Tucked away in the attic of Jessica Boudreau’s home in Isle Madame, Cape Breton is a unique piece of art, hand-crafted for her as a symbol of her fight against and survival of cancer. The canvas? The mask Jessica wore while she underwent radiation treatment for lymphoma in 2019.
It’s a fight that more than 7,000 Nova Scotians face each year. And it’s Jessica’s reason for riding in this year’s BMO Ride for Cancer – to celebrate the survivors like herself and honour the lives of those who died from cancer, like her parents.
“When I finished my treatments, I took the mask because I wasn’t sure what, if anything, I wanted to do with it,” says Jessica. When she was ready, she asked her sister-in-law, who is an artist, to paint her cancer journey on it.
The mask is key during radiation treatment in the head and neck area – it prevents the patient from moving as beams of radiation target the tumour.
“The hummingbird depicts the effect of sucking the cancer out of my neck. Faith, hope, strength and family were also painted on the mask as keys to my cancer journey,” she says. “It was my way of turning lemons into lemonade because that mask was a part of what I went through.”
Bringing it all together
In the years since her diagnosis, Jessica has taken part in many fundraisers – walks, races, rides – to raise awareness and funds for different types of cancers. In reflecting on her own journey and that of her loved ones, she recognized that the QEII Health Sciences Centre was a big part of her life.
“My Mom came to the QEII for radiation treatment in 1992 when she was diagnosed with brain cancer, and I had to have PET scans at the QEII Cancer Centre as well during my diagnosis. If you have to go through cancer, it makes a tremendous difference to have a wonderful support system like the QEII.”
For Jessica, participating in the BMO Ride encompasses all types of cancer, which is important to her as her family has been affected by many types of cancer.
“The BMO Ride is such a wonderful event where everyone is there for the same purpose, to raise funds for cancer care,” she says.
This year, the cause is one Jessica is familiar with from her own radiation journey.
The 2022 BMO Ride will raise funds for personalized radiotherapy. The technology has the potential to target radiation beams like never before. The result? Better patient outcomes including reducing the number of radiation treatment sessions from 25 to five for certain cancers, improve cancer outcomes, lessen side effects, and ensure patients spend less time in-hospital and more time at home with their families.
Jessica knows the positive impacts that less radiation treatments can have on patients, both physically and mentally.
“I was initially meant to have 10-15 rounds of radiation, but my radiation oncologist determined 10 was enough for me,” she says. “When I compare my experience to my friend, who had upwards of 30 rounds, the benefits of less radiation treatment are unbelievable.”
“Fortunately for me, less treatment meant that I didn’t face some of the side effects other cancer patients experience. When it comes to cancer, anything that can be done to reduce the time patients spend in treatment is huge,” she says.
Giving back
Finding ways to give back and support people living with cancer is important to Jessica. She recently completed a Cancer Exercise Specialist course through the Cancer Exercise Training Institute. The training and exercises are design to help lessen symptoms for patients during and after treatments.
“It’s my way of giving back to people who may be going through cancer. I just want to help in any capacity I can,” says Jessica.
And she will once again be giving back on October 1 when she completes her third BMO Ride for Cancer. This year she’s raised more than $3,500 (collectively over three years she’s raised $6,417.52) and will keep pushing until the finish line to raise funds to help face the fight against cancer.
You can support Jessica or another BMO Rider and help deliver game-changing cancer care. Fund the fight today.
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