Why I Relay.

I relay for Doris Van der Veen, who was my amazing grandmother. I was only able to know her for a few years due to our family finding the cancer after we had moved to Canada. She was a wonderful mother, and an even better grandmother. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with lung cancer in the very late stage. The doctors didn’t look at lung cancer due to her being very healthy, she had no physical symptoms except for a cough but other than that she wasn’t in any pain. The day they went to the hospital my mom knew something was wrong because my grandmother indicated she wasn’t feeling well. When they got to the hospital they put her in quarantine because they couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and once again she was too healthy for them to look into lung cancer. Then after a while they decided to do a biopsy and they had found that she was in the late stages of lung cancer, it had already reached most of her lungs, some of her spine, and parts of her brain. She decided that she didn’t want to do chemotherapy, due to not wanting to feel worse, but she did do radiation. She was in the hospital for a while but when she was home she was constantly doing things. My mother had shaved my grandmother's hair due to her not wanting it to fall out but it ended up growing back, which she found funny. After that she was brought back to the hospital where she stayed in palliative care, where she was as comfortable as she could be. My family was told that she would have around 6 months to live, but unfortunately she was able to fight for 3 of those months and she passed on April 5, 2009. Doris would’ve turned 89 this year. I always wish that she could’ve seen my sister, cousins, and I grow up. I know she would be very proud of us.

I relay for Markus Hogg, who was not only a kind soul but he was one of the most positive people I know. I knew Markus through the Toronto Estonian community which was how we connected with our roots. He continuously made everyone feel welcomed and made their days better. I always looked up to the way he was able to talk to anyone and everyone. I didn’t know him too well personally, but I do know he will forever be someone that I remember. Markus loved playing football, where he was really good at it. He was very powerful in the way he played. Markus was unfortunately diagnosed on the 12th of October in 2018 with spinal osteosarcoma, which is a kind of bone cancer that sadly affects young people. He was constantly around family and friends and after he underwent major surgeries in 2019; he was transferred to SickKids and by Christmas of that year, he had beaten cancer. The result of the surgery to remove the cancer was extensive paralysis from the waist down. Fortunately he went through extensive therapy and was able to walk with a cane. Unfortunately the cancer came back two more times. He was such a kind soul, but sadly he lost his continuous fight on September 29, 2022. Markus had just turned 20 early this year.

I relay for my friends and family that are survivors of cancer but also the ones who are currently fighting, and the ones that fought until the end. I relay for the ones that need someone in their corner, and anyone who may need it.

Please help me reach my fundraising goal for Relay For Life.  It doesn’t matter how small the step, it makes a difference. Not only for those living with cancer now, but for those remembering and honouring those we’ve lost.  A donation of $25, $50 or $100 could help make sure a team of researchers has the resources they need to make a life-saving discovery or a patient has access to support services when they need it most. 

Thank you!