Judy grew up in a middle class family in Sarnia, Ontario, and went to Lambton College for IT. She worked in the industry for 8 years, despite hating her career, until she had her first daughter and became a stay-at-home mother. During her first ten years out of the workforce, she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer and had a mastectomy in 2004. She went into remission for 6 years and had been working again for 3 of those years when she was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer again in the same breast in 2010. This time, she underwent treatment in radiation and medication. Judy was lucky enough to be able to afford her out-of-hospital medications, and has now been in remission since 2015. Breast cancer has continued to touch her life since, as several women in her life have battled cancer with her and since her remission.
What are her goals?
As a breast cancer survivor, she has a strong motivation to give back to her community and raise money towards research. She also has always focused on her overall health and the health of those around her, raising a family that values nutrition, fitness and mental wellness. Since Judy had been in a place of privilege during her battles, she recognizes that she is lucky enough to have afforded her treatments, and wants to make a difference in the life of a patient that needs it most. Judy wants to work with
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It is a struggle for her to donate monetarily to all of the organizations that matter to her, as so many friends and family have been touched by different cancers and diseases. She works a part-time job, takes care of her ailing father, who has Parkinson’s disease, and her high-needs daughter, who has severe generalized anxiety and depression. Donating her time to volunteer is also a struggle. Additionally, Judy deals with survivor’s guilt, something that can take a toll on her mental wellness and also her capability to be closely involved with cancer