Indomitable spirit

Catherine Mary Burke was strong and motivated in ways many of us could never imagine.

She was known for fighting the good fight, and she fought as hard as she could for as long as she could. But something set her apart. Even when it was too late for her, she insisted cancer survival rates had to be better for other women. And they are today because of her fierce determination.

Burke died on Nov. 29, 2025, at age 67 after courageously facing breast cancer for more than a decade.

“Cathy was born happy,” said her husband, Patrick Burke. “She was a glass-half-full person. What a gift this attitude was to me and the boys. She never once said ‘Why me?’ or complained. She was just so happy to be alive.

“If I stood with her in line at Safeway, by the time we got checked out, she’d had multiple conversations. She knew the tellers, the bag boy — she knew them all,” he said, adding that it was next to impossible to find a photo of her without a beaming smile.

The couple met in the summer of 1979 at a hotel in Keewatin, Ont.

Patrick vividly remembers how it all started.

“There was a big deck. It was a long weekend. There were lots of 20-somethings. We were acquaintances for the first while. In August 1980, we met (unexpectedly) in the airport. I was on my way to Toronto; she was on her way to Saskatoon to finish her agricultural degree. We arranged to meet on the Labour Day weekend when we’d both be back in Winnipeg. The rest is history.

“Dinner was a bottle of red,” Patrick recalled, “Van Morrison’s Into the Mystic. She said I should play it at her wake as she was going to go first. Sadly, she was right, as she was most of the time.”

The couple were married in 1982 and began what would be a 43-year love story.

They went to Florida on their honeymoon and moved to Toronto for a while. With a recession at the time, a lot of people were unemployed. Cathy could only get part-time work as a bank teller. They returned to Winnipeg, and over time had three sons. Cathy was their best friend and confidante. She loved being a mother to Sean, Timothy and Kerry.

Home became the go-to place. There was lots of good cooking and baking. The ardent sports fan and consummate caregiver spoke to her parents every day. She revelled in nature, wildlife, her flower garden.

And then, life changed. Cathy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. Her mammogram two years earlier showed there’d been a tumour that had been missed. The head of the breast clinic phoned her personally to apologize.

“It didn’t make her bitter,” said Patrick. “She was determined to make it better for others. When she saw something wrong, she was determined to right it. She saw that in Manitoba, when you went and had your mammogram, nobody ever advised you about your breast density,” he explained, about the condition that can be a contributing factor.

“Cathy’s cancer was estrogen-driven. There were lots of things she could have done. They didn’t tell her. Forty-two per cent of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts.”

There were four major surgeries, seven different chemo regimens, 50 radiation and other aggressive treatments, and a slew of medications with a broad range of side effects. She was in treatment for almost a decade.

“She endured it all with grace and fortitude,” Patrick said.

“She had breast cancer for 16 per cent of her life. She became an advocate with Dense Breasts Canada. No one told her about the risks or offered her access to additional screening. She turned outward to help others. She joined forces with others to form a strong advocacy team in Manitoba, attended meetings at CancerCare.

“Now women in Manitoba receive essential information and have a chance to be proactive,” said Patrick. “Other provinces were encouraged to follow. She stepped up for better policies. Her legacy in the breast screening is a significant one.

“Her legacy in the breast screening is a significant one.”

“The family doctor said he’d never seen anybody fight that hard,” he continued, adding that she found strength in her heritage, taking on as alter ego a powerful Icelandic character.

“When everything looked really bleak and all doom and gloom, she would find strength in that.”

Cancer survivor and advocate Cathy Rippin-Sisler collaborated with Burke to bring change for all women in Manitoba. The changes the two Cathys advocated for ensured that all women are informed of their breast density following a mammogram.

Together they explored the Dense Breasts Canada site, met, talked and shared experiences. Ten years ago, there was no disclosing if a woman was found to have dense breasts during a mammogram.

“We decided that we should jump on board,” said retired registered nurse Rippin-Sisler. “We used some of the material from the site to start an advocacy plan for Manitoba. We met with politicians, reached out to leaders at CancerCare Manitoba, and used a social media plan. Cathy was very tech-savvy. We asked the 40-plus age group to send us a picture of themselves that said, ‘I want to know.’ We did get some calls from government after that.

“Cathy was instrumental in pushing this issue forward,” Rippin-Sisler said. “She had a very unique way of being tenacious in the most pleasant way possible. I never saw her lose her cool in a meeting. She kept copious notes. Before the next meeting she’d look at her notes and ask, ‘Where are we with this issue?’ She held the politicians accountable. Together we just kept at it.”

In meetings with CancerCare, the two Cathys advocated for women to be informed, firmly believing that information is power.

“It gives them the information to potentially make lifestyle changes that could reduce the likelihood of breast cancer. I really think it has impacted the health care world in terms of how women are managed at mammograms. Density can hide a breast cancer.”

Rippin-Sisler thinks often about her friend’s unending cheerfulness despite her health challenges.

“As her energy and physical abilities declined, she spent more and more time communicating by social media, but she consistently was able to see the positive in a situation. When you knew what she was dealing with, to read those positive messages was kind of mind-blowing. I have such respect and admiration for her.”

For Patrick — who remained his wife’s primary caregiver as the cancer spread and their world became smaller — there was never a question whether he’d be by her side through it all.

“During the last four years we were together 95 per cent of the time,” he said.

“During the last four years we were together 95 per cent of the time.”

“I’d take her to the hospital, often two to three times a week for appointments. Your world shrinks and shrinks. You’re not left with many options. I know with absolute certainty that if the tables were turned, without question she would have done the same thing. We were partners.

“Before I met Cathy, I had no concept of where love was so all-pervasive,” he added.

“Love never fails. It does endure. It’s what I learned from Cathy.”

fpcity@winnipegfreepress.com