Providing support to people affected by cancer at every stage of the disease: that is the very soul of our mission at the Quebec Cancer Foundation. For the last 40  years, the Foundation has been setting in place programs and services designed to provide all the support they need.
 
One of these is the telephone peer matching service, which pairs up people suffering from cancer or their loved ones with volunteers who have gone through the same ordeal.
 
This year, Merck Canada is contributing to the development of this valuable service with a generous contribution of $20,000. This gift will enable those affected to benefit even further and thus feel less anxious, be more optimistic and cope more easily with their disease. In total confidentially, they can share their experiences, express their emotions and discuss the impact of the disease on their lives while receiving the encouragement of volunteers who have gone through a similar experience. As Ms. Lortie testifies:

"I was lucky to be matched with Martine. She was a godsend for me. She understood everything I was going through because she had been in exactly the same situation as me: same cancer, same treatment... All through my ordeal, even when I was in the hospital and throughout my chemotherapy, Martine always took the time to call me. She gave real, practical advice that I couldn’t get anywhere else. […] Those phone conversations with her were a source of oxygen for me. [...] She is the most beautiful gift the Quebec Cancer Foundation has offered me. And you definitely can’t ask for anything better than that."
 
The Foundation wishes to thank Merck Canada for its contribution, which will enable it to match even more Quebecers going through the ordeal of cancer.
 
Want to know more about the phone matching service? Call 1 800 363-0063 or visit the webpage at telephone peer matching for details.