Those who will be participating in the upcoming Slopes For Hope fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society on March 4, 2017 share what motivates them. First up is Meg Chapman.
About two years ago I received the phone call that everybody dreads -my younger sister had just been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Within 3 days I had put my life on hold and was on a flight back to Australia for an indefinite length of time.
I saw my sister experience things that no-one should ever have to, especially at such a young age, and I will never forget. I also learnt a lot over this time, about myself, life and what I consider to be important. I remember everything from this time, but the memory that holds strongest is not what you would think – it’s not finding her collapsed in the hallway, or carrying her up the stairs because she couldn’t make it, or stroking her back and holding back the tears while I cut off her hair, or force-feeding her to keep her strength up as much as she despised me for it.
It was the day we went to a make-up seminar put on by the Australian Cancer Council. I sat and watched as volunteers taught these ladies in their most naked version of themselves the basic fundamentals of make-up application. I saw their faces light up and their confidence start to shine through.
And then I understood. Learning this skill was going to provide these women the confidence to leave their house and feel good about themselves, something which the Cancer had taken from them. My own journey led me to understand that while I know I won’t be the one who finds the cure for Cancer, there is so much else I am capable of, and that is just as important. I can give my time, my skills, and my experiences, and if that makes a difference to even one person who is going through something similar to my story, then it is all worth it.
I was gone for 6 months, and I have been a volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society since the day I returned.