Team Rachel Against ALL

I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in June 2018. I have a changed perspective on life because of being diagnosed and going through treatment. Before all of this, I was working lots to make money, but now I believe you should spend time doing things you actually enjoy. I love to hike, camp, bike, and spend time outdoors.

Moving forward, I think about the hip replacements that I will need because of the avascular necrosis caused by the steroids used in part of my treatment. I think about how long the healing from the hip replacements will be. I think about modifications I might need to make in my life as a result of hip replacements. As of right now, I don't know when the surgeries will happen.

Rachel’s Mom, Sharon, also had some insights to share: “Rachel is so independent, I've never really felt like a caregiver during her treatment. When Rachel was needy, I knew that things where probably 10 x worse than I anticipate them to me. Rachel tells me not to ask too many questions, and that she will tell me when things are bad.

I don't remember how I found out about the walk, but I made Rachel join. I remember my first call with LLSC staff, and I also remember getting calls from Coleton, the 2018 Honoured Hero. We moved to Calgary on the 10th of October just before the walk. We had people staying over at our new house, so that they could join us at the walk. It was a really busy time.

As a mom, I wanted to do everything to heal my kid, but I didn’t have that much control over the situation. The one thing I can do is give back by contributing to the LLSC, and I get back control by doing so.”

Together, Rachel and Sharon share why it’s important to support the blood cancer community Through Light The Night: “Blood cancer treatment can be so long, and research can help make the treatments shorter by improving medications and medication protocols. It's important to learn which drugs work together to make treatment easier (less side effects). Looking for a cure is also another reason to support the LLSC. We also know that research in blood cancer, leads to improvements for so many other diseases. Light The Night brings people together; and shows how many people are affected by blood cancer.”