Vol 1 No. 10 - đź‘€ Rediscovering the Power of the Patient Voice
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Dear Thriver,
Last week, I had the chance to do something a little different — something I’ve been calling my Calgary Cancer Tour. Instead of travelling as a researcher, I went as a patient.
Day 1 took me into a room of innovators, where I was one of four patients helping shape new ideas in cancer care.
Day 2 brought me to a conference for young adult cancer survivors, a space grounded in lived experience and community.
Moving between these two spaces — one focused on innovation, the other on connection — reminded me how deeply patient insight threads through every part of cancer care.
I returned from Calgary feeling renewed and reminded of how powerful the patient voice can be. I wanted to pass that reminder along to this community, because each of your voices has the potential to guide, shape, and strengthen the future of cancer care.
With gratitude,
Day 1: Creative Destruction Lab Cancer: A front row seat to cancer innovation
I was invited to CDL Cancerby Robby Spring, a cancer advocate I first met on Instagram — a testament to the power of patient community and connection. CDL Cancer is a program that supports researchers and entrepreneurs in turning promising cancer discoveries into treatments, tools, and technologies that can help patients.
It was an 8-to-5 day, but it flew by on energy. Founders pitched bold ideas to scientists, oncologists, venture capitalists, and business leaders — a “Dragon’s Den” for cancer breakthroughs. With the first-ever Patient Contribution Group at the table, it was an honour to be one of four patients bringing lived expertise into real-time conversations with these emerging teams.
Even though I was there as a patient, my researcher self was just as inspired. The courage, creativity, and sheer brilliance in that room left me hopeful from both perspectives — the one who studies cancer, and the one who has lived it.
Day 2: Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) Survivor Conference — Coming Full Circle
I first found Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC)in 2016 when I was looking for community as a young adult with colorectal cancer. Then in 2018, when I stepped into cancer research, YACC became a collaborator. So I’m not sure why it took me this long to attend my first Survivor Conference (COVID years didn’t help), but I’m glad I finally did.
I attended as both a survivor and a speaker. I moderated a panel of survivors in their first ten years after diagnosis — an experience I share — and co-presented a session on sexual health in cancer, drawing on a recent study our team completed with young adults.
Meeting new people — and finally meeting in person many I had only known online, including Geoff Eaton, YACC’s president and founder — was deeply grounding. Sharing the experience with Alex from our Colorectal Cancer Outcomes Research team made it even more meaningful.
Day 3: Drumheller, Ticking off the Bucket List
Shhhhh….We took a quick side trip to Drumheller, the Dinosaur Capital of the World. As a lifelong science enthusiast, this is a bucket-list destination and to be able to check this off was a joyful milestone tucked into an already meaningful week.
This little tour reminded me how curiosity fuels better cancer care, and how community strengthens us as we navigate it. I’d love to know what resonated with you — or what bucket-list moments you’ve celebrated, or hope to celebrate. As always, we read and reply to every message.
That's it for today!
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Talk soon,
Mary, Alexander, and Joy — The Colorectal Cancer Research Digest editorial team
