Today, the Quebec Cancer Foundation is launching the 4th edition of La marche du Grand Défoulement, a federative, province-wide event.

 
La marche du Grand Défoulement is a colourful, festive, family-oriented movement that gives Quebecers an opportunity to collectively show their support for people affected by cancer. The occasion mobilizes thousands of participants, including celebrities such as Guylaine Tanguay, volunteer spokesperson for the Foundation:
 
“Walk to celebrate life and salute the courage of everyone who is facing cancer right now or has done so in the past. […] By supporting the Grand Défoulement, individually or as part of a team, you can make all the difference.”
 
This fall, COVID guidelines permitting, we will be greeting walkers in Montreal, Quebec City, Gatineau, Granby, Trois-Rivières and Rimouski (in partnership with the Association du cancer de l’Est du Québec. From now until then, they will be training their teams, boosting awareness about the cause and fundraising for the Quebec Cancer Foundation. 

A much-needed event to ensure the sustainability of the Quebec Cancer Foundation's services 

La marche du Grand Défoulement is a valuable event for bringing people together and celebrating life, but it is also a vital source of revenue for ensuring the sustainability of the Foundation's services.
 
Since its inception it has helped raise over $750,000. This impressive amount has enabled thousands of Quebecers to live full lives in spite of the disease, whether through its accommodation centers, its Info-cancer Hotline,  its telephone peer matching service, and its massage therapy, kinesiology and art therapy services.
 
“The services offered by the Quebec Cancer Foundation are a treasure that still remains largely unknown. The Foundation helps lessen the effects of cancer on a daily basis. For me, there is a noticeable difference between my life 'before the Foundation' and my life 'after the Foundation'” says Marie-Pierre D'Amours, a breast cancer patient and beneficiary of the Quebec Cancer Foundation's services.

After participating in the virtual art therapy, yoga and Qi Gong workshops, Marie-Pierre volunteered to raise funds for the Foundation:“This fundraiser was a way for me to thank the Foundation for everything it offers us and thereby permit even more people to benefit from it. It's a way of giving to the next in line.”

In these difficult times, Quebec is united as never before. While 80% of oncologists believe that COVID-19 has had moderate to severe impact on the diagnosis and evaluation of new or potential cancer cases^[1], the Quebec Cancer Foundation is unflagging in its determination to support those affected by cancer. 

Sign up for La marche du Grand défoulement
 

[1] Metrika. Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian oncology practices. December 2020. Internal data.