Beth Marchant
“When I started treatment, I was the youngest person in the room… Now, that’s not really the case.”
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“My journey is what I like to call ‘My Gift Wrapped in Barbed Wire”, shares Cynthia. In 2017, Cynthia Cushia, a 37-year old with unwavering tenacity for life, received an unsettling diagnosis: Stage 2, Grade 3 HER2+ breast cancer.
This news came as a shock – having no risk factors or family history. When Cynthia received her diagnosis, it was not an easy journey and difficult for her to find support – much of her support system remaining speechless.
Cynthia’s journey began when her partner noticed a lump in her left breast and encouraged her to get it checked out. After this diagnosis, her overwhelming journey began. Initially, Cynthia was advised to undergo two years of chemotherapy and IV treatments. After careful consideration, she decided to have a mastectomy and lymph node removal done instead.
After her surgery, she received amazing news that her lymph nodes were cancer-free! Given the stage and grade of her cancer, she continued her journey and proceeded with Tamoxifen.
It was a learning journey, that is for sure. However, it was a gift that made Cynthia realize how precious life is. After battling breast cancer, she started to look at life from a whole different perspective. She understood what she had gone through in her life, and is now reinventing herself.
Breast Cancer Canada invests donations into precision oncology research; to match the right plan, to the right person, at the right time. Cynthia shares that her breast cancer made her appreciate life a lot more. “It is beautiful to have this second chance. I feel like a butterfly, and I can’t wait to spread my wings”.
“When I started treatment, I was the youngest person in the room… Now, that’s not really the case.”
The most important thing was living every day to the fullest – and the memories.
“Progress means every woman — in every Canadian community — is seen, heard, and cared for”.
“With more research and more awareness, we can ensure fewer women are blindsided the way I was.”
Breast Cancer Canada donations fund life-saving research that directly impacts Canadian patients. That means better answers, bigger breakthroughs – and more personalized treatment for every breast cancer diagnosis.
Our suite of digital tools are each designed to help individuals better manage their breast cancer journey through education, research and personalized insights, while also elevating the patient voice.
Every breast cancer journey is unique, but together, these stories paint a powerful picture of progress. Through firsthand accounts from patients and survivors, we share stories that highlight the lived-experiences of breast cancer.
Progress happens when we invest in it. Canada is home to some of the world’s brightest minds in research. Together, we are advancing science, ensuring it leads to earlier detection, better treatments, and improved outcomes for patients across the country.
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