Blog | Facing Cancer Together

My Faith and My Boys – Support Throughout My Journey

I settled myself down and started to encourage myself – telling myself that I can get through this, and that lots of women had passed through this and survived. 

Sept. 20, 2022 | by Tania Amardeil

The Importance of the 'a-ha' Moment

Some of our most impactful journeys start at the most mundane of times. While thinking there was no way I was going to feel a pea-sized lump…I felt it. It was right there, and I couldn’t ignore it.

April 30, 2021 | by Dee-Jay Jodoin

Why We Should All be ‘Team Liz’

This year felt like I couldn’t escape cancer. But with cancer, you don’t get any of that. I got to be ‘cancer person’.

April 28, 2021 | by Liz Nelson

When mother and daughter face cancer together

Diagnosed with cancer one month apart from each other, Marie-Paule, and Mélissa find their strength in each other.

Last May, Marie-Paule received her ovarian cancer diagnosis at the age of 64. It came as a shock to the entire family as  she was the first person diagnosed with cancer in her family.

Against all odds, her daughter Mélissa was also diagnosed with cancer only a few weeks later – breast cancer, stage 2. She is 30.

Dec. 13, 2019 | by Marsha Roc-Malychenkova

A single gift can support two women facing cancer

Last year, Katie and Karie were sitting in a room with eight other women of various ages and backgrounds – all who had recently been diagnosed with cancer.

Katie and Karie had never met before, each travelling from different treatment centres to attend a Look Good Feel Better workshop. Both young women had just begun losing their hair during chemotherapy and were eager to learn how to manage these changes, before the hair loss affected their eyelashes and brows.

It’s easy to forget how much of our identity is related to our physical appearance – but at such a …

Nov. 21, 2019 | by Benita Hensraj

Katie's Story: "I share so that others can receive the same support."

Last spring, Katie was playing soccer when she got elbowed in her left breast. Reacting to the hit, she brought her hand to her chest – instantly feeling a lump. At only thirty-years-old, cancer was not something that crossed Katie’s mind. She was concerned about the lump, but she assumed it had formed because of the trauma to the area from her soccer injury. 

Over the next couple months, the lump grew larger, harder and had started to feel painful. At the urging of a friend, Katie went to the hospital to get it checked out. Within a few hours …

Sept. 27, 2019 | by Benita Hensraj

“Make it absolutely beautiful”: A story of epic self love through cancer

Leisse Wilcox lives by the motto, “Take whatever it is that happened to shape you throughout your life, and make it your own. Make it make sense. Make it serve a purpose. Make it absolutely beautiful.”

Although a self-proclaimed ‘relentless optimist’ and advocate for self-love, Leisse confesses that being diagnosed with breast cancer last August, just a week before her 37^th birthday, was an unexpected and trying test of these beliefs.

Aug. 7, 2019 | by Benita Hensraj

My ultimate fight

On December 17, at the age of 48, Josée was diagnosed with a Sarcoma cancer, a very rare form of cancer that usually affects men, 50 years and older and tall. "I'm 135 pounds, I don’t smoke, and I was in good health," says Josée, "it was a real shock and a total misunderstanding”. Josée defines herself as a person who loves life, who is always positive, hardworking, athletic and who likes to be surrounded by people. Her life changed without warning ...

She was referred to a wonderful doctor to whom she entrusts her life with a feeling of …

June 14, 2019 | by Marsha Roc-Malychenkova

My LGFB Workshop Experience: "Tales of a Makeup Rookie"

This was the first time I had been in a room with a group of other women with cancer. Although cancer is a club you wish nobody needed to join, it was reassuring to see people so positive at various stages of their experience. Beside me sat a woman with no hair who was radiantly smiling and looking beautiful. I began to realize that this event was not about looking good by someone else’s standard but about and feeling comfortable in your own skin. I immediately felt it was going to be okay.

May 24, 2019 | by Shawna Potje

“Take it day-by-day. Do what’s best for you.”

One year ago, Jennie had just returned to her hometown of Napanee, Ontario, after a year teaching English in the UK. She was 25-years-old and was supply teaching locally when she came down with what she thought was the flu. Living in a town without a walk-in clinic, she made a trip to the ER after becoming concerned with how tired and short of breath she was feeling. 

March 29, 2019 | by Benita Hensraj