‘I just want to get better’: Breast cancer survivor joins CIBC Run for the cure to raise funds and hope

Tady was diagnosed in November 2021 and started chemotherapy right after, which lasted until May 2022.

After undergoing a double mastectomy, she began her healing journey and recalled that following the operation, she felt all the pain had disappeared as if nothing had happened.

“I remember saying to [the nurse], ‘Where am I?’ and she said you’re in the recovery room, and I said, ‘OK, am I in shock right now?’ and she said ‘I don’t think so. Why do you ask?’, and I said ‘Because I actually feel so good right now’.”

Tady noted that staying optimistic was what got her through the treatments.

Despite the days when negativity clouded her way, she pointed out it’s important to have self-belief when confronted with a life-threatening situation.

“I just want to get better,” she said.

“You don’t want to be too sure and think, ‘Oh, I got this’ because you don’t know, but you don’t want to be negative your whole life. You have good and bad days, but I try to have mostly good days, and yeah, that’s it.”

During the CIBC Run for the Cure in Finlayson Island on Oct. 6. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW Staff)

According to 2023 Canadian Cancer Society statistics, the five-year net survival for breast cancer in women is 89 per cent, which means, on average, about 89 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer will live for at least five years.

“It is the most common cancer found in Canadian women, one in eight, but we have done so much work that today, if breast cancer is detected, it is nearly 100 per cent survivable,” said Robin Speer, a Canadian Cancer Society National Board of Directors member.

“It is just getting better and better.”

Speer strongly believes that the CIBC Run For The Cure is crucial in funding programs to enhance the diagnosis process and advance personalized medicine, new drugs, and less invasive and more effective patient treatment sets.

He pointed out the event’s longstanding presence in major urban areas such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, drawing 46,000 participants and raising nearly $15 million nationwide last year. In recent years, the focus has shifted to smaller communities. As a local of the Battlefords, Speer utilized the scenic Finlayson Island to establish Canada’s first independent community run in Battleford in 2023.

This year’s participants helped raise $7,500 for the Canadian Cancer Society. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW Staff)

“CIBC is our national sponsor, so I reached out and sat down here with the branch manager here, Ashlee Babiy. We put together our little event last year, along with support from some other community leaders. And so we thought, ‘Let’s do that again this year’,” he said.

This year, the run successfully raised about $7,500.

Speer believes these events not only raise funds for cancer researchers but also promote conversations about cancer, increasing awareness about early detection and the potential for improved survival rates.

“It’s just communicating. It’s talking to your doctor, talking to your family, and learning about the resources online through our researchers and our team at the Canadian Cancer Society,” he said.

Even though Tady’s journey of battling breast cancer has not yet finished, as there is still a possibility of relapsing, she mentioned that she is grateful that she is not alone as she saw people come out today to support what she has endured.

Tedy said she’s staying positive as one can only wish for so much.

“My daughter’s getting married next year, so I am looking forward to that.”

CIBC Fun For The Cure Run at Finlayson Isalnd on Oct. 6 2024 pic.twitter.com/e2zx8pqRHV

— Kenneth Cheung (@KennethC811) October 6, 2024

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘I just want to get better’: Breast cancer survivor joins CIBC Run for the cure to raise funds and hope

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