‘Overwhelming’ community support for Orillia man stricken with cancer: sister

The community is rallying around an Orillia man and father of five as he battles cancer.

Area residents have contributed more than $11,000 to a GoFundMe campaign in support of Dan Wadsworth, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in January and is unable to work at this time.

“It is very heartwarming,” Janice Edwardson, the eldest of Wadsworth’s three sisters, said of the response to date. “It is actually quite overwhelming for Dan and his wife, for sure.”

Wadsworth, 41, started chemotherapy shortly after his diagnosis and initially managed to continue working at his IT job.

However, as the treatment progressed, the local man had to stop working and now relies on disability insurance, resulting in a significant drop in income.

“It is hard for my brother because Dan wants to provide for his family,” Edwardson said.

On top of the regular expense of raising a family, Wadsworth now faces additional costs associated with his treatment, diet, supplements, and appointments, fundraising organizers said.

His wife, Annie, does not work outside the home and is busy raising their children, who range in age from three to 10 years.

The couple decided to home-school their children due to the impact of treatments and surgeries on Dan’s immune system.

“As a father of young kids, he wants to be there to see his kids grow up,” Edwardson added. “We are doing all we can to allow that to happen by helping him out as much as possible.”

Wadsworth recently underwent a six-hour liver surgery and another surgery is scheduled to remove a tumour from his colon.

In addition to undergoing conventional cancer treatments, he is also exploring complementary treatments that are costly and not covered through OHIP.

Wadsworth has an appointment at the Marsden Centre for Excellence in Integrative Medicine, his family said.

“We want him to focus on his recovery — period,” Edwardson added. “I don’t want him worrying about money, I don’t want him stressing about those things.”

Anyone wishing to contribute to the fundraising campaign can do so by visiting