Four years ago to this day, my now wife Julia and I were sitting on a restaurant patio in Montreal. Thanks to her incredible support, I had just completed my Masters degree, and we were now planning our future together. We made plans to buy a house, get married, vacation projects... we felt on top of the world. Five days later, I accompanied her to the emergency room as she had developped worsening cramps and bloating. We each packed a light bag, clearly not knowing what was to come. After multiple diagnoses, we received the news that still crushes my soul. "Your wife has ovarian cancer. It is at an advanced stage. I am so sorry for the both of you. You will need time to process this." Time to process this. I am still processing.The only way I could describe how I felt in that very moment is being wrapped in a cold blanket of emptiness. The room was void of optimism or hope. I could see my world coming crashing down on me. And all I could do was sit there and watch.I don't think there was any doubt on how serious this was. Julia was basically told to close her social media accounts and to just try to spend as much quality time with her loved ones. No more planning for the future. That was all gone now.One of the biggest problems with this disease is that, being a less common form of cancer, there is still not nearly enough awareness about it. Some of the early symptoms of ovarian cancer include bloating, abdominal pain and fatigue. These were the symptoms Julia had leading up to her diagnosis. Contrary to more serious symptoms related to other cancers, those of ovarian cancer are subtle and unspecific, and usually lead to a late or sometimes very late diagnosis. This was Julia's case. What probably hurts the most in a situation like this is the feeling of being powerless. When you're robbed of hope, you develop a sort of numbness. It feels like it's the only way to cope. That was what happened to me. When I couldn't handle the pain anymore, I developped numbness. But, little by little, I started rediscovering some of the smaller pleasures in life. Maybe the forgotten or overlooked ones. Watching the sun set. I mean really watching it. Listening to you partner breathe while they sleep. Some of us may take these things for granted. I know I did. No more. That may have been the silverlining of this all, if there was one. I don't want to come off as a savant, or sound like I know more than someone else. I don't. But one thing I've learnt through all of this, is that life doesn't happen in the future, it only happens in the present. Right now. That's where happiness is. We don't need to look any further than this exact moment.With the help of my support system, I've slowly been reclaiming power in this fight. I am happy to announce that on September 10th, I will be participating in this year's Walk of Hope, organized by Ovarian Cancer Canada. The purpose of this event is first and foremost to raise awareness on this disease. By doing so, we will give the women in our lives that will be touched by this disease a better fighting chance, especially through early diagnosis. I will also be helping raise funds for Ovarian Cancer Canada which will be used for research, which is pivotal in helping women treat this disease and live a fuller and happier life.I'm extremely fortunate to have an incredible group of friends and family, many of whom will be joining me on this Walk of Hope. Our team name is Freedom, an ode to my wife Julia's last name, Laliberté. I will be eternally greatful for all of your kind words and support. I know that times are tough, so any size of donation can go a very long way, if possible. Also, sharing this post with your networks can really help in the effort to raise awareness.

Thank you for your support!

Eric, on behalf of Julia's Freedom Team

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Message de Ovarian Cancer Canada:

Aujourd’hui, des milliers de personnes sont atteintes du cancer de l’ovaire au Canada et 3 100 autres recevront un diagnostic cette année. Mais aujourd’hui, nous ouvrons la voie vers un avenir meilleur. 

Hissons le drapeau turquoise pour démontrer notre appui aux femmes et aux familles touchées par le cancer de l’ovaire. Unissons-nous pour recueillir des fonds et participer à la Randonnée afin d’appuyer les efforts de revendication pour offrir les meilleurs soins possibles, promouvoir le progrès scientifique et faire en sorte que toutes les personnes qui reçoivent un diagnostic sachent qu’elles ne sont pas seules. 

C’est pourquoi je participe, avec des milliers d’autres personnes, à la Randonnée de l’espoir de Cancer de l’ovaire Canada. Des vies précieuses en dépendent et la communauté le mérite. 

Chaque dollar que je recueille appuie Cancer de l’ovaire Canada, la seule œuvre de bienfaisance nationale vouée à vaincre cette maladie. 

Chaque pas et chaque dollar contribue à offrir un avenir meilleur aux personnes touchées par le cancer de l’ovaire.Je vous invite à faire un don à ma Randonnée ou à vous inscrire pour vous joindre à moi! 

Merci pour votre soutien. Ça fait toute la différence pour moi, et pour toutes les personnes touchées par cette maladie.