[2023-06-26] National Cancer Wellness Awareness Day
Today is National Cancer Wellness Awareness Day, a day to celebrate living well with, and beyond, cancer. The day was first observed on June 26, 2019, after the West Island Cancer Wellness Centre in Kirkland, Quebec, applied to Health Canada to proclaim June 26 as a day for promoting awareness about wellness programs that support those touched by cancer.
I commend organizations like the West Island Cancer Wellness Centre and the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation (whose services I used) for supporting people directly and indirectly affected by cancer and for raising awareness about the possibility of experiencing wellness despite the disease.
Beyond drawing attention to this day, I can support people experiencing cancer in another simple way: by sharing my story. For almost three years, I've told my story of being diagnosed with and treated for ovarian cancer then perianal skin cancer, of undergoing genetic testing that identified a mutation in my BRCA2 gene, and of trying to avoid breast cancer through a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. More importantly, as I've narrated my journey, I've shown a life full of joy, pleasure and gratitude.
I've met other cancer survivors and thrivers—people who inspired me, counseled me and supported me on my journey. Every time someone who faced cancer can say to someone else, "Yeah, I had cancer, but I'm here, I'm well, and I'm living and loving my life," they provide hope. Cancer wellness is possible and it's worth celebrating the fact that these two things can coexist.
