Work, lately...

I don’t usually mix my personal blog and my professional life - and I don’t often write about work here. But as we move into a new year, and as Allan Events Co. continues to grow, it feels like the right moment to connect a few dots.

I’ve been working with many new colleagues in Prince George over the past couple of years, and I’m realizing that not everyone knows why I do the work I do, or where it really comes from. My LinkedIn bio hints at it, and this blog has inadvertently documented the last 11+ years of my life, but this feels like a good place to pause, reflect, and explain things once - clearly.

Where this all started (and continues)

In 2014, my life changed in ways I never expected. A diagnosis of metastatic melanoma (AND then thyroid cancer) reshaped my priorities, my pace, and my understanding of what meaningful work actually looks like.

Those years were hard, frightening, and deeply clarifying. And while I am currently grateful to be living with no evidence of disease, I remain “on surveillance” at BC Cancer, with annual CT scans, regular follow-ups, and the quiet knowledge that cancer is not something I can ever fully put behind me. It is part of my life, and it continues to inform how I move through the world and my work.

Living with serious illness has a way of stripping things down to what matters most. For me, that meant focusing my energy on work that feels purposeful, connected to people, and genuinely useful - work I can feel proud of at the end of the day.

That clarity eventually became Allan Events Co.

My professional path before and alongside this chapter has included roles in sales, technology, finance, and leadership with organizations such as OpenText, BlackBerry, Scotiabank, Loblaw, and Community Futures. Since my diagnosis, I have also been deeply involved in oncology patient advocacy, leading national education and awareness initiatives with Save Your Skin Foundation and Ocumel Canada. Strategy, communication, education, and compassion have become inseparable for me, both personally and professionally

This work is also personal in another way. Mike and I met through patient advocacy, connected by a shared experience with metastatic melanoma and life-saving immunotherapy clinical trials. It’s an unusual thing to have in common, but it shapes how we move through the world and the work we choose to take on. We know - very clearly - that every day matters.

What we do at Allan Events Co.

Allan Events Co. focuses on business events and medical education, delivered with care, precision, and a deep respect for the people involved.

We coordinate events in all formats - conferences, trade shows, training sessions, roundtables, CME-accredited symposiums, and community gatherings. Much of our work happens behind the scenes: venue sourcing, budgeting, timelines, sponsorship, catering and A/V coordination, speaker and exhibitor management, and all the small details that make an event run smoothly.

Our role is to bring all the moving pieces together, keep everything on track, anticipate challenges, and create space for our clients to focus on what matters most to them. We aim to deliver events that feel thoughtful, seamless, and impactful. And we genuinely have fun in the process!

Recent work & gratitude

Over the past year, we’ve had the privilege of supporting several projects in Prince George and beyond, including work with the Prince George Chamber of Commerce on initiatives such as the Business Excellence Awards and Voices for Change Safe Streets Rally. These events take many hands, minds, and partners to bring to life, and we love collaborating with venues, suppliers, technicians, and community organizations to transform spaces into exactly what our clients need.

One of the most meaningful projects of late 2025 was supporting Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation on their 32nd annual Festival of Trees at the CN Centre. Spirit of the North is a driving force in advancing healthcare across northern British Columbia - funding equipment, innovation, and care that directly impacts patients and families in our region. As someone who continues to live with the long-term realities of cancer, being invited to support Festival of Trees was both an honour and a deeply personal full-circle moment.

Looking ahead

As we move into 2026, I’m looking forward to continuing work that sits at the intersection of community, education, and patient advocacy.

Alongside ongoing projects through Allan Events Co., I’ll be spending time this year supporting national oncology education and awareness initiatives - including continued collaboration with Save Your Skin Foundation, consulting work in the cancer education space, and participating in conversations that help bring patient perspectives into broader healthcare discussions. There are also a few upcoming speaking, writing, media, and podcast projects in the works that I’m excited to share when the time is right.

These efforts are deeply connected to the local work I do in Prince George. Whether coordinating events, supporting healthcare foundations, or contributing to national education initiatives, the goal is the same: to create spaces - in person and online - where learning, connection, and advocacy can meaningfully happen.

If you’re here because you know me personally, professionally, or somewhere in between - thank you. This post exists to offer a bit of context, so there’s a shared understanding as I continue focusing on the work that matters.

 

(...and if you want to know more, feel free to peruse the blog tags in the right sidebar, see some highlight photos below, or view my portfolio, here) 

Lymphedema Education Day - Nov-2024

Accredited Medical Education Conference

Prince George Chamber of Commerce 2025 Business Excellence Awards

 

...including time spent with The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould

So very grateful for all of the wonderful people, businesses, organizations, and concepts that we get to work with! 

And lots more to look forward to 😊

  

My 5-year BC Citizenship – Check!!

British Columbia, Canada, is a land of adventure, varied landscapes, has the world’s only inland temperate rainforest, and much unique and fascinating industry and history that I continue to learn. I was thrilled to move here five years ago, to share life with the man of my dreams. Along with Mike’s warm welcome, I was embraced into his beautiful family, for whom I am grateful and enjoy spending lots of time with. I have also met and made many friends, acquaintances, and colleagues in Prince George, BC.

It has been a busy five years to be sure! And I was always on my toes – alert for any opportunity to earn “points” toward my “BC Citizenship application.” As I have mentioned before, when I moved here, Mike gaily informed me that I would not truly be a British Columbian until I had passed the exam after five whole years of living here. (If you have not previously read my blog about the move and introduction of the BC Citizenship, please feel free to sidebar, here) And I quote: “Mike tests me regularly. I frequently 'lose points,' but then I get them back in sneaky-smart I'm-gonna-be-a-BC-girl ways ha ha - so fingers crossed for the five-year test.”

We’ve driven to the Yukon, the Shuswap, the Okanagan, the Kooteneys, the Bowron Lakes chain, and the Island. Have touched the geographical centre of British Columbia, as well as BC’s Pacific coast in four places – Stewart, Prince Rupert, Bella Coola, and Tofino. Multiple trips to Vancouver of course, via the Fraser Canyon or the Duffy Lake road – both equally entertaining! Also hit up a place called Sasquatch – no joke.

I know where the Fraser River begins. Have camped boondocking. Touched ancient petroglyphs. Skinny-dipped in the midnight sun.

I have my gold miner’s license and know how and where to pan for gold. We hold annual passes for Barkerville, and we’ve explored Likely, Quesnel Forks, and the historical mines of the area.

We’ve adventured countless lakes, rivers, water falls, trails, back roads, dams, hot springs, hoodoos, gondolas, suspension bridges, and even a rodeo ground after dark. We’ve seen glaciers, bears, moose, deer, elk, caribou, bison, eagles, and the most incredible night skies – stars stars stars and of course the aurora borealis.

I’ve met Mike Hall, Claudia Bunce, Caden Fanshaw – and Mr. PG! I’ve written a blog for the City of Prince George, and I’ve gotten myself on three local radio stations as well as the CKPG Today television broadcast. And Mike and I were featured in and on the cover of our neighbourhood magazine. 😁

I’ve gotten my photo taken with a Conservation Officer.  And most recently, I have registered a business in BC, to renew my entrepreneurial vigor and be in BC Business. (More on that later)

 

And drumroll please…..  

I got my BC Citizenship!!!

 

On the 5^th anniversary of beginning our adventure together, Mike threw me a crazy impromptu surprise party with a bunch of our beloved family and friends! I was so shocked, walking in to the party with so many special faces (and a secret surprise guest I’m not allowed to reveal but whose photo you can find elsewhere in this blog), a huge cake, a BC flag, and all the love I could possibly imagine flowing around the table.

In classic Mike fashion though I had to work for it LOL – there was indeed an exam! I had to answer five questions about British Columbia, standing in front of everyone, still so shocked but also thrilled.

I aced all the questions except for a brief phone-a-friend moment for the year that BC joined Confederation – my Ontario showed when all I could think of was 1867 – BC became a Canadian province in 1871. Whoops – I knew that from all the great presentations at Barkerville! I did make up a few points by over-answering a couple of the other questions, and my smarty-pants friends even challenged me with the suggestion of a couple of real stumper questions – thanks guys!

My ever-flowing tears really burst forth when Mike announced I had officially passed the citizenship test and was now declared a British Columbian, and all my loved ones around the table waved little BC flags! 

Mike left no stone unturned in this process, and I am grateful for his thoughtfulness and caring, and his love of fun and shenanigans. We laughed and cried and partied on, so freakin’ wonderful I can’t even put it into words. ❤️ Thank you Mike!! ❤️ And everyone, for making that crazy surprise happen, for being there for me that evening and in the last five years, and for the promise of more love and laughter in the years to come.

So, as a real live BC Citizen, I’d love to share with you some photos of our last five years. Thank you Mike, for being who you are, and for sharing with me. I love and cherish you so much and appreciate every moment we spend together. -- AND I’m extra super glad I passed my citizenship as I truly don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t!! I’m glad you’re keeping me, but I’ll still always work extra hard for the points. 

To close this blog, I’ll leave you with the tidbit that I will soon be officially launching our new business: Allan Events Co.  Mike and I are partnering on this venture, which will encompass business event planning, but also our writing and speaking engagements. Very excited to return to entrepreneurship and support the business community and medical education sphere in Prince George and the province!

Allan Events Co.: corporate event organizers planning, coordinating, and executing business-related conferences, summits, networking events, meetings, education events, and CME accredited programs. Whether it’s an industry summit or a grassroots networking event, we create space for ideas to flourish and people to thrive.

Our work is also deeply rooted in the oncology patient support space, where we’ve helped lead advocacy initiatives, global education campaigns, and professional development events for healthcare providers.

In-person, virtual, or hybrid - we’ve delivered impactful events in every format—from networking events, training sessions, and roundtable meetings to CME-accredited conferences and symposiums. Event idea? Let’s make it happen!

Melanoma Blog(s) Updates - a Quick Check-in

Every year around this time I get a bit twitchy about my upcoming cancer-versary, it's soon annual CT scan time, and so I need to stop and smell the roses. Many amazing things have happened in my life in the last year, it's really been non-stop around here - all good stuff! And never a dull moment. Mike and I travelled around BC a bunch, including a raucous Camaro trip to the Kooteneys, and a stunning camping trip to Bella Coola. 

Also news: Claire and Cass moved here to Prince George (haha right - I never thought I'd say those words!) and are settling in beautifully. I of course am thrilled that we are back to living close to eachother!!! They are loving PG and immersing themselves in their new city.  We're slowly but surely getting their Toronto-blood-pressures down, and the imminent spring weather is going to greatly help that when we can get back out there for camping, exploring, and adventuring. 

In the meantime... work. Mike and I both have been burning the candle at both ends the past couple of seasons. Mike worked BC Elections as he loves to do, and then took on a side gig here in town to help him pass the winter (aka non-Camaro) season. I've still been working with Community Futures but also was part of a Scientific Planning Committee (my first one!) to bring a two-day accredited for Physicians hybrid conference to Prince George for Lymphedema Education. It was a large undertaking and I am honoured to have been able to support this event with my conference planning skills. Not long after that, I was part of the team who brought the B2B Expo to the Prince George business community - another large project I am proud to have been part of. These recent refreshers have reminded me how much I love to plan and facilitate corporate events, and how my professional efforts need to swing more in that direction. 

Sprinkled in between all of that was also a little bit of time with Save Your Skin Foundation! In February, SYSF invited me to host their Fireside Chat and speak on the topic of "Connecting to Your New Normal." It did stretch my cancer patient muscles a bit - I dusted off some decade-old feelings about this disease and shared my story and perspectives on life after cancer, hopefully giving even just one person a glimmer of hope in their skin cancer journey. 

SYSF has now posted the recording of my talk, and a short blog re-capping my melanoma and Save Your Skin story. You can check these out here and here: 

SYSF February 2025 Fireside Chat: "Connecting to Your New Normal" 

with host Natalie Allan, Cancer Survivor & Motivational Speaker

Thank you Kathy and Save Your Skin Foundation, for being there for me, and for Mike, our families, and all of the patients and caregivers your life-saving work supports in the cancer community. 🙌

I'm grateful to have some re-connects with my melanoma friends and family, and these opportunities help me to pause and reflect, and celebrate almost 11 years since I was first diagnosed, and I am HERE. 🙏 xoxoxo

🧡

One more quick note before I dash off to the next thing - just this very morning I received an email from Feedspot notifying me that my blog was again on the Top Melanoma Blogs list! Surprising as I haven't posted as much since last receiving this honour in 2017, but a very welcome nod and neat timing as I was just preparing to post about the SYSF event. Thank you @Feedspot - I appreciate #29 and will happily share your new badge. Great to see so many of my old friends and melahomies on this list as well! 🥰

Update - We Got Married!

Today Mike and I posted on social media the news of our recent marriage. On facebook and the other personal and professional social media platforms, we shared a few short words and a photo and drone-video, keeping it brief and true to us. But... on my blog I hold a bit more creative (aka wordy) license, and cannot resist saying a few extra things about our happy news!

Mike is the man of my dreams, a truly wonderful person inside and out, a fellow melanoma warrior - though he is brave and strong enough to call himself a melanoma survivor! - a true inspiration, and my best friend. Mike is intelligent and insightful, can always be relied upon by his friends and family, is invariably adventure-driven, and the funnest person I know. I am unspeakably honoured to share with him this crazy thing called life, and I thank my blessed stars every day that we found each other. 

Mr. Allan and I eloped last weekend, had a quiet ceremony at home, and shared this sacred moment between us with every emotion in our hearts and on our faces. We take this union very seriously, cherishing each other, knowing how quickly life can change and how important every moment is to live to the fullest. As the marriage commissioner prompted our words, the sweetness in the air was tangible, and we vowed to love and care for each other as husband and wife for the rest of our days. 

With an overflowing abundance of love and gratitude, yours truly,

💗 Mrs. Natalie Allan

~ with photography - and love-filled heart! - creds to Mr. Michael Allan 😎💕

March is Lymphedema Awareness Month

Over the years I have written quite a bit about my experience with lymphedema - secondary lymphedema in my right thigh, from surgery for melanoma skin cancer. Lymphedema (lim-fa-DEE-ma): lymphedema is a lifelong condition caused by a buildup of lymph fluid. This happens when the lymphatic system is either faulty or damaged and cannot function as normal. It leads to chronic swelling in the tissues where the lymph flow is blocked.*  I've dabbled in pursuing treatment for this but will admit I have not yet established ongoing management of it. Still on my to-do list. Mike also has lymphedema, from the same surgical procedure for melanoma, but it settled more in his foot. 

In any case, having bolstered a bunch of melanoma-related patient support and education initiatives with Save Your Skin Foundation and on my own over the years, I am now adding a lane, and lending a hand with lymphedema patient support. Recently I have joined a team in Prince George who are planning a Lymphedema Education Conference later this year for Physicians and allied HCPs in the Northern Health region of BC. I am happy to be working with an esteemed local Physiotherapist who is leading the initiative; I will support with my event planning and tech experience. 

Not only am I learning more about lymphedema, and the needs of patients, but through this project I am learning more about the health care system in our region, and the access to resources that Physicians may or may not have. 

Our group is excited to be planning this informative event, which will consist of a full day for Physicians, including a lymphedema care doctor guest speaker from Ontario, and then a half-day for allied health care providers on lymphedema care and bandaging, etc. While planning all of this we are learning about the process of hosting - and funding - an accredited conference for Physicians. It's a big undertaking! But a necessary one, as continuing lymphedema education fights for attention just as many other medical infirmities have to. 

View this video from Shirley Bond, MLA, Prince George-Valemount speaking about World Lymphedema Day and the local work and recent initiatives underway in our area:

I'll update with more information when I can, but in the meantime, I'll end with a shout-out to the 1 million Canadians impacted by lymphedema and bid them a healthy Lymphedema Awareness Day. 

For more information, please check out the Canadian Lymphedema Framework, and/or the lymphedema association in your province:

Canadian Lymphedema Framework

Innovation is a Journey

Quick post to share a campaign that just launched: Innovation is a journey

I am honoured to have been part of this project and to support the work being done by life-saving pharmaceutical companies in the cancer space. Their research and development in innovative medicines is invaluable. 

Thank you BMS - you saved my life!

Watch the video

There is also an accompanying article for which I was interviewed, please feel free to check it out, here. 

“Even if something only works temporarily, that option could buy time until another treatment — and potentially a cure — comes along.” 

Wise words Mike, thank you. We live by this. 

Working Toward My BC Citizenship

Over the last few days (months) I've been toying with how to title this particular blog - it could easily be "The Evolution of the Journey I Didn't Plan to Take... Ex-Motherhood, Melanoma, and still no Maserati" LOL  but I'll go with the move to BC header. :-) 

I do recall earlier this year promising to blog more - a promise to myself as much as anything - and here we are, a bit late but it is still 2022 after all. A health update from that same promising blog - I am happy to report that since hysterectomy and (occasionally reluctantly) increasing my iron intake, I have been determined no longer anemic! Cool! My hemoglobin is higher that it has been since my late twenties, and that feels like a really neat medical success. 

On the "Ex-"Motherhood front, as I've mentioned before, the girls are all grown up, living together in the GTA, both have graduated their college programs and are working toward apprenticeships in each of their fields. They finished high school the spring that covid took over our lives, and then they worked, bravely moved out on their own, completed college programs (one by online education and one travelled via the TTC every day - eeek) and found their next-step jobs all in a little over a year, and during the height of covid 2020-2021. 

I am so proud of them every day I almost burst! It was a really difficult transition to move apart from eachother, as our bubble of three was literally our way of life for 18 years. But as baby birds are supposed to do, they were ready to fly out on their own, so I sold our nest and we now chirp to eachother on skypes at least weekly if not more. As life goes, my new nest is across the country.  But they are so supportive.  And though we miss eachother greatly, we know we are only five hours apart (well.... plus an hour and two planes and airport time, but we won't get picky, I'm just saying, technically I can be to them in half a day if needed).  

They haven't yet been able to come to BC since I've been here, but I have gone to Toronto a few times to visit, be there for their birthdays, help them with mother-daughter and life things, augment the parent-from-a-distance that successful young women baby birds don't mind having the odd time, and in the most recent visit - get a tour of the Toronto Islands, which I had never done before. 

After living in a small town for 17 years then moving to a different province (a.k.a. planet) having my girls be my personal tour guides around their new city is really neat - though I'm NOT proficient at the TTC!! 

They do say that eventually the parent-child roles reverse - watch Cass try to get me on the subway and you have real-life evidence of this grown mother throwing a tantrum. With real tears. Not sure why I excel at any form of public transit in all the foreign countries I've visited, but the Toronto Transit system makes we quake with confusion. Blech! Anywaaayyyyy....

BC - British Columbia! About that! 

Also during the height of a global pandemic, I chose to move across Canada. Well to East-coasters I realize Ontario to BC isn't exactly across country, but with "TorOntario" being the centre of the universe and all, I'm taking creative license and calling it across the country. Meaford to Prince George - just a bit of a switch! 

I will share with you some fun facts in the next few blogs, such as: Prince George is "BC's Northern Capital", and it is also an hour away from the geographical centre of the province, check me out in the picture proof below. 

PG has about 80,000 people, a Costco, Home Depot, all the essentials - and most recently even a SEPHORA! The two main highways in the north, 16 & 97, intersect here - where you can find Mr. PG (more on him later) - and in any one of the four directions you go on those two roads you will find the most gorgeous mountains, trees, lakes, wildlife, history, camping spots, gold-mining opportunities, and even an ancient temperate forest with the giant cedars like on Vancouver Island. 

I have learned there are some language barriers between left-coasters and Ontarians (shrimp = prawns, rubber boots are gum-boots, escarpments don't seem to be a thing here...and don't even get me started on "ATV'S" vs. Quads and "Side by Sides" !?). I have learned that sometimes a miscommunication can simply be a language thing, and I often stop to ask Mike what something means, just to make sure we're actually talking about the same thing. 

And the time difference, OH THE TIME DIFFERENCE. You wouldn't think three hours would be that big a deal, but... it's just enough to make communication with home needing a strategic planner on it's own. You'd think I would have known that already, having worked from Ontario for a west-coast organization, I was always planning meetings based on the Eastern - Pacific time zone differences. Shoe on other foot when I got here and ugh.... 5am Pacific meetings suddenly became a norm. And on the days I'm not rollin' by 5am, half the day is already gone for the girls and my Mom by the time I've just woken up. We're slowly getting used to it, but it is challenging to keep in touch, especially with my friends who also work and have busy lives.

So I just realized I said "home" a second ago - this brings me back to the title of this blog and my reference to a BC Citizenship. There is not actually a citizenship change required to live here, it's more like a Mike-approval-phase I have learned I must pass before I can truly consider myself a British Columbian. 

Something about having to drop Ontario chip from shoulder, become a little more hardy in the wilderness (get 8,000 pairs of hiking shoes!?), drive according to their weird little road rule differences (and not complain about it - oh and probably not call it "their"), and in general just chill the eff out. Oh and stop telling everyone I meet that I'm from Ontario. 

Mike tests me regularly. I frequently "lose points," but then I get them back in sneaky-smart I'm-gonna-be-a-BC-girl ways ha ha - so fingers crossed for the five-year test. After being here for five years I should quite capably be able to call BC home.  

This is us with Mr. PG, the city mascot

It is super fun here, there is adventure around every corner - I totally give Mike credit for that. He is lovely in general of course, hence the being swept off my feet and moving here to be with him! But he is also a thoughtful personal tour guide, super fun and adventurous, knows everything about the area and still loves to explore everything. We have gone so many places after I tell you about all of them I really will have to re-name my blog - I won't have time for melanoma or Maseratis at all!  

We travel quite a bit around the area up here in northern BC and Alberta, either with our little RV, or in Mike's Camaro, depending on the destination, and the goal of the trip. Last year we camped almost every weekend May-October, and we did not go to the same place twice! There is so much to see and do camping all around here - waterfalls, hiking, checking out historical spots, and kayaking too. We are also quite interested in gold panning and there is a tonne of that here. 

(yes, for my Ontario friends... gold-panning - I didn't quite know if Mike was joking-slash-language-barrier when he first told me about it but nope - it's true! And we now have our miner's licenses and spend some of our spare time gold mining/panning, and checking out spots to potentially get a claim of our own. True story!)

The move itself to get here was super fun too. I had shipped my belongings on crates in advance from Meaford to PG, and then Mike flew to Toronto, got a few days whirlwind tour meeting some of my family and friends, we moved the girls and Reese to Toronto, and then we started driving west, in my Jeep, which is now a BC Jeep. (LOL that's become a big joke here as my cute little SUV is "not a real Jeep" - compared to the crazy tricked-out off-roading vehicles all over the place here, my Jeep is a dinky car)

Mike bonded with the Jeep over the six day drive from TO to PG, it was so cute. Being the trained race car driver Mike is, having the dinky power of a 4-cylinder grocery-getter added a particularly comical element to all that came with his inviting me to come live with him in the wild northwest, beginning with the looooong drive there. 

In any case, neither of us had done that full drive before; we had a great time, and of course hit a few of the main tourist spots that make Canada what it is - giant nickel in Sudbury, giant goose in Wawa, giant Ukrainian Easter egg in Vegreville. The Terry Fox monument of course too, and we also stopped to explore in the cities where we were born - the Sault for me, and Winnipeg for Mike. It was an awesome trip! 

And when we approached the BC border and drove through the mountains wow... I knew my next chapter was on a road I had always dreamed of, but thought I'd never find.

So now I keep at it, am learning the BC lingo, have chilled out considerably (which I especially notice when I visit Ontarionto), and have also learned to identify my BC drivers license from my Care Card (Health Card) - they look the exact same, it's painful. Honestly!

We camp and explore, and live every day to the fullest, and I have SO much to fill you in on... 

My work at SYSF, explained

A few years ago I posted about finding this group called Save Your Skin Foundation (SYSF), founded by BC-based melanoma survivor Kathy Barnard, and all about how Kathy and the SYSF team helped me through my cancer experience.  (Click here for a quick re-cap: "Queen's Park Yesterday")

Since that time I volunteer-blogged for SYSF, and was a Spokeperson for them at Ontario events and then nationally, until I felt well enough to go back to work, knowing I needed to do something meaningful with my career and help others the way SYSF had helped me. I badgered Kathy into hiring me part-time as a Project Coordinator, and off we went! 

I tested the employment waters for about eight months, got my legs back under me, and then moved into a full-on Director role in which I have been working for the past five years. As you know, that didn't leave me much time to write on my blog - but it's okay - I was able to pour all of my creativity and combined professional skills into my work at Save Your Skin, and I love it. Love working in this field, though stressful at times, I am proud of what we do, and I endlessly appreciate my mentor and friend, Kathy.  

Recently we were both interviewed for a joint article for AIM at Melanoma in the States, and this write-up took me right back to how I felt about Kathy and SYSF six years ago, and it is still how I feel today:

From Survivors to Advocates: Two Leaders are Pushing for Progress in Canada and Around the World

It is true that the Oncologists on our team joke with Kathy and I about how they help save melanoma patients and then Kathy hires them.  Kathy saved me - then she saved my career, and then she saved my love life LOL!  (More on that later - as I mentioned, Mike is a melanoma survivor and he has long been a Spokesperson for SYSF, and that is how we first met and became friends years ago. 😊 )

Many of my family and friends have asked me over the years "what IS your job?" 

I can explain. It is oncology patient support and advocacy across Canada. Helping patients like myself navigate the health care system, figure out - and access! - treatments, support them through the emotional and sometimes financial hardships of a skin cancer diagnosis, inform them about their disease and options, and simply in general BE there for them.

In the last five years, along with the Team and Board and Medical Advisory Board at Save Your Skin, I have supported the Foundation's work by:

• facilitating 14 educational webinars on melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, and ocular melanoma 
• hosting two fund raising Galas in Toronto, and one virtual one (since covid)
• attending the Canadian Melanoma Conference in Banff three times
• traveling around the world to attend conferences such as the Society for Melanoma Research Congress, European Post-ASCO Melanoma/Skin Cancer Meeting, CureOM Science Meetings and Patient Symposiums, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, European Society of Medical Oncology, and many more - next post is all about these! (Travel to all the conferences helps us learn all the latest news in skin cancer and advocate for the best treatments to come to Canada)
• representing SYSF and working with many Canadian and international groups to endorse and support work in the field of melanoma skin cancer research and support, including being on the cover of the newest National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Patient Guide for Melanoma. True story:

• writing content and guiding awareness and support initiatives in all aspects for the SYSF community across Canada - annual Melanoma Awareness Month, Cancer Survivor Day, press releases, city proclamations, media opportunities, development and publishing of video productions, educational materials, blogs, newsletters, countless patient/caregiver meetings and roundtables, the list goes on...

Below are a bunch of photos of my work in the last five years.  

To kick those off I want to show you our newest video - among other items, most recently we launched a project about which I am very proud and excited: Sty-Lives - Styling Hair and Saving Lives.  (You may or may not know my Cass is a Hairstyling Apprentice, graduated from Marca College in Toronto, so she was a contributor on this project.)

Sty-Lives is being rolled out across the country by a team of Medical Student volunteers, plus our SYSF staff and supporters, to hair salons and barbershops for the education of hair professionals to help detect suspicious spots on clients' heads/ears/necks, encouraging them to seek an appointment with a Dermatologist for professional examination. All salons are eligible to register for this free program, so if you'd like more information or for me to mail you some materials for your salon, email me or let us know, here:

https://saveyourskin.ca/sty-lives/

And here is the video:

***

Collection of photos  - just some of the many friends I have made and experiences I've had along the way.  Enjoy!  

Giving Hope Gala

<--- oh and there's Mike! :-)

Move for Melanoma Annual Event

Global Coalition - Melanoma Research Foundation, U.S.

           ( and you might recognize this guy... --->  )

Conferences and Roundtables

MI-PAC - AIM at Melanoma, U.S.

And some random shots from over the years at the Cdn. Melanoma Conference at the Banff Springs Hotel:

And a random selection of our materials:

Thank you Save Your Skin Foundation, I love you! 

Save Your Skin Foundation (SYSF) is a patient-led organization dedicated to the fight against non-melanoma skin cancers, melanoma, and ocular melanoma through education, advocacy, and awareness initiatives across Canada. SYSF provides a community of oncology patient and caregiver support throughout the entire continuum of care, from prevention and diagnosis to survivorship.