Honouring and Celebrating Our Co-Workers’ Fight Against Breast Cancer
My co-workers are my best friends, my confidantes and the ones that I go to when I am struggling or hurting. They know my fears, my weaknesses and my greatest triumphs. We are together in our small space, nicknamed “the hub”, in our clinic together eight hours a day, five days a week. It is hard not to feel and act like family with these women after nine years—despite the age gaps between us. You love them to the moon and back and would do absolutely anything for them.
I was almost into my second year working in our Family Medicine clinic when I found out that two of the women that I worked with had fought and survived breast cancer. It came as a shock to me—they are wonderful, courageous, bright and caring women who never complain throughout the week and I could not imagine what they had gone through. They are the strongest and happiest women I have ever known. We all feel honoured to know and work with such brave women who have shared such a personal part of their life story with us. Cancer is not only a physical pain but it is also an emotional pain. It hurts not only the person diagnosed with cancer but those who love them.
We may not be able to go through their cancer journey with them but we can be by their side during and after, to lend support not only to that person but also to the fight against breast cancer. It was this idea that led our Fundraising Committee at work to launch a month-long activity fundraiser with all of the funds that were raised going directly to breast cancer research. What better way to support the women we work with and show them how much we love and admire them?
The activities were posted on a Bristol board calendar in our hub area and all of the employees participated in some area, from our support staff to residents to physicians and nurses. We even had patients want to contribute to the cause!
Some of the fundraising activities we hosted during the month were:
- A bake sale
- Pink dress down day for a loonie every Friday
- Chilli day ($5 for a delicious bowl of chilli from one of our famous chefs at work!)
- Raffles for some pretty awesome donated prizes (purses, jewellery, etc.)
The ideas are truly endless when it comes to fundraising. Not only did we support an amazing cause, we came together as a work family to support our work community and the individuals who personally fought and survived breast cancer. It was important for them to know that they are not alone, and that we love and support them.
Another fantastic way to donate to breast cancer research is by giving them your time and participating in the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. This year, the run will be held on October 2nd, 2016 in over sixty-three communities across Canada—talk about bringing people and communities together! To find the complete list of communities participating head over to the CIBC Run for the Cure page to find your nearest run. You will be joining others who have survived breast cancer, have a loved one that has survived or been lost to cancer, and those who want to support the women who are fighting against breast cancer. The upbeat mood and excitement is amazing and totally infectious on race day. We were at Blue Mountain and witnessed the run their last year and it was incredible the way the community came together, showed their love and support in such a positive manner.
This year, doing your fundraising is as simple as creating your own personalized digital fundraising campaign. It’s very simple: just chose your picture (can be you, or the person you’re fundraising in honour of), name your campaign, and tell your story in your own words. Tell friends and family why you are participating in the Run for the Cure. Then simply share the page with all your friends and family and social networks. It’s such an easy and seamless way to fundraise, especially if you have friends and family who don’t live nearby.
October 2nd, 2016 is coming up fast so make sure you head over to CIBC Run for the Cure to register to run or to donate. Also make sure to follow the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date on the event and follow the event live on October 2nd, 2016!
This post has been brought to you by the CIBC Run for the Cure but the images and opinions are my own.
