Two years ago, when Leaside’s Angie Morris first walked 32 kilometres in the Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers, she was participating as a tribute to someone else.
“I did it in memory of my grandmother,” said Morris, 32. “I just wanted to do something to contribute to my community, and it’s a cause that touches so many people. It’s also very empowering and female-oriented and inspiring.”
The next year, Morris excitedly decided to participate in the weekend a second time. But during her preparation, the mother of two received a life-altering diagnosis that changed what the weekend would mean to her.
In the middle of her fundraising, she was diagnosed with stage two cervical cancer. This meant Morris would have to have a radical hysterectomy, and Morris would not be able to have any more children.
“At first I thought that was going to be the end of the treatment for me,” she said.
Several weeks later, additional testing revealed that her cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. From then on, Morris attended chemotherapy and radiation treatments, which wrapped up around Christmastime. Since then, Morris has been attending checkups every three months to make sure her cancer has not spread. In the meantime, Morris is lacing up her shoes for a third time, with this year’s Weekend to End Women’s Cancers taking place Sept. 7 to 8. Morris is going into this year’s weekend with a new outlook.
“A lot of it is internal. It’s your own mindset,” she said. “Going through the cancer journey has put me more in touch with my own self and who I am.”
Morris has already surpassed her fundraising goal of $10,000, but additional donations can be made at www.endcancer.ca/goto/angielmorris.