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June 5, 2009
Aunt's diagnosis spurs action
Coupon books will help raise funds for ovarian cancer research.
BLAIR KAPLAN
Cancer is something that you think may never touch your family or affect anyone you know. The thought may not ever cross your mind in your daily activities and it will only begin to peak your curiosity once it grasps the hand of you or someone you know. This is what happened to me.
My aunt Heather was very close to me, as I was her oldest niece and she did not have any children of her own. As I got older, we drifted apart because my life as an adolescent became very busy. My family came a close second to my social and academic life at the time. And then, a few years ago, it happened: Aunty Heather was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
I had so many questions: Someone I know has cancer? My very own Aunty Heather has ovarian cancer? What is ovarian cancer and what causes it? Can you cure it?
I was very confused because I knew nothing about this disease and felt very helpless. Aunty Heather discovered her ovarian cancer when it was in Stage 4 (one of the last stages). Three short months after her diagnosis, she lost the war and succumbed to the cancer. I felt lost.
I was curious to know how Aunty Heather "caught cancer" and how to prevent this from happening to me or any other woman I know. I could not bear to see anyone else go through the cancer cycle and watch the agony and pain radiate through the eyes of the sick. I did my research and that is when I discovered Ovarian Cancer Canada.
Since then, I began a company called Living Free Vancouver, which produces a high-end coupon book by the same name, with exclusive coupons for the health and wellness community of Vancouver. The companies in Living Free Vancouver are ones that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle, because living a life of health is one way to ward off cancer. I wanted to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer within the community, so $5 from every Living Free Vancouver sold will be donated to Ovarian Cancer Canada.
My goal is to raise more than $20,000 this year for the organization and to help broaden awareness about ovarian cancer. For more information or to purchase a copy of Living Free Vancouver, visit www.livingfreevancouver.ca.
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