Doug Zimba’s youngest daughter, Carley, was only 3 years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia in 1996. Carley required treatment in Toronto, a four-hour drive from their hometown. During this time, their family experienced the cost of cancer firsthand, including various out-of-pocket costs. Now
Chantal Tardif became a caregiver at the age of 42. At the time, she was already leading a full life. She worked as a medical secretary, she had an engineer spouse, and they had a daughter who was just starting high school and was enrolled
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
Carrie Brown remembers the day she learned what cancer was. “I was seven years old. I was lookingthrough old photos of my mom with her parents when I learned that they had both passed away fromcancer when my mom was quite young.” The realization that
Three words a person never wants to hear from a physician is “you have cancer”. That’s what Iwas told that cool November morning in 2017.Following the initial investigations of a tumor, I was told I have colorectal cancer but at that pointI didn’t know what
Michael Butler is no stranger to cancer. After losing both sets of grandparents and an aunt, heremembers feeling powerless at the time. The family didn’t know much about the disease at the time; itwas “just cancer.” Today, research developments and discoveries that significantly impact the
After her mother’s experience with two cancer diagnoses, Jackie was no stranger to thedisease. When she received her own cancer diagnosis in 2017, she went from acting as asupport system to a family member who was experiencing cancer, to being a patient herself. Her family, having
In May 2015, Denise MacKinnon was diagnosed with Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), more commonly known as breast cancer. At first, she was shocked but not surprised as both her mother and aunt had breast cancer, and she knew that 1 in 8 women are
From an outsider’s perspective, Joanne Arenas was doing everything right. As she approached her mid-30s, she was committed to working out, eating well and living a rich social life. Behind the scenes, it wasa different story…one Joanne felt dimmed the light inside her as she
Donna Cassidy has always been a believer that behind every cloud is a silver lining – she is just a naturally positive person. But sometimes, it’s difficult to find the light. For Donna, that reality hit home in August 2020 when, for a week, she,