Cornwall, ON: May 1, 2019 – At the Canadian Cancer Society, we know that cancer changes people but we believe that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to define who they are. We aim to help people live longer and enhance the quality of life for all of those affected by cancer. We believe that life is bigger than cancer.

Last month, volunteers & residents from across SDG & Prescott Russell helped people touched by cancer live their lives more fully by supporting our Daffodil Campaign.

A number of local individuals, businesses, schools rallied together to support the campaign by volunteering their time to organize workplace initiatives, host yellow days at schools, and canvassed door to door for donations. Thanks to the efforts of these dedicated individuals and the generosity of our community, we are thrilled to report that we raised over $35,000 and counting through this campaign. “On any given day, more than 560 people will be diagnosed with cancer. That’s why we are always looking for new ways to prevent cancer, find it early and treat it more successfully. We know that fundraising enables change and we are grateful to our community for playing such a big part in advancing the cancer cause through their generosity” said Allison St-Jean, Community Fundraising Specialist with the Canadian Cancer Society in SDG & Prescott Russell.

Funds raised through the Daffodil Campaign are changing lives for the better. Money will go towards funding local support programs and services, such as the Canadian Cancer Society’s critical transportation program (Wheels of Hope) and towards funding ground-breaking research such as clinical trials that move research from the lab into people, including at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute & the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, where many people from our area are treated.

Progress is being made! Today, about 60% of Canadians diagnosed with cancer will survive at least 5 years after their diagnosis. But survival for some cancers is much higher, such as breast (87%), prostate (95%) and testicular (96%). However, more work remains as 1 in 2 Canadians is expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. It’s for this reason that as we end our Daffodil Campaign, we’re gearing up for our Relay For Life event set to take place on June 7^th at the Maxville Fairgrounds. We encourage people to sign up for this event by visiting www.relayforlife.ca/maxville or calling the Canadian Cancer Society office at 613-932-1283.