Marketing Team

Sara Hussein

Marketing Executive

For the majority of my life, I had been oblivious to the effects of cancer, I think more emotionally than physically. I knew that you get extremely sick then lose your hair then you either survive or don’t make it through. I don’t think the emotional hardships that come with cancer really hit me until my mother got diagnosed. I was attending a summer program out of town and had no idea what was going on back home. The day I got back I was notified that my mother had stage 2 breast cancer and that she was going to get surgery a week from now to remove her breasts. I was in shock, all I could do was cry, but I knew I had to be strong for her, so I thought of all the good things that could come out of the surgery. Not long post-op the doctors told my mother that she needed to go through radiation and chemotherapy. She just recently lost her hair and is not always feeling her best. Something as simple as hair that is very capable of regrowth can immensely brighten someone’s life. This I why I so strongly support causes like Locks for Cancer because It is something that will affect every single person once in their life and can have immense impacts.

Sabrina Chowdury

Graphic Designer

Since I was little, I’ve always had a strong desire to help others. I love seeing the smile on peoples’ face after I’ve helped them out. My connection to cancer involves my grandmother who suffered from Stage Two Uterine Cancer. It was horrible to see her go through that pain everyday. However, she got surgery and fortunately survived. I’m truly grateful for the technological advancements that saved her. Through Locks for Cancer, I wish to advocate for other cancer patients and aide cancer research. I know that many who lose hair, lose their self-esteem and become a shell of a person. I believe that if cancer patients get the chance to feel more like their old self, it would give them hope and courage to keep fighting. So please join the movement to help spread happiness, hope and positivity to some of our strongest fighters!

Zoe Lin

Promotions Representative

When my family first immigrated to Canada, we met with World War II soldier, John Wright. When I was four, he taught me how to make various paper airplanes - ones that (roughly) resembled the aircrafts he flew during the war. I would spend my entire day with him whenever my mom was busy and my dad was out of town. Although I didn't see him frequently, our monthly visits felt routine. By the time of his passing- I'd learned how to make a plethora of paper airplanes. When John died due to pancreatic cancer in 2011, it opened my eyes to the significance of cancer in our society. I hadn't known anyone diagnosed with cancer until him. When the opportunity presented itself, I cut off 10 inches of my hair for the Canadian Cancer Society the following year. Being a part of Locks for Cancer has not only allowed me to contribute to a charitable cause, benefiting those who are struggling with the most threatening cause of death, but it will also bring me closer to John.

Maryam Tahir

Promotions Representative

My family has been personally affected by cancer for generations. However, it most recently impacted me through the death of my niece, who had leukemia. Watching the struggles that she had to go through and witnessing her emotions every step of the way really showed me the how the loss of a patient’s hair can immensely affect the morale of a patient and their family. Losing your hair due to chemotherapy is one of the only outwardly distinguishable effects of cancer, and it really affects the self-esteem of a patient. This is why I believe in and support Locks for Cancer. Patients need a strong support system, and hopefully, I can be that for them through this initiative. I hope we can come together to support cancer research and awareness!

Jacqueline Do

Social Media Manager

My grandma has always been a huge part of my life. She was my mentor and my best friend. My grandma was diagnosed with cancer when I was 11. At that age I had a good understanding of what cancer was, but watching my grandma go through chemo, and surgery was something, I was not ready for. I remember how some days she would be in so much pain that she was unable to do anything and other days she would be up laughing and living a normal life. During her fight she also lost her hair, for her she was beautiful and confident however she looked. Unfortunately on 09/11/2015 my grandma lost her battle with cancer, which was the worst day of my life. Cancer had taken on of the best people in the world from me.

Brooke Lavery

Social Media Manager

When I was 8 years old my mother Ruth Lavery (who has a paragraph about her story above) was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her being diagnosed was hard because since I was so young I didn’t understand it that well and why it happened to someone so healthy. Through my mother having this illness, I had many people including friends and family support me. Even though having a parent with an illness is devastating, it brought my family closer together and made me more helpful and kind to others because you don’t know what others are going through. If you or a family member are going through cancer, there are many support groups out there which helped my mom greatly. Also, never give up hope, there are many advances in research and medicine today, and there are many people who are here to support you.