Julie’s Journey: Navigating Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Amidst Delays and Health System Gaps
In February of 2020, Julie, a resident of Ottawa, felt a lump in her breast while doing an at-home breast exam. Julie scheduled an appointment with her doctor immediately and was told the lump was probably nothing. It was at that moment, she felt she needed to become an advocate for her health. She urged her doctors to conduct further testing, and her doctors moved forward with an MRI. At the age of 47, and right before the pandemic lockdown, Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer.
When she received her diagnosis, the COVID-19 pandemic had just put a halt on the majority of healthcare services across the country. Julie’s doctor told her that treatment was being put on hold for the foreseeable future, and she would be put on a waiting list. After waiting for long enough, Julie chose to undergo a lumpectomy and mastectomy through a private clinic in Québec.
Additionally, in the fall of 2020, a nurse practitioner noticed a basal cell carcinoma during a routine check-up and Julie was diagnosed with skin cancer. She was told that it was extremely urgent to have the mass removed because it was one centimetre from her eye but that she wouldn’t be able to see a dermatologist for the surgery for another year. Once again, in order to save her life, Julie had to have her mass removed at a private clinic in Québec.
Julie’s experience with long wait times is not uncommon for people in Canada living with cancer. People in Canada living with cancer are waiting to be a priority. They should not have to wait on a waiting list for months and years to get the care they need.
Julie’s cancer diagnosis put pressure on her relationship with her husband, as he was her primary caregiver. Julie is a mom to three kids who stood by her side throughout, but the experience was very challenging for her family.
Julie’s message to people living in Canada newly diagnosed with cancer or going through treatment, is to be a relentless advocate for your health, when it comes to testing and treatments. If you don’t push, you will continue to be on a long wait list, leading to your cancer spreading or getting worse. You are your own best advocate. It is very unfortunate that when you at your most vulnerable, not feeling well and anxious about survival, the gaps in our health care system demand that you be the strongest.
Her message to Ontario’s elected officials, invest in cancer care and women’s cancers! Breast cancer affects one in eight and it is vital to invest and commit to improving access to the care patients need, and research to help beat cancer.
There are far too many similar stories as people living in Canada are waiting to be a priority. Cancer Action Now is working to bring forward challenges experiences by people in Canada living with cancer in accessing timely, high-quality cancer care, and calling on policy makers to make cancer care a priority.
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