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URVIVOR five-year survivor provides support for a oung mother of three, after being stricken with news that she has breast cancer Last spring, I was given the opportunity to share my survivor story in this publication in support of an amazing event; the Canadian Can- cer Society's Relay For Life. Being a five year survivor of a terminal diagnosis is nothing short of miraculous but ultimately my story sends a clear message, and that message is hope. The story makes clear that cancer isn’t choosy, it can come knocking on your door at anytime, when you might least expect it and it doesn’t much care if you have young chil- dren and bills to pay. As a young mother, my story offered a unique perspective and as a result, I have been privileged to meet and develop supportive rela- tionships with a number of young cancer sur- vivors in Scugog. Unfortunately, upon a cancer diagnosis, there isn’t always a lot of people you can talk to, and so few know what to say. How can you tell your ‘healthy’ friend you hate chemo, you're afraid to die and who will take care of the kids when you're gone - when her biggest concern of the day is getting the laundry done and dinner on the table. Through a friend of a friend, I came in con- tact with a truly beautiful young Port Perry mom. From the first hello over the phone, a friendship of sharing hope and support was born. Stepha- nie, 41, is an attractive triathalete, married to her handsome fire-fighting husband Scott for 10 years and mother to three beautiful children; Nicole, 10, and twin boys Liam and Jordan, 7. She is also battling an aggressive form breast cancer, diagnosed in June 2008. Previously healthy, active and vibrant, Steph has under- standably struggled with eight cycles of a toxic chemo cocktail that has hit her particularly hard, ... a miracle becomes a milestone as has a sense of hopelessness, isolation and depression, side effects of both the diagnosis and the treatment. When Stephanie and I first spoke, I could hear the fear and sadness in her voice, the unspoken agony that she might not be there to see her kids grow up. Through tears, we shared our chemo stories - like salty old men weaving dusty war tales, with the scars to back it up. I said the things I knew she needed to hear, saying the words only a survi- vor knows. We shared our hopes and our fears and our dreams of the future, with hair back on our heads and hope back in our hearts... back to lives without cancer. Of course, that life is gone, because once you have been im- pacted by this disease, you are forever changed; for the better I think, but changed none the less, We also spend time talk- ing about things other than cancer... kids, husbands, trips, dogs; it’s important to build our friendship on more than just the heavy stuff. No one reacts toa cancer diagnosis in the same way; some survivors need Stephanie Urry, a 40 year-old mother of three was diagnosed with breast cancer last June and is currently recovering from a double mastectomy in February. 16 FOCUS - MAY 2009 Photos by J. Peter Hvidsten