The final Tragically Hip show helped shine a spotlight on brain cancer

Gord Downie was first diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2015.

Perhaps what is lost in the celebration of the Tragically Hip is the main reason the band wanted to do one last tour of Canada and one final show in the place they called home.

The band's lead singer, Gord Downie, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer and the most common form of adult brain tumour, in 2015. 

That according to Dr. DJ Cook, a neurosurgeon at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, is a terminal disease meaning Downie didn't have much time to live.

News of Downie's cancer diagnosis motivated the Tragically Hip to record one last album and go on one final tour in 2016 ending in a show in their hometown of Kingston on August 20, 2016 that was broadcast across the country.

Cook recalls that moment where much of Canada stopped what they were doing to watch the concert on television.

Cook was the one who informed Downie that he had glioblastoma. He performed surgery to remove a tumour in May of 2016.

Downie would receive further treatment and care at Sunnybrook Health Sciences in Toronto.

Cook says instead of dreading his fate, Downie used it to further causes that he championed.

On the 10th anniversary of the concert, KHSC issued a statement saying Downie helped put glioblastoma and other brain cancers in the national spotlight. They say in the last ten years, there has been advances in imaging, surgical techniques, and scientific research to help patients. 

The hospital were able to recruit Drs. Teresa and Jamie Purzner, both neurosurgeons with subspecialty expertise in glioblastoma. KHSC also partnered with Queen's University in the development of programs, technology, and other tools to support brain cancer research.

Cook says doctors have continued to expand what is possible for patients living with brain cancer. 

Downie died on October 17, 2017 at the age of 53, 14 months after the band played their final show in Kingston.

Story by Ken Hashizume