Dawson Creek Mayor Dale Bumstead diagnosed with cancer

Mayor of Dawson Creek Dale Bumstead said he was going to wait until the council meeting tonight to make a formal announcement about his diagnosis, but took to Facebook instead to write about it.

Mayor Bumstead wrote that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer approximately two weeks ago, before he left for Vancouver to attend UBCM.

“It was good and bad to leave almost as soon as I got this news as it gave me some time to reflect and digest the life changing news that this brings to a person,” his Facebook announcement reads.

Since the post was written last night, it has garnered over 100 comments from others offering support.

He had a bone test done last Monday – causing him to miss the last council meeting – and said it came back clear.

Mayor Bumstead wrote that he is optimistic about the future, and has no intentions to step down as Mayor just yet.

“The cancer is life threatening but also treatable,” he wrote.

“At the end of the diagnosis-prognosis stage I will then decide on the treatment options. At that stage I will be able to understand how it will affect my ability to continue to serve as Mayor but today I do not see any reason why I cannot continue to do the job I was elected to do, I hope so anyway.”

He went on to thank Dawson Creek City Council for their support during this time, and thanked Councillor Gevetkoff for stepping up and filling in for him during the last meeting.

He also wrote about the importance of having a supportive family during hard times such as these.

“Kind of shakes your world but make it so much easier to go thru when you have folks by your side. I feel so blessed to be where I am today, the news could have been so much worse.”