Nicole Deane

Let's make a difference!
 

Nicole Deane has been walking in Light The Night for 5 years, but her father, Ray, a blood cancer patient who was diagnosed with Follicular Lymphoma in 2011, has been walking for even longer! Just after Ray was diagnosed, he was sitting in the waiting room at St Michael’s Hospital’s Day Care Centre and the patient next to him started talking to him about Light The Night, about how special the walk is and, even more so how LLSC was an amazing organization that would teach him a lot and support him on his journey going forward.

For a number of years, their team was called “The Old Grey-Haired Buzzards”, a loving nickname they’ve called Ray since he went grey in his mid-twenties… but, try getting that one on a team sign! Over the years, their name has changed and the people who have walked with Nicole, and for her dad, have varied. But the inspiration is always the same: Light The Night instills hope into all those who are in attendance. The way the coloured lanterns unify patients, survivors, those who have passed, and all their families and friends, demonstrates an incomparably deep sense of connection. Everyone comes together so that no one is alone. Nicole believes that wherever those in attendance find themselves in their journey, they are all holding each other up, especially for those with gold lanterns. She hopes they are inspired by the impact that their loved ones have made and continue to make for all those still living with blood cancer.

Nicole has brought aboard two of the organizations she has worked for to partner with Light The Night. The colleagues who have walked with her, met her parents, and stood outside of SickKids, are forever changed. They have now become friends and even “family members” rather than just co-workers.

By utilizing the Benevity platform (which was available at both of Nicole’s workplaces), she was also able to double her team’s fundraising two years running which is incredible! With the rise of Corporate Social Responsibility, companies are supporting their employees more than ever. This year, LLSC went into Nicole’s company to educate her entire department about the Blood Cancer community and the work that LLSC is able to do with their support for events such as Light The Night. The team then spent some time volunteering on a project for LLSC and chatting amongst themselves, making meaningful connections and learning more about the people they work beside every day. Raising awareness, inspiring others, and bringing them into our special community, Nicole truly believes that by being open and vulnerable, and sharing our personal stories, we can touch so many and make a difference.