Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
How long have you been a Vancouverite? My entire life! I was a born and bred in East Van, and don’t anticipate leaving the city anytime soon.
Occupation:
I’m a Senior Compliance Analyst at a hyperWALLET, a Vancouver-based company specializing in global money transfers, and financial technology solutions.
After being diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer in 2010, rather than allowing this diagnosis to guide your days, you took this opportunity to make changes to your lifestyle and to live by your mantra of ‘finding the beauty in the fragility of life’. Can you provide some insight into this experience and how it has developed over the last few years?
I think it’s very easy to take very little things for granted. When I was undergoing treatment, every moment was laboured breathing; every moment was a 120 beat-per-minute heart rate. The rare moments I wasn’t in excruciating pain were moments I cherished immensely. Never will I take something simple, like having the energy to lift a mug, for granted. The ability to just sit and breathe, to me now, is a miraculous thing. Luckily, this mindset has stuck with me since that experience – I have been genuinely humbled, and I remember to show gratitude for even the smallest things in life.
