Dear friends and family,

I'm participating in the Run for the Cure for the 9th year, which also means I've been a survivor for 9 years. It's not a milestone 10th year, but every year counts as a survivor.

I could still remember the pain when a biopsy was done and the anxiety led up to the day I was told those frightening words "You got cancer". If we need to name a villain of all cancer treatments, chemotherapy is definitely second to none. It kills not only your cancer cells, it kills the good ones too, compromising your immune system and leaving endless side effects.

A surgery might be a day surgery, patients are suspectible to complications and side effects like lymphedema, also scar management becomes a life-long process. Radiation is very deceiving, you won't feel any pain, but fatigue and skin changes to the radiated area are real. Medications might help keep cancer cells at bay, but it's always at a cost of stiff joints, and in some cases, the development of another cancer. 

Although all these treatments are dreadful, they help save lives and it's made possible because of research. With further research, I'm hopeful that better diagnoses could be developed, more effective treatments with fewer side effects are attainable. 

Our scientists and researchers are working hard for the cure, but it requires time and funds. For that I need your help. Please support me and our researchers by donating today, or better still, join my team Toronto Phoenix!

Yvonne