My name is Talitha Young, and I have the honour of co-leading the ‘Heart and Soul’ team for Queen’s Relay For Life 2024.

For as long as I knew my Baba she had been battling cancer. I was too young to truly appreciate the magnitude of what was happening and the effect it had on her and my family, but I knew it wasn’t anything good. My Baba was, and still is, the strongest woman I’ve ever had the privilege to know. From her unmatched kindness and generosity, to her ability to always make me laugh no matter how much pain she was suffering. I aspire to make her proud. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in the early 1990s. However, against all odds and due to the continued advancement in the treatments for cancer and her refusal to give up, she survived for another 20 years. This is the 10-year anniversary of her death and while reminiscing about all she meant to me I will be reflecting on how much progress has been made over the years to further cancer research that wouldn’t have been possible without organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society and without which I may never have known my Baba. This is why I will always and forever Relay for her.