Hi Everyone, My name is Toni, and I'm a Purser with Porter Airlines — a job I love, a community I'm proud to be part of, and a career I am absolutely coming back to. (We speak LIFE over here!)

But right now, I'm fighting the hardest battle of my life.

If you know me, you know I am that person — the one who walks into a room and lights it up. I love my life. I love my family. I love to laugh, to connect, to celebrate the everyday moments that make this life so beautiful. And that is exactly why I am fighting so hard to live more of it.

Being a Purser at Porter has given me a life that I am so incredibly grateful for. I have travelled to places I once only dreamed of, and in doing so, I have met the most extraordinary, interesting, and wonderful people along the way. But perhaps the greatest gift this career has given me is the people I get to work alongside every single day — a crew that has become nothing short of family. The friendships I have forged in this job are ones I could never have imagined, and ones I could never imagine being without. I love every single person who has walked into my life through those aircraft doors, and so many of them have walked straight into my heart. I cannot wait to get back to them.

In the meantime, I am on Medical Leave.. (MLA).

In November, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. For many people, those words come out of nowhere. For me, they came with a weight I already know too well. Cancer has not just taken my mother — four years ago, she lost her battle with this same disease. It has also taken friends and family members I have loved deeply. Breast cancer has already stolen so much from the people I hold closest. I refuse to let it take anything more.

The silver lining: I caught it early. My medical team is incredible, and I am determined to get through this. I will be back on my feet and back in the skies by July. That is not a wish — that is a promise.

For clarity: I am not simply hoping to beat this. I am speaking love, light, and positivity over my life and over this diagnosis every single day. Cancer does not get the final say. Only God does. And I have every intention of putting cancer in its place and taking my life back.

But in the meantime, there is a little boy counting on me every single day. My son is four years old. He still goes to daycare. He still needs his mom to show up — for breakfast, for bedtime, for everything in between. He doesn't fully understand what's happening, but he knows I hug him a little tighter these days.

Being on medical leave means my income has dropped significantly. And the financial pressure of cancer doesn't pause for anyone — hospital visits, treatments, and everyday bills don't stop just because a paycheque does. Keeping my son in daycare is essential so I can rest, recover, and heal — but it's an expense that doesn't go away.

I'm not someone who asks for help easily. But I'm asking now — for him, and for the future I'm fighting so hard to get back to.

A Special Milestone Goal

If we reach $8,000, I will personally make a donation to Fly Pink and the Canadian Cancer Society — because this fight is bigger than just me. Every dollar raised not only helps my family get through this season, but together we can also give back to the organizations fighting for every single person touched by this disease. Let's hit that goal and pay the love forward.

To everyone who has already donated — whether it was $5 or more — I want you to know that every single dollar has moved me to my core. The amount of love and support that has poured in has been nothing short of overwhelming. To see even just $5 come in, to know that someone paused their day and thought of me and my son — I cannot put into words what that means. The outpouring of love is not lost on me. Not for a single second. I feel every bit of it, and I am endlessly, deeply grateful.

Every donation — no matter the size — means one less thing to worry about while I focus on what matters most: getting better and getting home to my boy.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking a moment to read my story. Whether you give, share, or simply send a kind thought — it means the world to me.

With so much love and gratitude,

Toni

✈️ Please share this campaign — you never know whose heart it might reach.