I was nominated by one of my LinkedIn connections, Valerie Corkum. What was most special about this is that Valerie and I only knew each other from LinkedIn. It was humbling to have her think of me and put my name forward for such a wonderful opportunity.
My Why is very personal. My father was a lymphoma survivor early in his life thanks to effective treatments and care. But ultimately, late in 2022, blood cancer returned and played a big part in his death. I'm taking part in the Visionary of the Year campaign to do my small part in making sure no other family has to experience a loss due to blood cancer like I'm still dealing with.
I'm most looking forward to finding a community of people around Atlantic Canada who have been touched by the impact of leukemia or lymphoma. There are so many people impacted by this disease and having a community of people who understand that goes a long way in healing from the loss of my dad.
More than anything, I'm looking forward to us contributing to increased awareness of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada and the ongoing need for more research funding to treat and hopefully eliminate all blood cancers.