Annual campaign – February 2023
We're here because there's cancer… and everything else.
Cancer never pauses. What’s more, it touches more and more people, to the tune of nearly 60,000 cancer diagnoses in Quebec every year. And while mostly everyone has been exposed to cancer to some extent, the disease is no less scary and unsettling. Cancer is also a foe that many people feel they must battle alone.
Since my arrival at the Foundation just over five years ago, we have been working relentlessly to develop resources commensurate with our ambitions and to achieve our goal of being closer to the people by ensuring access to our Info-cancer Services, a wide range of complementary therapies and yet more accommodations for people receiving cancer treatments far from their home.
I can now proudly state that the objectives we set for ourselves have been or are on the verge of being reached. Could we have taken such great strides without the commitment and generosity of people like you? Absolutely not. Your trust and support are what allow the Foundation to continue growing and meeting the evolving needs of persons touched by cancer and your donations directly help cancer patients and their loved ones.
Did you know that a cancer diagnosis often brings with it financial precarity? This is why - with your help - we created the Support program for daily living activities (PAVQ) to provide financial assistance to patients who have exhausted all of their resources. The Support program for daily living activities has already made a concrete impact on real needs, as illustrated by Mathilde’s* testimony, below. The first part of the program, which will extend over a four-year period, will allow us to help over 2,000 people.
We reached a milestone in 2022, with 30,000 nights per year in our six Lodges, hence beating our pre-pandemic record of 22,000 nights in 2019. The addition of two new Lodges (to the four existing ones) and an increase in the number of beds from 130 to 270 resulted in a 36% rise in the use of our accommodation services. This appears to be a clear sign that our services are meeting an existing need.
Furthermore, we are working with local partners to facilitate the accessibility of our complementary therapies promoting physical well-being in health institutions. At present, at least one of our services (and sometimes more) is offered in close to 30 institutions in Quebec (including Îles-de-la-Madeleine and the Beauce, Saguenay, and Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions).
Your donation will help us help people with cancer and their loved ones, by offering physical relief, psychological support, and respite from the daily burden of battling the illness.
Because life goes on, thank you for supporting us today and every time you are able to do so.
Marco Décelles, CPA
Directeur général
An extra boost to help in the fight
Mathilde* is 50 years old. Self-employed since 2016 and studying for her Ph.D. in psychology, Mathilde is a single mother of three children, the youngest of whom is only 12 years old. The diagnosis received in June of 2022 left her reeling.“My paltry savings, accumulated while I was a full-time student and self-employed, were quickly depleted. My first priority was to make sure my children were taken care of. And of course, I didn’t want my youngest boy to be exposed to my financial worries. Handling the cancer diagnosis was already a hard cross for him to bear.The news was devastating. A case of endometriosis turned into cancer, a very rare phenomenon. After undergoing a total hysterectomy, I began chemotherapy, with its numerous side effects. Almost immediately after being diagnosed, my income dwindled to nothing. Imagine the stress. I kept thinking that I would end up engulfed by the system, with no way out. I kept wondering how one manages everyday financial needs while battling cancer...
The social worker who was helping me search for financial support spoke to me about PAVQ, the Support program for daily living activities. Cancer treatments are exhausting. Concentrating on simple matters is often difficult, which makes filling out forms and applications for assistance even more challenging. But this wasn’t an issue with the Support program for daily living activities. Preparing the application was simple, and it was accepted extremely quickly. I can’t describe the relief I felt. I immediately paid the municipal taxes on my condo, which was the most urgent financial matter I had to settle. Now, I can focus on what’s most important: my health and my family.”
*Mathilde is a fictitious name used for the purpose of preserving anonymity.
