Giving back to others
RadioDay participant, family raise money for Cape Breton Cancer Centre
FLORENCE — When Tanya Jessome, 43, was first diagnosed with bladder cancer in May of 2014, it came as a major surprise to the mother of three.
“Bladder cancer goes undiagnosed a lot because every symptom is in line with just a regular bladder infection,” Jessome recalled in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “I was shocked because I am a look-on-the-brightside- of- things person. I was not even thinking that it could possibly be cancer so yeah when they said that it was, it was really eyeopening.”
The diagnosis was tough not only on Jessome but also on her children, Britany, 26, Olivia, 14 and Sam, 13. “It was definitely hard on them — a lot of questions. I tried to stay positive with them and reassure them that I was going to be OK and the doctors had their best interest.
“But they ( the doctors) found it early and dealt with it accordingly.”
Since then, it has been an ongoing battle since bladder cancer often reoccurs. It is the fifth most common cancer in Canada and about 12,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with it this year, according to Bladder Cancer Canada. It also has a 60 to 70 per cent recurrence rate. In March of 2020, Jessome began receiving treatments again when she experienced a recurrence.
“Since 2014, it has come back several times but I see the urologist every three months so that appointment is literally lifesaving because if they see that there is new growth of cancer, they can remove it right away.”
Despite the illness and the 42 chemotherapy sessions she has received over the years, it hasn’t stopped Jessome and her family from helping others also afflicted.
“We have raised about $ 50,000 for the cancer centre over the last three years,” she says, with her son Sam raising more than $40,000 alone since 2016 through his participation in the Because You Care Cup. “That’s really something that — because of the care I was able to get in my own community — I am really passionate about, to help in any way that I can.”
Jessome will be one of the people participating in RadioDay 2020 on Thursday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Sydney’s Centre 200. The event will also be heard over 101.9 The Giant and New Country 103.5. Now in its 13th year, RadioDay will be raising money for a new piece of equipment, a CellaVision machine, and to build a new cancer centre for Cape Breton.
The CellaVision machine will allow local technologists and pathologists in Halifax to work together, avoiding lengthy waits for samples to be couriered to Halifax. This could give patients either peace of mind, or the critical extra days to begin a treatment plan.
Jessome is an enthusiastic supporter of the cancer centre and she hopes others will be generous in their donations to this year’s event.
“What I want people to take away from the whole thing, from my perspective, is giving back to your community and that every single penny counts,” says Jessome. “Every dollar counts. If you donated a dollar today you’re not only saving lives today but it’s a ripple effect so it helps generations to come.”
She credits the cancer centre for saving her life and allowing her to be with her family and able to work at a job as a teacher assistant with the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre For Education.
“They are just fantastic there,” she says. “You go in there feeling stressed and anxious — they just welcome you with warm smiles and you see them so often that you basically become close to them.
“Having the cancer centre just 15 minutes from my home basically just saved my life.”
Being able to receive her treatment so quickly and near to her home is something she values and she wants others to appreciate that as well.
“Because of the care I was able to get in my own community that’s something that I am really passionate about — to help in any way that I can.”