daughter honours mother’s tenacious spirit by volunteering to help others
when arax copeman’s mother, lucy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018, they were told she had a year to live, yet their hope never wavered.
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arax wanted to honour her mother’s legacy and spirit. “you hear people say it takes a village to support a family. well, it takes a village to support someone with cancer too."
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this article was originally published on june 2, 2022. when arax copeman’s mother, lucy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018, they were told she had a year to live, yet their hope never wavered.
“when we first embarked on this journey i thought, this is really scary. and there was so little information about the treatments and options available,” arax said. “i thought there had to be more out there.”
life-extending second opinion
thankfully, there was. a visit to princess margaret hospital gave lucy the opportunity to participate in the pancreatic cancer canada-funded neopancone trial, which provides chemotherapy to operable patients before and after surgery. in turn, she was gifted three more years of life before her passing in march 2021. “if we hadn’t gotten a second opinion back in 2018, i think we would have lost her much sooner,” arax said.
lucy’s family believe her strong, determined spirit helped carry her through her three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. a young immigrant to canada, and a grandchild of armenian genocide survivors, lucy had an unwavering amount of hope that left her doctors in awe.
arax wanted to honour her mother’s legacy and spirit. “you hear people say it takes a village to support a family. well, it takes a village to support someone with cancer too,” arax said. “i think hope is a powerful tool that anyone with cancer can carry with them, because sometimes that’s all you’ve got.”
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as someone who always felt drawn to the healthcare field, arax used her experience assisting lucy in her cancer battle to help support fellow caregivers and patients in need.
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for lucy, with love
to honour her mother, arax started a jewellery line called “for lucy, with love” in november 2021, for which the sales of the signature lucy’s willow bracelet and sterling silver pendant necklace are donated to pancreatic cancer canada.
“lucy loved willow trees. whenever she’d see a willow, she’d say: ‘that’s like my arms around everybody,’” said arax. “family was the most important thing for lucy. therefore, a willow tree in the style of a tree of life is the perfect symbol to remember her strength, hope, and the stability and healing power of family.”
by sharing the jewellery with her loved ones, she believes her mother’s fierce determination and everlasting positivity will continue to inspire others and help change the trajectory of the world’s toughest cancer.
“if i give others hope, then i’ve done so much towards my goal.”
gift of community care
arax’s goal isn’t only to raise funds through for lucy, with love, she also aims to spread awareness about how the cancer community can support one another. in her family’s original search for answers, she discovered a new opportunity to carry on her mother’s hope and love for community: as a peer support volunteer.
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when facing pancreatic cancer, there is nothing quite like talking to someone who has been through a similar experience to share information, ask questions and gain support, whether you are a patient, caregiver or loved one of someone diagnosed with this disease.
to honour her mother, arax started a jewellery line called “for lucy, with love” in november 2021, for which the sales of the signature lucy’s willow bracelet and sterling silver pendant necklace are donated to pancreatic cancer canada.
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as someone who always felt drawn to the healthcare field, arax used her experience assisting lucy in her cancer battle to help support fellow caregivers and patients in need. this allowed her to eventually complete the training for her role as a wellspring cancer coach. her volunteer experience has helped her to cope with lucy’s cancer and taught her some valuable life lessons as well.
“in doing this work and seeing what my mom went through, i have learned the importance of community. shared experiences and group support, in good times and bad, are critical to health and wellness.” arax explained.
she feels that being in the support community can be just as rewarding for volunteers as it is for those seeking out their services. for this reason, arax is enthusiastic about encouraging others to volunteer with pancreatic cancer canada’s peer support program and reach out when they need someone to talk to.
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