Hello!

We are Shannon, Tara, Richard and Alex, and we’re starting this fundraiser for Lana, our beautiful Mother who has always been there for us. To know her is to love her. Lana is an amazing mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. No matter your connection to our Mom, she is someone who will go above and beyond, in any means possible to help anyone and everyone. She is incredibly selfless and is always there to listen and support you. She is the strongest woman we know, a true inspiration, and has always fought to overcome life’s struggles.

Overcoming hardship is something our Mom is no stranger to. At the early age of 11 years old, her mother passed away, and she became the caretaker of her 2 younger sisters while her father grieved and worked. She was then a single mom of 4 while working full-time. Those hurdles never hindered our Mom as she put herself through post-secondary, built a 35-year Financial practice, and raised us 4 kids from when our youngest brother was 2.

In 2011, our Mom beat Breast Cancer and spent the following 11 years filling her life to the fullest. She volunteered with our schools, our soccer/dance/circus clubs, at church, joined Lions, Rotary and found a passion for Dragon Boating. She created a business specializing in custom marine canvas work that expressed her ingenuity, proficiency, and interests that she first discovered as a young girl. Our Mom thought she was at the top of her game - being on the water most of the week dragon boating with 2 teams. We, her children, are now all adults working, trying to establish ourselves, and in post-secondary. Our Mom was looking forward to a sense of less responsibility and more freedom around the corner. Time to visit with her first granddaughter, start travelling, and sailing the blue waters of our oceans was appealing!

What started as shortness of breath in April 2022 turned into an x-ray in July that showed her left lung 60% full of fluid. Immediate hospital attention was needed, her lung was drained, and the fluid was tested. Shortly after our radiant Mom’s 60th birthday in late July, her world turned upside down with the devastating news that she has Stage 4 Breast Cancer, which has metastasized to her lungs, lymph nodes, and bones.

August was the first Oncologist appointment, and in September, she started cancer treatment. Throughout this short timeline, our Mom undergoes lung drains 2 times a week and requires home oxygen therapy 24/7. She is also in a wheelchair to get around outside of the house. Eating is a constant struggle, and her voice is weak. Every day brings up something new, but our Mom keeps fighting and has stayed positive throughout.

It's never easy to ask, and as someone who is fiercely independent, it’s also embarrassing for our Mom. We are asking for financial assistance to aid her needs and wishes. She would like to explore and try various holistic alternatives and health practitioners, as well as complementary treatments to support the conventional cancer protocol that are not covered by the Provincial medical plan. We are doing all that we can, but much of this would be impossible without your help - any amount is appreciated; even just sharing this fundraiser does wonders.

From our Mom to you: You never know what you want to do until you come face to face with it, but given the choice between life or death, I STILL WANT TO LIVE!!! Please send prayers and love. Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts.

We owe you our Mom’s life!

Thank you from us all.