Facing Cancer Together

Motherhood, Cancer, and Finding a Community Through it All

Becoming a parent can be one of the most life-changing times in a person’s life.  This holds true for Ember in more ways than one.

Oct. 8, 2020 | by Madina Tabesh

Celebrating Our Community: The Universality of WINKing

Shari and Erinn amazing Look Good Feel Better volunteers, but they are also long time Shoppers Drug Mart employees! This unique experience allows Shari and Erinn to understand the importance of #WINKDay.

Aug. 17, 2020 | by Madina Tabesh

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 Suzanne Aranda

Know that you are never alone

This May, a year after she first heard the words ‘breast cancer’ from her doctor and underwent a lumpectomy, Laura was devastated to learn that she had been re-diagnosed – stage 4 triple negative.

Her best friend Jess had gone with her to the appointment, which was Laura’s one-year screening.

Dec. 9, 2019 | by Allie Wiebe

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 Allie Wiebe

“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 Allie Wiebe

3 Tips to Get the Perfect #WINKDay Selfie!

Nailing that insta-worthy selfie can be quite the hassle. After all, there are a ton of factors involved in taking the perfect selfie. Lighting, angles, and your surroundings all play a role in capturing your inner glow. Adding a friendly wink to the mix can make it a smidge more difficult to snap.

But if that winking selfie can help women with cancer feel like themselves again, who wouldn’t be up for the challenge? It’s the most selfless selfie you can take!

Read on for 3 of my top tips to take your winking selfie game to the next level.

June 12, 2019 | by Lumen Beltran

“Why we WINK”: Employees inspired by peer

Fifteen years ago, Aida was 30 years old, with a 6-month-old son and had just been diagnosed with cancer.

The diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma was devastating. Having a new baby at home and learning to navigate life as a new mother as well as a cancer patient was the hardest thing Aida had ever done. As much as the treatment was physically and mentally taking its toll, she was surprised to find another thing weighing on her – the changes to her appearance.

June 12, 2019 | by Allie Wiebe

"The first steps to the old me": My first walk post-treatment and what I did to prepare

In my last blog, when I talked about my own recovery and “taking sickness to fitness” post-treatment, I credited my first walk for being the first steps in getting back to the old me. I also shared how scary those first steps can be - I hope that this story inspires someone to have the confidence to take theirs.

May 16, 2019 | by Adriana Lombardo

Finding friendships through cancer: "They just get it."

As a nurse, Shelley has been helping patients navigate their health for years. But when she was diagnosed with aggressive Stage 1C breast cancer in the summer of 2017, she was thrust into a system she had spent years a part of – in a very different experience.

April 16, 2019 | by Allie Wiebe