Cancer is personal. WICC was created because of a personal cancer story, and every year, thousands of insurance colleagues experience their own cancer battles, triumphs and losses. Below are a few of these personal stories.
If you too have a personal story to share, we would love to hear from you! Please contact us at info@wicc.ca.
Marcelle Abou-Rjeily’s Story
Marcelle first noticed teeth-like marks on her tongue in 2018. She initially consulted her dentist and they decided to try a mouth guard and see if it cleared up. After 3-4 months of worsening growth, the dentist referred Marcelle to an oral specialist. She waited for a couple of months before calling and finding out
The Rockstar’s Journey – Dave Baksh’s Personal Story
Musician Dave Baksh was getting ready to finally begin touring again with his band, Sum 41. As the lead guitarist, Dave couldn’t wait to get on the road after being unable to tour for 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in February 2022, his plans came to a sudden halt when he noticed a lump in
Selena Randall’s Cancer Survivor Story: Community & Mentorship
Selena Randall found a lump in her breast in the spring of 2018. After completing amammogram and a biopsy, she received a diagnosis of triple negative, stage one breastcancer. Selena said upon receiving her diagnosis that, “being told that I had triple negativebreast cancer was pretty scary, women die from triple negative breast cancer more
Personal Stories – Anthony Henry’s Survivor Story
Read Anthony’s story with prostate cancer that affected his entire family. Anthony hopes that by sharing his story, he helps others advocate for their own health specifically with early testing, family relations, and using those resources that are available. He himself found a community and leadership through The Walnut Foundation and was led to True
Bobbi Jo Beitz – On becoming a cancer thriver
Active all her life, playing competitive fastball and hockey since she was young, Bobbi JoBeitz assumed the numbness she felt in her right heel was a sciatic nerve issue. She couldnever have imagined that it would turn out to be something entirely different.“Of all weird things, it started with some numbness in my right heel
The Plan to Live – with Laura
Laura finished her cancer 1.0 treatment with her sister in the hospital with some champagneand photos. Laura got a tattoo to mark her finished treatment plan and for living without cancer,and she tells us she is a mother, wife, manager, and a very hardcore planner. Following Laura’spoint of being a planner, she notes that cancer
Kati and Maci’s Survivor Story
Read about the cancer journey and survivor story of mother Kati and her daughter Maci who emphasize the power of family and community support. They hope that through sharing their story, others will know they are not alone on the childhood cancer journey and that other families will join Pedal for Hope and Relay For
Staying Positive, Active and Resilient – Getting to know John Sterns.
John remembers exactly 20 years ago in 2003 when he knew that something was off with his body. This is something that John points out throughout his story that is one of his most important points – to listen to your body and to make sure you are always prioritizing it. When John lost a
Connecting For A Cause – Getting to know Shari Dodsworth.
If you ask what motivates Shari Dodsworth to support organizations like Women in InsuranceCancer Crusade (WICC) and the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), she might share her firstexperience with cancer. Around the time Shari was about to give birth to her first child, herfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was able to make a full
Connecting Through Cancer – Getting to know Sindy Houle.
After her husband’s brave three-year battle with small intestine cancer, Sindy Houle faced oneof the most difficult things imaginable; losing her loving husband and devoted father to their twochildren. After he passed, one of the toughest challenges for Sindy was reimagining life for her family.Sindy was grieving the life that she and her husband dreamed,