you know, in her words, she’s looking to get a few more things done in her life before she checks out. It’s just such typical Bev.”
Laughren said the NCF is also helping out Brisco financially through its Trust Your Bust fund. Brisco actually helped to found the Trust Your Bust fund along with Kim Wahamaa, a local breast cancer survivor.
Brisco was also part of Angels in Pink, a team of Sudburians who raised money for breast cancer treatment equipment and a van that takes women to and from their breast screening appointments (Brisco often drives this van herself).
Laughren said Brisco has also been a NCF board member for 10 years, and has volunteered at “almost every event we’ve ever had.”
Brisco began volunteering for the NCF after her husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, and was treated at the Northern Cancer Centre.
She has also volunteered for a number of other causes, including Keeping Seniors Warm, an initiative where 50 senior citizens take part in a fun day of socializing and shopping for winter necessities to keep them warm when the weather gets cold.
Brisco also worked with Home Hospice North, the Sudbury Business and Professional Women’s Club, the Greater Sudbury Public Library board, the Bell Park Advisory Panel and many other organizations.
For her commitment to volunteerism, Brisco has been featured on Sudbury.com’s Helpers and 12 Days of Kindness series (watch the video below).
Quoted in a November 2019 article in Sudbury.com’s Helpers series, which puts a spotlight on local volunteers, Brisco shared some words of wisdom.
“Volunteering keeps you mentally alert,” Brisco said. “Every day is a day when you’ll learn something new and develop new skills.”
Her life motto? “Don’t just talk about it … Do it!”
