Louise was watching an Oilers hockey game with her husband when she scratched an itch and found a lump on her breast. “I always say the Oilers saved my life,” she jokes.
As a real estate agent, owner of a seasonal RV park, and grandma of six, Louise’s life was full; in the best way possible. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, her first thought was everything she still needed to do. “I’ve got weddings to go to and grandchildren to watch graduate,” she says.
Louise and her husband live in Alder Flats, a community about 160 kilometres southwest of Edmonton. The nearest hospital is in Drayton Valley, about a 30-minute drive away, but Louise’s doctor sent her to Edmonton for surgery and to begin treatment. She was in the city for about a month. At first, she was staying with friends. “But when I realized what the radiation was doing to my body, I wasn’t comfortable staying at a friend’s house anymore,” she remembers.
That’s when she turned to Compassion House. “I was ecstatic that they had room for me,” she says. “Everyone could relate to what I was going through.”
It was a comfortable place to recover from her first radiation sessions, and it also provided a significant dose of hope. Louise’s parents both died of cancer, so the fear she experienced was real. But seeing the other guests get through their treatments and make plans helped Louise focus on the future. “It changed how I look at my cancer, because there were so many survivors. My thoughts changed while being there, among those women.”
She finished the rest of her treatment at the Drayton Valley Hospital, “a beautiful centre with wonderful workers.” Though she calls Compassion House a “home away from home,” Louise was happy to be back in familiar surroundings.
When Louise was first diagnosed, she put her real estate licence on hold, but she kept operating the RV park. And though she’s not sure if she’ll renew her real estate licence, she doesn’t plan on giving up the campground anytime soon. “I love it because I’m surrounded by people,” she said. “There was so much caring and love from my surroundings when I was going through my treatment journey.”
