Linda Barrette

My Son, My Sister and Myself...We Are All Survivors

On February 22, 2018 my life as a mother changed forever when my young son, Mark received a diagnosis of having Hairy Cell Leukemia. Hearing those words "Mom I have cancer,” is something no parent should ever have to hear. Because he lives in Tallinn, Estonia I was not allowed to go see him as he had no immune system for over 37 days. He was very ill because he had ignored his health so long but today is in remission and while there is no cure, he can expect to live a very long life with the odd chemo treatment. That day I started fundraising for the LLSC and October 2018 my husband and I participated in our first Light the Night Walk. The experience was life changing for us. The following year my adopted sister Paula (who lives in London, England) had her lymphoma return and so in 2019 I walked for Mark and Paula.

March 31, 2020 I received a diagnosis of having a rare, slow growing and total treatable blood cancer, called Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia so now my team, The Worldly Walkers, will be for all three of us this October. I was lucky to receive my diagnosis and meet my new cancer team within six days, as the Tom Baker Cancer Centre was taking healthy people only at this time because of Covid 19. I have no symptoms at this time and look the picture of health. It was a fluke that this cancer was found. The LLSC local team has been a tremendous emotional support for me over these past three years. They get you information, listen to you and already I have a support contact person who has been through the same blood cancer as I have through their First Connection Program. I am a volunteer with LLSC as I have tremendous respect for this organization and what they achieve.