We Get It: Quality of life

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Gerald Mak is currently a strategy manager within the Ontario Government (Crown Agency). Prior to joining the public sector, Gerald worked in various financial and professional institutions with roles in risk, communications, and technology.

With over 15 years in community service, he has volunteered and served on various boards and advisory committees including St. John Ambulance, City of Toronto, Toronto District School Board, Digital Media Zone, Big Brothers and Sisters of Toronto, Toronto Police Service, Ryerson University, University Health Network, and Junior Achievement Ontario. Gerald is extremely passionate about his community and the well-being of others.

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for supporting this series!

In this week’s episode, Alex and YACCer Harman chat about Harman’s diagnosis of sarcoma during his high school days, and how dealing with that emotionally and physically at a young age affected him.

Harman touches on how he’s utilized mindfulness, meditation, and reframing your perspective on life to navigate his world through multiple cancer diagnoses, and where he is at as a result today.

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Harman describes himself as a: Brother. Friend. Cancer Survivor. Old Soul. Biker. Raptors Fan. Spiritual Human. Artist.

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for supporting this web series!

Joe said, “Going through cancer forced me to have a long, hard look at myself and my life. I did not like some things, and some things no longer fit, so I adapted to be more present with the people I care about the most, and rediscovered my sense of purpose through helping others who want to lead a happier, more fulfilled life after cancer. I believe we can choose the way we live our life, to seek greater clarity in everything that we do, to show up at our best every single day, and hold on to hope that despite the struggle, things can — and do — change for the better!”

LINKS:

Finding Hope In Times Of Uncertainty

Simplify Cancer Podcast

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for making this web series possible!

In this week’s episode, Alex chats with fellow YACCtivist Heather Brown about her role advocating for the cancer community’s resources, sharing her story, and all of the important human occupations that deserve more attention! The two also touch on parenting and how a cancer diagnosis is brought to light to children from a parent’s perspective.

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HEATHER’S BIO: I identify as an English Canadian, and am married with two children. I am a thyroid cancer survivor, enjoy watching rom coms and superhero movies, a lover of many types of music, and someone who is driven to care for others and strives to be involved and volunteer to help make a difference in the community. Through my cancer journey, I dealt with isolation, fear of recurrence, and anxiety. As a YACCtivist, I am eager to help fellow AYAs to feel supported and help create more awareness about their AYA cancer experience. In the episode, Heather has shoulder length brown hair. She is wearing a blue shirt. She is sitting in her home office.

You can check out all of the videos on YouTube or website!

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for making this web series possible!

In this week’s episode, Alex’s mother/caregiver/supporter, Val Mandarino, joins him for a chat.

You can check out all of the videos on YouTube or website!

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for making this web series possible!

A familiar face joins the We Get It program this week as Kayla Tremblett joins Alex to discuss her introduction to YACC and how she quickly stepped into a leadership volunteer role after taking so much away from the inclusive programming. The two also touch on their Localife experiences and how cancer played a role in Kayla’s entrepreneur ventures!

-LINKS-

Localife

Simple Ritual Candles

This Infernal Racket

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Kayla identifies as an Estonian-Canadian pansexual female, currently in a relationship. “I like to tell people I was in my prime before cancer. I was energetic, busy and happy but definitely naive. I was active, loved nutrition and fitness, very social and really was just living life.”

When Kayla was diagnosed and faced a two-and-a-half year treatment protocol as well as years of recovery, she felt alone, lost, and disconnected. “It was not until 2017, about one-and-a-half years after I had finished my treatment that I finally was able to start my healing process. I really struggled with PTSD, depression and anxiety in the first four years of my recovery. I still struggle but I now have a strong sense of myself, who and what is important in life. I am still working on myself, and working through my emotions from cancer, but I am a better person than I ever was, and I take every day as a gift.”

You can check out all of the videos on YouTube or website!

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for making this web series possible!

In this week’s episode, Alex and Insight team member Nick have “quite an interesting conversation.”

Nick is new to the YACC community, but is someone with such a bright light radiating around him, and a lot of unique aspects to his story. He and Alex tackle how cancer affected him mentally, and how infertility played a role in him ultimately deciding to become a foster parent. An incredibly touching interview outlines that you won’t want to pass up!

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Nick identifies as a Canadian of settler decent. He says he grew up in a home with two loving parents that supported him in every way. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 21 and again 10 years later when he was 31, and considers himself “lucky because both times I only needed an orchiectomy and no further treatments.”

Nick loves art and lives an active lifestyle, both of which have helped him process the experience of having cancer twice. He said, “I waited 12 years before connecting with group therapy and feeling the healing power of shared stories. I am passionate about helping others and reaching out to those who may be suffering in silence.”

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for making this web series possible!

In this episode, Daniel and Alex dive into a topic that doesn’t get a lot of traction in the cancer community — comedy! They discuss how Daniel, a comedian and actor, incorporates his craft into his cancer experience, and how he managed to create a one-man show and write a book about it. You do NOT want to miss this episode!

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Canadian Comedy Award Winner, Daniel Stolfi, is an established actor, comedian and cancer patient advocate.

In March of 2008 Daniel was diagnosed with acute Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer requiring equally aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments over the next two years of his life. Through his ongoing battle with the disease, Daniel created his simultaneously heart warming and hysterical Canadian Comedy Award winning one-person show, Cancer Can’t Dance Like This. To date, the show has been performed over forty times in almost every major city across Canada, has helped raise over $100,000 for health-related charities and organizations, and even made its Off-Broadway debut in New York City.

Although the staged version of Cancer Can’t Dance Like This is no longer in production, Daniel has recently penned a raw, funny and heart-warming memoir called The Comedian Vs. Cancer, which recounts his two year battle with cancer, while finding hope and love in places he never could have imagined.

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for supporting this series!

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Alyssa (she/her) Canadian, of British descent, is a young adult myeloma advocate and blogger in her mid 40s. She is a stay at home mom parenting a spirited six-year-old with her husband in Toronto, ON. Alyssa is thoughtful and kind and always ready to lend a hand to those who need it.

Alyssa was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010 at age 32, after several years of missed diagnoses and an exhaustive search for answers. Roadblocks to accessing proper care included her gender and age. She was initially treated with chemotherapy, followed by an autologous stem cell transplant, and enjoyed a five-year remission before her relapse and further treatment.

Alyssa connected with Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) in 2012 at Retreat Yourself West. Since then, she has participated in most of YACC’s programs (Survivor Conference, Localife, private Facebook groups, and YACC Chats). Being a part of YACC empowered Alyssa to identify and speak up for her needs as a YA patient, and she wants to help YACC grow so every YA patient in Canada gets that same chance.

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for supporting this series!

In this episode, Alex and Blair discuss how to navigate relationships (both new and old) when factoring in a cancer diagnosis. Friendships, dating, and demographics are all affected, and Blair shares his experience with his romantic life and close friends, and how he introduced cancer to all parties, leading him to how happy he is today.

Thank you to our partners at CIBC for making this series possible!