30 years of horizon

In September 2024 I had the opportunity to participate in a four day canoe camping expedition with 6 other young adults living with cancer in the Poisson Blanc Reservoir, in Quebec. Back in 2020 when I was diagnosed and then had the stroke and infection, this type of trip was unimaginable, it’s been a long road of years of targeted therapies to regain this much function in her left arm, hand, leg and foot. Until this trip with the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation, I was pretty sure that my days of learning new physical activities (especially any that involved endurance) were behind me; but the Foundation, its staff, volunteers and its approach to supporting young adults with cancer, including those with physical disabilities, is truly exceptional. The volunteers were even able to feed me for four days without any gluten or other food related incidents (this is truly impressive, as many of you know about my range of dietary restrictions, and how they can be challenging in a kitchen let alone a volunteer run campsite). Those 4 days in Rabaska canoes have truly changed my life and the potential I see in the healthier/more able time I have.

A part of cancer and brain injury that we share less about is the heavy financial burden of it all: the out-of-pocket therapies, the physical changes to our home to make it accessible, living off of one income, Alex’s missed work to get me to appointments… Because of these costs it means all the more to us that the Foundation offers these trips at no cost to participants, and they lend participants all of the necessary gear for the trip, as well as arranging medevac coverage in case it’s needed. It’s pretty remarkable for a small Saguenay, Québec based non-profit! All of this is made possible by a mixture of corporate and individual donors.

Alex and I visited the Foundation staff at their offices in October, and since then we have been talking about how best to spread the word about this tiny but mighty non-profit and its work to help young(er) adults with cancer, like me!

I am participating in the 30th anniversary campaign of the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation and am hoping to raise $1000 towards the Foundations $30,000 goal to continue to change the lives of young people aged 14 to 39 who are living with cancer by offering them an opportunity to participate in a therapeutic adventure expedition.