Are you up for the challenge? This month, we are embarking on an exciting journey to magnify the impact of your generosity: Medicum Patient Assistance Program will match your donation, doubling its value, up to $25,000!
Are you up for the challenge?
This month, we are embarking on an exciting journey to magnify the impact of your generosity: Medicum Patient Assistance Program will match your donation, doubling its value, up to $25,000!
The $25,000 August Match Challenge is an opportunity to unite and support Canadians dealing with blood cancers, from diagnosis through treatment and life after cancer. Don't miss this chance to maximize the power of your giving!
Help make August an extraordinary month for the blood cancer community!
Jaime's inspiring story
Jaime Moar is eager to help bring awareness and change to the world of blood cancers. She was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma – a cancer of the lymphatic system – at just 37 years old. It was the summer of 2022 and her first symptom was a lump in her neck.
Two people – one type of cancer
To make matters even worse, just two months after Jaime's diagnosis, her 74-year-old father was also diagnosed with follicular lymphoma. He was previously extremely healthy and walked 15 km per day. This put Jaime in a challenging and unpredictable situation: “Not only am I in the position of 'cancer patient’ but 'cancer caregiver' as well, two roles I am still getting a grasp on.”
Even though Jaime and her father have the same type of cancer, their experiences have been very different. Her father has already completed six months of chemotherapy – the same treatment that Jaime will be starting soon.
A focus on determination, not uncertainty
As Jaime has experienced, receiving a blood cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event. She has faced the shocking diagnoses with spirit and determination. “There is a lot of uncertainty in our diagnoses,” she says. “Because of that, I intentionally choose to live every day to its fullest, making the most out of every moment, every conversation, every relationship.”
Jaime first got in touch with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada through the First Connection Peer Support Program. This program is one of the reasons she was drawn to giving back by fundraising.
“Talking to someone who’s also been through a blood cancer eliminates the feeling you sometimes have when talking to family and friends – that you need to try to make them feel better about the situation,” Jaime explains. “Cancer can be incredibly lonely, even if you have a support system, and talking to someone who’s been there really helps.”
Connection through competition
“When I learned my follicular lymphoma is a chronic condition, it was really discouraging to find out it’s not the type of cancer you can ‘beat’,” Jaime recalls. “But raising money for blood cancer research and services gives me hope that I may not have this cancer forever, or that I can live with it more easily.”
From March to June 2023, Jaime competed in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada’s Visionaries of the Year challenge, raising $135,487 and earning the title of 2023 Montreal Visionary of the Year. “Fundraising for the LLSC allows me to connect with those who want to help, as well as people going through what I’m going through, so no one ever feels alone.”
Access to information and support is crucial
As a yoga teacher and professional coach, Jaime helps people get to know themselves, choose what works for them, and take action that will make a difference.
This is why she encourages others to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada: To ensure those going through treatment have access to the information and support they need, which can help them make the choices that are right for them.
“I feel an incredible sense of gratitude to donors who give to the blood cancer cause,” Jaime shares. “Those donations have led to the research that’s helping people like me and my dad, and the programs that help us cope with what we’re going through.”
You have the power to transform lives like Jaime’s and her father’s.
Medicum Patient Assistance Program strives to create a healthier future for Canadians by helping patients get access to the healthcare they need, including medications, medical devices, and treatments. Medicum has a personal connection to the blood cancer community and is proud to be involved in a number of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada’s programs.