Paying it Forward

Here’s just a quick update to let everyone what I’ve been up to lately.

In addition to being back at work full-time, working on restocking both of my Etsy shops, and doing some minor home renovations, I’ve started volunteering with Victoria’s Quilts and Breast Cancer Canada!  Here is a little bit about both of these organizations:

Victoria’s Quilts Canada:  Volunteers with Victoria’s Quilts make and distribute handmade quilts to cancer patients across Canada.  Quilts are requested and delivered at no cost.  I was fortunate enough to receive a quilt while I was going through chemotherapy.  A few weeks ago, Dave pulled it out to use and mentioned how soft and comfortable it was.  A light bulb went off in my head, and I contacted the organization about volunteering.  Since I can sew, I will be assisting with making quilt tops, hand-stitching the binding and participating in any community events.  Luckily for me, I can do this at my leisure.

Breast Cancer Canada:  BCC used to be the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, and they went through a major re-branding last summer.  BCC’s focus is advancing breast cancer research and the development of precision oncology.  This is a bit more of a formal volunteering venture, and I will most likely be filling the Clerk/Treasurer role for the BCC Hamilton Hub, but that hasn’t been confirmed just yet.  I should know more in the next few weeks once the recruitment for the Hamilton Hub is done. 

I’m very excited about my new ventures and look forward to spending my energy on initiatives that mean so much to me.  If you have the time and interest, check out the websites.  Better yet, if you have the means, make a donation or sign up for an event such as a walk/run.  Every little bit helps - and yes, one person can make a difference!

Victoria’s Quilts:  https://www.victoriasquiltscanada.com/

Breast Cancer Canada:  https://breastcancerprogress.ca/


#breastcancerblog #breastcancersurvivor #breastcancerresearch #breastcancercanada #victoriasquilts #volunteering #payitforward

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lucas the Mucus Tumor

Image
So, Toby has met a new friend: Lucas the Mucus Tumor.  Lucas lives in the country next door, aka Dave. Lucas was discovered during routine follow-up scanning for Dave’s pulmonary fibrosis, resulting in another biopsy in April. The pathology came back showing malignancy.  Needless to say, this was NOT expected, and a bit of a surprise for everyone. It doesn't appear that the two diseases are related in any way.  It is just bad luck. Off we went to the Juravinski Cancer Centre once again. Ugh. Definitely not one of my top ten favourite places to be.   The technical name for Lucas is Mucinous Adenocarcinoma.   According to Google AI, it is “a type of cancer where the tumor cells produce a large amount of mucin, a gel-like substance, which can be found in various organs. It's a subtype of adenocarcinoma, a cancer that originates in glandular cells.”   Doesn’t that sound lovely?   I can assure you that it is not. Here is the nitty-gr...
Read more

Dear Facebook: Thanks for the Reminder

Image
  With Dave’s recent move to “retirement” (aka long-term disability), the continued progression of his idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and the extreme stress of trying to sell our house amid an uncertain geo-political environment, I have lost sight of myself and as a result, I have been living with a perpetual black cloud above my head and the weight of the world on my shoulders.   That’s where Facebook comes in – daily memories of life past.   These days, FB has been serving up plenty of memories from that turbulent time three years ago.   This photograph was taken March 13, 2022 at one of our favourite local restaurants.   It was our first night out since the previous October. I was nine days away from starting 6 weeks of daily radiation treatments, and very happy to be out of the house and someplace other than the cancer centre.   I thought I looked pretty good here, thinking that no one would know that I was in the middle of battling cancer.   H...
Read more

And That's a Wrap!

Image
 After 6 months and 10 days, 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 30 radiation sessions, I am very happy to report that the active treatment phase of my recovery plan has concluded!  My final radiation session was today.  I will continue to "cook" for the next couple of weeks, and my skin to continue to burn and blister.  The related fatigue will also get worse before it gets better.  I have a couple of pretty bad radiation burns on my neck, one under my arm and another under my breast. They are rather uncomfortable, akin to a severe second degree burn, and they hurt on the skin surface and on the inside. Doesn't matter, though - I am FINALLY done! While this doesn't hold true for everyone, for me I can say that the cure is worse than the disease.  I did not feel sick at all - only a little bit tired - when I discovered Toby.  The three phases of my recovery plan (surgery, chemo, radiation), left me scarred, burned and fatigued with lingering neuropathy in my ...
Read more