The Teal Troopers will be participating in the The Ovarian Cancer walk of Hope which is coming up Sunday September 10, 2023. This will be our 6th year participating and we have been the top one or two fund raising teams every year! This year we are looking to be number one again. We walk in honor of my late wife Michelle LeBlanc, see story below, and would very much appreciate your support.

Today, thousands of Canadian women are living with ovarian cancer and another 2,800 will be diagnosed this year. The problem is it strikes with no warning and usually presents itself in the stage four category making the odds of survival minimal.

Let me tell you my story and how the Teal Troopers came to be...

On February 20, 2017, after returning from an amazing holiday in Samana, Dominican Republic, my wife Michelle, 54 years old at the time was having constipation issues. We dismissed it initially as she had a history of this occurring, however the next day with her belly swelling, I convinced her to go to emerg thinking she had a blocked bowel. Michelle was a healthy person who did not smoke and was active in yoga and jogging. So we definitely had our guard down when after a day of tests in emerg we were told in medical terms that she had cancer that seemed to originate in the ovaries and that it had spread. (my words not the emerg doctor)

The next year and a half Michelle endured multiple treatments, surgeries, too painful for me to describe in detail, all having less than optimal results. Through all this Michelle was positive…never complaining….never why me….rather she was more concerned at the possibility of her loved ones being left alone with out her to spoil them. By April 2018 when Michelle could not eat any more…we accepted the fact that the disease was winning.

Right from the start Michelle was interested in finding a way to prevent someone else from having to endure this nasty disease. She decided that participating in the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope was the best avenue to do this. The walk was to take place on September 9, 2018. She came up with a name for her team…The Teal Troopers and put the word out. Her doctor estimated she might have a couple months left to live in April but she was determined she would participate in this walk and raise awareness. When the day came, she was still with us but in palliative care and unable to physically be there. Family and Friends showed up however and Michelle’s Teal Troopers raised the most funds at our Peterborough walk. Michelle was very grateful and proud of this…she passed 8 days later.

In honor of Michelle the Teal Troopers will be participating in this years Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope, September 10, 2023  in Peterborough, Ontario.

I ask three things of you….you only need to do one.

#1 Join the Team, raise some funds and walk with us
#2 Make a donation towards this valid cause
#3 Be aware….stomach issues seem to be the precursor to a lot of Ovarian Cancer cases. If you or some one you know is having issues demand a Cat Scan or MRI to eliminate the possibility of this disease. If caught at an early stage the survival rate is almost 100%.

By doing one of these three things Michelle’s fight will not be in vain and some one you love could be helped…Thank You….

To Join Team or Donate…please copy and paste the link below….please share this post

http://noca.convio.net/site/TR/2019WalkofHope/General?px=1422138&pg=personal&fr_id=1502

Thank you

Team Captain

Jim LeBlanc