Who is Roberta? Roberta was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 after her first mammogram. She certainly was not expecting this news from her doctor as there was no known history of the disease in her family. Her parents were both healthy. Roberta has one younger sister with two young children. She loves being an aunt and spends time with her nephews, sharing traditional knowledge about plants and their healing properties. She is at the top of her game, living in a semi-rural community with a well established and successful landscape design company. With Aboriginal roots, she is dedicated to designing gardens that are balanced with nature, choosing indigenous species of plants and trees that complement their setting. Her work often takes her throughout B.C. and the Yukon. She loves her work because it means she can spend time outdoors. She will always take the opportunity to investigate each community she visits, hiking and walking, photographing plants, trees and wildlife. In off hours she is dedicated to her ecological passion, often lobbying for environmental change and providing educational sessions to schools and community groups to raise ecological awareness. Some call her an Eco-Feminist. Even with her life so full, she has taken the time to pursue a love relationship. She is happy with the balance she had achieved and is content with the strength of the bonds with her family.
Yasmina
Who is Yasmina? Yasmina is a 38 year-old stay-at-home mother of a 6 year-old girl, and step-mom to her husband’s 14 and 17 year-old boys. She is an animal nut and has three cats, two dogs, a pair of cockatiels, a turtle, a very old hamster and far too many guppies to count. Yasmina and her family are very involved in their community and attend religious services regularly. Yasmina did not have breast cancer but lost her mother to the disease when she was 13. As a result, she volunteers to raise money for breast cancer research. She also makes a mean batch of oatmeal cookies.
Lisa
Who is Lisa? Lisa is 41 and is currently going through chemotherapy. Before her diagnosis Lisa was the picture of health; organic foods, aerobics instructor and single mom of a 4 year old daughter. Lisa lived a healthy lifestyle because of her family history. Her mother, an aunt, grandmother and great grandmother had all had breast cancer. She was tested for the breast cancer gene and it came out positive. Lisa caught her cancer early through regular screening but her cancer was aggressive.
Zoë
Who is Zoë? Zoë is a 43-year-old office professional who works part-time bookkeeping, answering phones, organizing the office and completing research for her co-workers. She has two girls aged 10 and 12 and is constantly on the go. Between driving kids to school, soccer, ballet, preparing meals, doing housework, gardening and an aging mother, Zoë does not have time for much else. Zoë’s husband is an information technology professional who often works long hours. Sometimes Zoë cannot figure out how she gets everything done. Zoë had a lumpectomy to remove a small growth. The oncologist and surgeon were confident that they removed all of the cancer so decided that Zoë did not need chemotherapy or radiation. Zoë is on Tamoxifen.
Anna
Who is Anna? Anna is a 32 year old marketing coordinator who loves to party, travel and lives to shop. She was visiting the Pyramids with her partner when she noticed a strange painful dimple on the side of her breast. A visit to her doctor when she returned home confirmed she had breast cancer. They also determined Anna had one of the breast cancer gene - BCRC1. She decided to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction. She went through radiation and is now actively involved in fundraising events and awareness campaigns targeted at young women.
