Meet Carrie

“You have cancer”!  The three scariest words Carrie unexpectedly heard one beautiful Saturday after her first mammogram.  Immediately, her life was turned upside down. She felt like there had to have been a mistake. Carrie never felt sick, did CrossFit nearly every day, followed a very healthy diet and lifestyle. How could this happen?

Her mind went into a deep fog as she tried to process this diagnosis and what her future may hold.  The weeks ahead included a biopsy, MRI and surgery, which she chose a lumpectomy.  Not to mention several meetings with doctors, a surgeon and support staff to help her comprehend this nightmare.

A month after her surgery Carrie met with her oncologist and, again, was told news she did not expect. She didn’t just have one tumor, but seven tumors plus there was cancer in 2 out of the 4 lymph nodes they removed. Carrie’s oncologist and radiologist had a treatment plan outlined for her, which included 16 rounds of chemo followed by 30 radiation treatments. This process would take approximately 7 months, which she just finished in February of this year!

In Carrie’s Words

When I found out I was going to need chemo and radiation, I immediately began to worry how I was going to financially manage being on single income and keep my household running without getting behind on bills. Being two hours away from my treatment centre, having to drive for treatments and also routine check ups.

When I got the email saying my application was approved, I was in shock.  A huge burden was lifted as the stress of cancer alone was more than I could handle, and I could then focus on my treatments