back to dedications

I met Rachael through the Cancer Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. At 19 years old, it was tough dealing with cancer and being treated at a facility filled with people twice my age. Rachael was 22 and had glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain tumour. We were put in contact through e-mail by a social worker at the centre and I was thrilled to be in touch with someone who knew what I was going through.

It is definitely very hard to face a cancer diagnosis at a young age, the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. Almost everyone can sympathize but no one can understand entirely what it's like unless they're in the situation themselves. Being in touch with Rachael and being able to meet her in person, if only once, had a huge impact on me. Finally I was able to talk to someone who really understood what I was going through. On top of that, this was someone who would offer much inspiration.

She described her cancer in her second e-mail to me, explaining that the doctors gave her a 1 in 20 chance of surviving for five years. With my own Hodgkin’s Disease, and a 9 in 10 survival rate in my favour, I was completely baffled. She followed her explanation with, "Oh well, we’ll see how things go." Despite her unfortunate prognosis, she assured me that she would one day marry her boyfriend. Five months after her diagnosis, she passed away.
Fighting cancer is an overwhelming struggle. But the words I read from Rachael and the words I heard her speak lead me to believe that Rachael was entirely successful in her battle. A major part of the fight is just being able to maintain control over the emotional and mental aspects that can so easily drag you down. I often admired the calmness and stability (and humour!) with which she approached her situation. She joked about the appropriateness scar on her head from the brain operation she had days before Halloween and considered adopting a comb-over style to hide the missing hair.

Kindred spirits are hard to come by and so important in times of need. I feel truly blessed that I was able to find one.