Patient Advocates Breathe Hope into the lives of Canadian Lung Cancer Patients.
You have just been diagnosed with lung cancer, and so many different thoughts and feelings come to the surface and vie for your attention. Fear and the unknown being the prevalent ones at first. In your mind you think there must be a great deal of support and information out there; a safe,haven to flee to, a place where sharing information and experiences with others living a lung cancer journey. But wait… you are in Canada, and it is 2016. What exists is a void.
Meet Andrea Redway diagnosed 2015, Heather Hanusiak Hogan diagnosed 2012, and MaryAnn Bradley diagnosed 2014.
Sadly, two of the founding members Jill Hamer Wilson (2022) and Kim Moran MacIntosh (2021) journey have had their journeys ended.
What started as a chat, a breath taken in an airport hallway after attending the Lungevity conference, a simple convergence of thoughts and wishes would one day turn
into …
Canadian Lung Cancer Advocacy – Breathe Hope
That is what planted the seed in Heather and MaryAnn’s mind. They met because in Canada there was very little support, no matter where they searched. In 2016 a conference was held in Toronto hosted by Lung Cancer Canada. There they met Jill and brought her into the fold. Each bringing their own skill set and experience. Jill introduced Andrea to the group who became a founding member
and MaryAnn approached Kim.
Building a Facebook site for patients by patients is not an easy task, but these women had a shared vision, an overriding need, the fearlessness, the desire to make a difference and help others along their journey with lung cancer. This is especially true and needed when you each live in different parts of the country.
Canadian Lung Cancer Advocacy – Breathe Hope had a straightforward mission and still does. Many meetings took place to bring this site to life. Each brought their own set of tools and experience to the table. So what
did they want and what did they get?
As each has stated in their own way they wanted:
o
matters and is supported by the community.
o
o
o
o
o Asked what they consider their greatest success … The reach they have had building their “friends” on this site. What they perceive as their greatest challenge; getting more people on their site as “friends.”
These ladies MaryAnn, Heather and Andrea have invested their hearts, souls and time to making a difference. MaryAnn has taken the lead on Canadian Lung Cancer Advocacy -Breathe Hope. MaryAnn is the glue for this site, though each has and does give all they can for those who have had lung cancer, come into their lives. You can always see the hand and care of MaryAnn. They do always see eye to eye but then who does.
Each has a message to share!
Andrea
Heather
MaryAnn
These are amazing women, and their Facebook page has given additional breathes to so many and will continue to bring it on. Just like the rest of us they each deserve to have their whole story told, this is just a small piece.
Canadian Lung Cancer Advocacy -Breathe Hope
https://www.facebook.com/groups/520424908293279
Unmasking the Reality of Lung Cancer
Diane Colton
Aug 30 2023
50
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