What inspired you to start volunteering?

I joined a support group when my husband was diagnosed in 2013. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 42. During that time, I leaned heavily on the friends I met through the group and the incredible encouragement and support I received during such a difficult period. I’m very grateful for that community during his fight and after.

One of my closest friends today, Sarah Vick, is someone I met through that group. We both lost our husbands and were raising two young girls on our own. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, the group paused, but I started getting calls from friends who knew others in need of support. Since there was no active group, I began inviting people to my home for coffee and a safe space to talk.

That experience motivated me to restart the group. I reconnected with the original facilitators, Karen and Gary Evjen, and reached out to Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada to find out how to get things going again. I asked my good friends Steve and Sarah, whom I met in 2013, if they would help me, and they gladly agreed. As a single mom with two teens and a full-time job, I couldn’t do it alone, but knowing Steve and Sarah had my back made me feel confident we could bring the group back together.

Volunteers often “wear many hats.” What hats have you worn as a volunteer and can you share how and when you got involved? 

I participated in the support group in one form or another from 2013 to 2017 (caregiver, then grieving widow, and then someone who offered support to others) and took part in most of the Brain Tumour Walks, helping raise funds for the cause.

I stopped going for a while, and then COVID-19 hit and the group never continued after. People began reaching out to me because they knew I had experience with the group. This motivated me to restart the group because I knew firsthand how much of a difference it makes.

At first, I hosted small gatherings at my home, then later contacted BTFC to make it official. With Steve and Sarah’s help, we relaunched the support group in February 2023.

What is your fondest memory of volunteering?

Seeing people connect in the room. That sense of connection is so powerful, realizing we are not alone in this journey. Watching caregivers recognize that same look of exhaustion or hope in another’s eyes, or seeing survivors and patients share their challenges and encouragement, it’s truly meaningful.

With Brain Cancer Awareness Day and Hats for Hope in mind, what message of hope would you share with others in the brain tumour community?

We all have our own journey to live, and the most important thing we can do is be there for one another with compassion, understanding, support and love. I always say when people lose all other options to help their loved ones, the most important thing you can do is just be there and hold their hand.