Liz’s Story
Liz Humphrey, a Talent Strategy Consultant with TBS, found a lump in her breast in the summer of 2020. She assumed it was nothing but to be safe had it checked out. She and her husband were getting ready to go camping with their kids, a long-standing summer tradition. She was camping when she got the diagnosis. She told her husband and together they decided not to tell their children until there was more news to share, including a prognosis.
When it came time to tell them, Liz said, “It was and will forever be the hardest thing I ever had to do.” The kids were 18 and 16 at the time and though both were scared, they were also very supportive and positive.
Liz’s cancer journey changed her mind about talking about her situation and she now readily shares how her journey made her more appreciative, grateful, peaceful and resilient. “It was an opportunity for growth and know that sharing my story may help someone else.”
How did the Canadian Cancer Society help her on that Journey?
Part of Liz’s cancer plan was 20 rounds of radiation at Health Sciences North – Northeast Cancer Centre (NECC) in Sudbury. She was able to access the Northern Health Travel Grant (NHTG) program to help pay for the costs associated with traveling to and from Sudbury every day for 20 days. “Having programs available like this avoided additional stress around finances while already having the stress of cancer to deal with.” And having lost her hair due to chemo, she purchased a wig and is now in the process of donating the wig to the CCS so someone else can also use it, free of charge.
Getting Treatment in Northern Ontario
Liz mentioned that all her care and doctors were amazing and “she never had any delays, “from detecting and testing the lump, diagnosis, surgery and treatment.” However, she says, there were challenges including:
- Never meeting her oncologist, all meetings being through video calls
- Having to go back and forth from North Bay to Sudbury for 20 days in a row for radiation treatments
- After treatment, having to travel to Sudbury every 4 months as a side effect from treatment caused tooth/jaw issues and she needed the specialist Dental Oncology Program only available in Sudbury.
How does Liz reach out now?
In 2023, she was approached by the North Bay Regional Healthcare Foundation (NBRHCF) to serve as the spokesperson for their spring fundraising campaign. It began as a ‘poster picture’ for their 50/50 campaign and grew into a rewarding experience. She had the opportunity to be the face of the spring campaign, have her story shared with current and new financial donors and thank them for their generous support of the mammography unit. As well, that spring she was also the guest speaker for the Foundation’s annual golf tournament and joined the Warriors of Hope Dragon Boat team, a group of breast cancer survivors. “This group of determined and energetic women and men have become role models in North Bay and wherever we compete, “ Liz explains. We also advocate and support other organizations with fundraising efforts such as Nipissing University’s participation in the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life.”
Andrew’s Story
Andrew Dundas is a Senior I&IT Consultant at TBS. In August 2022, expecting a diagnosis of a pinched nerve due to a compressed disc diagnosis, he was given a confirmed diagnosis of ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as motor neuron disease. It gradually paralyzes people as the brain is not longer able to communicate with the body’s muscles.
How did ALS Canada help?
He and his wife soon shared the news to family and friends and realized there was a gap in knowledge and understanding of what ALS really is. They reached out to the ALS Canada and learned about the work being done to support both ALS patients and their caregivers, as well as advancing research.
“They have helped us through their equipment loan program and their various support services. Their equipment loan program provided me with a walker and a wheelchair which has allowed me to be more mobile instead of being forced to stay home. I can go for ‘walks’ with my wife where she pushes me in the wheelchair or go shopping. I use the walker for shorter trips or going to rehab programs. ALS Canada has contributed to me having an improved quality of life where otherwise I would be confined to home.”
Andrew has also connected to other ALS patients through ALS Canada’s support groups which provide an opportunity to interact and share experiences on accessing services and tips and tricks on overcoming everyday challenges. “Some discussions ranging from dealing with how to navigate traveling to sometimes darker topics such as feed tube insertion, topics that non-patients just cannot relate to,” Andrew says.
ALS Canada also has a program called the Canadian ALS Learning Institute, or CALI, to better understand the Canadian ALS landscape, clinical research and therapy development, and how new therapies become approved and accessible to Canadians. “Participating in the CALI is an opportunity to learn more about the ALS research process and how to advocate effectively for access to Health Canada approved therapies,” Andrew mentions. “I gained knowledge to help with the advocacy and awareness efforts that I had started as part sharing my own experience as well as my fundraising efforts.”
So, what are Andrew’s Fundraising Efforts About?
“When I heard the original diagnosis, it felt like being hit by a truckload of lemons. Instead of burying my head, though, my wife and I decided we would take the lemons I had been given and make the best lemonade we could. But we needed to figure out what that ‘lemonade recipe’ would look like…[and soon] my lemonade recipe started to come together. It was mainly tied up in educating people and raising funds, since ALS Canada is 100% donor funded.
“I started a fundraising campaign called the ‘Virtual Mobility Challenge’ which consists of me riding 7,500km across Canada – from Victoria, BC to St. John’s, NFLD – over 12+ months. What does ‘virtual’ mean? Well, my challenge consists of me riding a stationary bike and recording the distance. The great thing is there are no mountains and I never have to worry about the weather! The main reason I am riding a stationary bike, though, is because I am no longer able to ride a regular bike. In fact, there are many things I can no longer do as this disease continues to affect my movement and mobility. Walking has become a challenge, but so have seemingly simple tasks such as eating, brushing my teeth or getting dressed. All of these require use of my hands which continue to lose strength and the ability to perform fine motor movements.”
To date, Andrew has raised $8,000.
“Every day is a new day to be thankful. I continue to ride my stationary bike and continue with advocacy efforts to raise ALS awareness and we continue to make lemonade from those lemons each and every day, no matter what those lemons look like or how many keep coming our way.”
