Support for Rusty and Marshall

Hanna to many of us has been a luminescent presence. It's hard not to be drawn to such a being from the moment you meet her. Her combination of humor, directness and naivety provides endless entertainment and her laugh is infectious. At such a young age she has the power to make anyone feel loved, safe and welcome. Hanna is a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a beloved friend and an integral part of the public service team being a Laboratory Technologist for many years.

It was two years ago that Hanna was diagnosed with triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma. She was the tender age of 33 and had just welcomed her first born son a year before. This shocking news came after the decision her and her husband Rusty made to move from Calgary to Cranbrook BC. This move was long desired and was supposed to be a very exciting period of transition for this new family. Hopes and dreams of creating a new life, a simpler life, were quickly postponed as her diagnosis came a couple months after arriving in Cranbrook.

It has now been two very difficult years of constant aggressive treatments, without a break. Now facing more devastating news of metastasis, Hanna is still enduring further treatments and now emergency surgery on her spine with the hopes she can stay longer in this life with her son Marshall, now 3, and Rusty.

As life is unpredictable we can expect some change, but as we all know life can create real hardship and facing two years of unemployment and constant travel can bring about much stress and financial difficulty. Hanna is now in Kelowna for some length of time and funding for travel and stay is hard for this young family.

We are grateful for any help this family can receive during this time and for the unpredictable months ahead.