• 15 Dec, 2025
• Stu Schwartz

Stu Schwartz: Life Lessons acquired from Beating Cancer Twice, Surviving a Heart Attack, and Inspiring Ottawa’s Community

Magazica: Dear viewers, listeners, and readers, Stu Schwartz is a name many Canadians recognize from the airwaves, but his story goes far beyond that. Today, Stu is a passionate spokesperson for local businesses that serve and uplift the Ottawa community.

What truly sets Stu apart is his resilience. He’s not just a survivor – he’s a thriver. Having beaten cancer twice and survived a heart attack, Stu brings lived experience that is raw, real, and incredibly inspiring. In today’s conversation, we will explore all of those aspects. Stu, welcome. It’s a pleasure to have you.

Stu Schwartz: Thank you. Let me just put on my cape here – my Superman cape.

Magazica: Thank you for doing that. You are a Superman, considering everything, and our readers, listeners, and viewers will get to know it very soon. Let’s begin with a moment that changed everything. Your journey took a sharp turn with your cancer diagnosis and, later, a heart attack. Can you take us back to that moment? What was going through your mind?

Stu Schwartz: Life was going great. I was at the top of my game in 2015. Then, six weeks later, on February 15, 2016, I was driving into work at 4 o’clock in the morning. I noticed that the cars on the opposite side of the road had red headlights. I thought, “Why are the headlights red? Is something wrong with me?”

Throughout the morning show, I was doing “Dr. Google,” which is the worst thing to do. My co-host, Angie – who now works at the Cancer Foundation – and I determined that my diagnosis was simply that I needed vitamin D. With no medical background, that’s what we decided. Later that day, I went to Shoppers Drug Mart and asked the pharmacist if they had vitamin D. She asked about my symptoms. I told her I hadn’t been sleeping well and was very tired. She knew right then and there that I had leukemia and sent me to the Ottawa Civic Hospital.

Six hours later, I was sent to the General with Dr. Chow from the SENS. That’s when I was told I had leukemia. I foolishly asked, “Is that cancer?” The oncologist replied, “Yes.” I said, “Okay, what do we have to do? I have stuff to do.” She told me I would be in the hospital for a while. I said, “That’s not going to work for me. I have events on Friday, I have events all week.” But there was no room for discussion. I was admitted right away. Had I gone home that night, I likely would have died because I literally had no blood running in my system.

I was basically a Formula One car riding on empty – no gas.

Magazica: So many people struggle to stay hopeful during such a severe health crisis. What helped you stay mentally strong during that treatment period, and what advice would you give to someone facing similar challenges?

Stu Schwartz: If it wasn’t for my wife and kids, I’d be dead. My wife is my rock. I’ve been saying that since day one. I don’t know if I would have been equally supportive if the roles were reversed. I don’t know if I would have had it in me, because I’m not as strong as my wife. There’s nobody stronger. She is literally the rock in our house. And my kids are resilient.

I would tell anyone who’s been diagnosed – because people reach out to me on social media saying, “I just got diagnosed,” or “My sister-in-law just got diagnosed” – that it’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Don’t be afraid to ask your family and friends for support, because you’re going to need it. I never used to feel comfortable asking. I was always on the opposite end of charities, supporting other events. This was new for me.

I share my story publicly as a cheap way of therapy.

Magazica: That’s really inspiring, because sometimes we feel shaky or hold ourselves back from asking for help when we really need it.

Stu Schwartz: Yeah. And boy, did I need it. If it wasn’t for my late friend, Hugo Lepore, who drove me to the hospital every day… In the beginning, I was treated as an inpatient for a week or two, then they sent me home. After that, I was back in for about six weeks, treated as an outpatient.

My good friend Hugo would pick me up every single day and take me to the hospital. I had nothing in the tank. There were days when I was low on blood, so I would go and get a top-up – someone else’s blood. What they did to me was basically like reinstalling a computer’s operating system. They took mine out and reinstalled it with somebody else’s blood running through my system. Twice.

Magazica: You spent years behind the mic, connecting with audiences. How did your experience in broadcasting prepare you for this new chapter as a spokesperson and community advocate?

Stu Schwartz: Well, I never meant to be a spokesperson for leukemia, but it actually saved me. People asked, “How could leukemia save you?” It did because it opened the doors to a lot of people who had gone through similar experiences, both positive and negative. I didn’t receive very much negative. I mean, I had some people who weren’t a fan of me – whatever.

And the experience in broadcasting helped me to understand what I was going through by sharing it with my listeners. I decided to take my story public because I thought, how could I keep this private? I needed to share my experience. I’m glad I did, because it opened my eyes to a lot of things. To this day, nine years later, it has opened my eyes and gained me a lot of friendships.

Magazica: You now represent several local businesses that touch people’s lives in different ways, from food to vision care to retirement living. What draws you to these diversified organizations, and how do you align your personal mission with them?

Stu Schwartz: When I was let go from Bell almost two years ago, I sat in my house for about six months, drawing a blank. I thought, what am I going to do? I can’t work nine to five. I’ve never worked nine to five. I’m not wired to work nine to five.

My wife said, “Why don’t you just do what you’re doing – just do it without a radio show?” I said, “How can I do that without a radio show?” I already had Barrhaven Ford. City View Retirement had reached out to me a year before I got fired. Just after I got fired, I wasn’t allowed to work for them while I was still being paid by Bell on leave. So I had those two lined up.

And then one thing happened after another. Brands came to me. I walked into Cobs Bread, which is five minutes from my house, one day in August two years ago. As I walked out, I turned around and said, “If you guys ever need a spokesperson, call me.” The owner was behind the counter and said, “I’m the owner. I’ll call you tomorrow.” That fell into my lap. I never want to represent a brand I wouldn’t personally believe in.

Somebody asked, “How could you represent City View?” I said, “Because our goddaughter’s grandparents live there and speak very highly of it.” I’ve done my research on all my clients. When I walk into a client, I basically say, “I’m going to put your name on my forehead. I’m going to wrap your business around me as if I own the place.” Everything I speak about comes from that belief. I always tell clients, “I’m not going to expect somebody to pay for your business if I wouldn’t personally buy it.”

So I try to put my name behind it.

Magazica: You have seen firsthand how everyday services like fresh food, optometry, and senior care can impact health. What do you wish more people understood about the connection between community services and well-being?

Stu Schwartz: I always complain that the government doesn’t do enough for healthcare. I don’t know the ins and outs, but I’ve talked to members of Parliament and provincial members of Parliament to get the behind-the-scenes story. It’s such a complicated web. When they want to put one thing through, they have to think, “Okay, we’re going to upset a certain amount of people, but we’re going to make these people happy.” They can never make everyone happy.

I’ve gone through the worst of the worst and the best of the best. I say the worst of the worst not because anyone treated me badly – I never had bad care from the Ottawa Hospital General Campus. Every nurse there treated me with respect. There were days when I was in a bad mood, and a nurse would come in, realize it, and I’d end up crying on their shoulder. They’re not paid to let you cry on their shoulder, but they’re expected to walk you through it.

I wish the community understood that you should never get upset with anyone working in a hospital. I know you’re waiting in emergency, you’re frustrated, you want to be seen – but hospitals aren’t making you wait on purpose. I’ve been to CHEO with my kids, and we had to wait. Everyone waits, unfortunately.

When I had my heart attack, I got in easily because I was literally having a heart attack. I walked up to the emergency entrance and said, “Look, I’ve had cancer twice, I’ve beaten cancer twice in this hospital, but I feel like I’m having a heart attack.” They put me in right away. And sure enough, I had a heart attack.

Magazica: We’ll come to that in a moment. But beating cancer twice – that’s not just a medical feat, it’s a serious mental one. What were some of the toughest moments, and how did you find the will to keep going, especially the second time around?

Stu Schwartz: The second time around, we were sitting in the kitchen during COVID, which was the worst time to be sick. Dr. Keckery said on a Zoom call with me and my wife, “Stuart’s got a 40% chance of living.” I thought, what?

Then I thought about it. I looked at my wife and said, “No, we’re going to beat this the second time.” The first time, I went through cancer cocky. I was in the best shape of my life, and nothing could take me down. After that first battle, I thought I was done with it. I looked back and thought, “That cancer had nothing to do with me. I’m a strong guy.”

The second time around scared me, to be honest. During my second bone marrow transplant, they didn’t give me much radiation. The first time, I got full-body radiation – 22 rounds – including my brain. I asked, “Why are you going to radiate the brain? There’s nothing in there.”

The doctor said, “You’ll have three side effects of radiation. One, you’ll get lung cancer.” I thought, great. “Two, you’ll get cataracts. Three, you’ll get loss of libido.” I said, “Loss of what?” That’s the only thing I heard.

I did get cataract surgery. Thankfully, I didn’t get lung cancer. The serious part was, I didn’t think… I wasn’t fearful of death the second time.

Although, after I got my second bone marrow transplant, I remember texting my buddy about a week after. During COVID, nobody could come visit you. I was in the hospital room by myself, and I wasn’t even allowed to leave the room to walk on the floor. I said to the nurse one day, “I’m gonna go crazy, I need to stretch my legs.” She said, “I can walk with you.” I said, “I’m not a baby.” She said, “You’re sick, and if you walk out here and something happens, we can’t be held responsible. You could die on the floor.” I thought, oh God. That’s when I understood it.

It was hell, to be honest. The month of June 2020 was the worst month of my life. Because I was going through cancer, I wasn’t allowed to see my wife and kids. I could only talk to them on FaceTime. I worried about death day in and day out. There was only so much I could watch on my iPad.

I started to think about death, but then I thought, okay, get your head out of the gutter, you’ll live. That’s when I connected to everybody on social media. Nothing was off-limits. I’d tell everybody, “I had a bowel movement this morning, I pooped twice.” And thank God the Facebook community accepted it. People from Ottawa and around the world reached out to me. If it wasn’t for my social media presence and my wife, I’d be dead.

Magazica: And after surviving a heart attack, did you make any major lifestyle changes? What small habits have made the biggest difference in your recovery and daily life now?

Stu Schwartz: I would get up every weekend before my heart attack and make breakfast for the family. My son said to me in hospital, “So explain this to me. Every weekend you’d get up and make breakfast for all four of us. I’d get two pieces of bacon, Isabella would get two pieces of bacon, Mom would get two pieces of bacon. How much did you have, Daddy?” I had the rest.

I don’t have bacon anymore. Occasionally, I have peas. And the cardiologist said to me, “You will have another heart attack.” I said, “What? How?” He said, “The way you’re going, you’ll have another heart attack. Go to the Mediterranean diet.” I said, “I could eat shawarma every single day.” He said, “No, not shawarma. Just a healthy diet.”

Thankfully, my son finally knocked it into my head this summer. We went to Italy, and before we left he said, “You’re gonna die if you go to Italy, because we have to walk everywhere. You’ll enjoy it much more.” So I started walking.

My son’s on this crazy diet. He’s in the best shape of his life, not an ounce of fat on him. He’s almost 20 years old, and he said, “You gotta start walking.” Now that the University of Ottawa Heart Institute is running their Jump In campaign, I’m getting my steps in every day. Thankfully, I did walk before we went to Italy, because had I not, they would have sent me home in a box.

So I’m trying to get more active. I’m walking around Costco six times – I don’t care.

Magazica: You have always been in the public eye. How do you balance being open about your health journey while protecting your mental well-being?

Stu Schwartz: I am what I am. When I run into somebody at Metro or Costco, I want them to see me as I am. I don’t want them to think, “Stu’s totally different than he was on the radio.” I want them to see me as I am.

When I meet people I’m a fan of, I’ve only been disappointed once, because they weren’t as I thought they’d be. But when people live up to their reputation, there’s nothing better for me as an individual.

When I met Huey Lewis the first time, I was such a fan of his music. It was 2010, and Mark Monahan brought him to Bluesfest after I begged and begged. I remember standing there talking to Huey Lewis. I said, “Dude, I’ve waited my whole life to see you. I’m 40 years old, and I love your music.” He’s probably heard that a million times, but he was so gracious and so nice – not because I was on the radio, but from one human being to another.

Five years later, he came back to town for Jazz Fest. I was in the front row and photographed him. Later, my buddy and I saw him at the Chateau Laurier bar. My buddy said, “That’s Huey Lewis at the bar.” I said, “No, it’s not.” He said, “Yeah, the guy with the glasses – that’s Huey Lewis.” So I told the server, “Buy Huey Lewis a drink and charge it to me.”

As we were leaving, Huey Lewis came over and thanked us. He said, “I remember you.” I said, “Me?” He said, “I remember you in the front row. You took a picture.” I said, “Holy shit, you remember me?” I showed him the photo. He said, “I want to send that to my manager.” He took it and sent it to his manager.

Then, when I got sick in 2016, my buddy reached out to their team. I got a nice letter from Huey Lewis that said, “Stuart, sorry to hear about what you’re going through, but you’ll beat it.”

That, to me, made my life. This guy is a true rock star. I’m such a fan of his, and he’s part of my growing up, part of my youth.

Magazica: That’s very inspiring. And many of our readers are going through tough times – health issues, burnout, and every kind of uncertainty. What’s one mindset shift or piece of advice that helped you, that you want to impart to them, to move forward whenever things felt impossible?

Stu Schwartz: Somebody sent me a great quote when I got sick the first time, and I put it on my socials. I said, “I live by this quote: You can’t adjust the wind, but you can adjust your sails.”

So if you think about it… Every time I start complaining about something, my wife says, “Hey, remember that quote you said?” Right now, I’m going through something and I’m really upset about it, but I remember that quote. I even remembered it this morning when I went to see my psychotherapist. I see a psychotherapist once a month, thank God. I pay her to listen to my problems.

But that resonates. For some reason, it resonated with me, and I quote it to this day.

Magazica: And the last question, last talking point – what’s next for you, Stu? Any upcoming projects, causes, personal goals, or missions that you’re excited about?

Stu Schwartz: I just want to keep supporting the charities that I’m supporting. I want to continue to use my soapbox for good, not for bad. My wife said, “People are following you not for your political opinions, they’re following you for your silly food takes.”

And I play with people that way, because I know to the core – I say ketchup doesn’t belong on anything but fries. It doesn’t belong on hamburgers or hot dogs. I love messing around with people on that stage. But if I get a small role in a movie, like one line, that’s a goal of mine. Other than that, I just want to keep on the same journey I’m on.

Somebody said to me on LinkedIn after I got let go, “Stu, you’ve been doing it everyone else’s way for the last 30 years. You’ve got about 10 years left to work in you. You’re 50, 51. Do it your way.” So I’m doing it my way – sleeping in, which I’ve never done in my life.

And it’s incredible. I didn’t realize people actually sleep in until 7:30, 8 o’clock.

I was getting up at the crack of stupid for 25, 30 years, not getting any sleep. One thing I’ll tell people starting in any business: you’ve got to get your sleep. It’s so important. Your body’s like a computer. If you leave the computer on constantly, it’ll eventually die out.

Your car needs rest, everyone needs rest. When you shortchange your body on rest, your body will try to protect itself. You need sleep.

So I’d like to continue on the path I’m on. I don’t have any big aspirations. I worked for 30 years in radio. I was the announcer for the Sens for 12 years.

I dreamed of both of those jobs, I lived both of those jobs. I’m 51. What’s left? I don’t know.

Well, we’ll see what. The world hasn’t served me.

Magazica: Keep inspiring like this and keep inspiring us. Keep inspiring even Generation Alpha, the next generation. Thank you very much for your time, Stu. Thank you.

Stu Schwartz: Thank you very much.