Claudia Martino

Butterfly Claudia

I have walked for 13 years and every year, it doesn’t get easier because the days leading up to the walk and after the walk are a constant reminder of the painful world I had to live in during my fight against blood cancer. What the walk does for me is it brings me into a comforting group of people who gather to support us the survivors both emotionally and physically. Today I walk because I want to find resources to help in the fight to find a cure as well as wanting to support others who are survivors, supporters and the ones who have lost someone because we have all been touched by blood cancer.

I know that the people that support me throughout the year and are by my side during the year and come to the walk because they want to be a part of the support system to help find a cure. LTN has built a community of hope and offers many other tools that help us deal with our challenges after we leave the hospital and are in remission which is the scariest part because one is physically difficult but the other is emotionally draining.

The women that I have met and known throughout the years are the biggest part of LTN. They work so hard to bring the walk to life and I know that having met Alyssa, who had cancer that works at LTN gives me a sense of belonging because she understands exactly what we have lived through. I think more survivors should work with LTN because they truly “get us”.

I think people need to understand that the ones who are actually in treatment live with a hope that the survivors don’t have because when you are in treatment, you have so much support around you to help you get better but when you are done your treatment, that is when it hits you hard. That’s why in my story I talk about bringing people together to share tips that we can all apply because the hardest part of COVID is reliving the feelings of something familiar that doesn’t bring back positive feeling and trying to stay positive is really hard. So if you are in treatment now, know that you are in the best possible position you can be because you are safe there, you have support there and you don’t ever feel alone!
I think it is important for people to come together to share their stories, share their views and struggles. I also think there should be more platforms that join LTN to offer their services to the survivors as well as the families who lost a loved one to blood cancer. I think a lot of Canadians need to understand how important it is to be able to bring together this type of support system that doesn't only include the LTN but what LLS does for us all year round.