Dana Lavoie was diagnosed with breast cancer on Oct. 14, 2011. Since her diagnosis, she has undergone a large number of surgeries and treatments.
Now, one year later, she is officially finished with treatments. But her personal experience with breast cancer led her to get involved with fundraising for breast cancer research, specifically the Girls' Night In fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.
"I said I'd certainly take part in it, but I was just finishing all my cancer treatments, I wasn't back at work yet, and I thought doing an actual event would be a lot to put on my plate right now."
Accordingly, Lavoid organized a non-fundraiser fundraiser. On the Facebook message promoting it, she stated participants would not need to "buy expensive dinner tickets," there wouldn't be a silent auction and participants wouldn't "need to worry about what to wear or getting a babysitter." She set a fundraising goal to raise a total of $500.
Within 24 hours, she had reached her goal. And the donations kept coming in. Lavoie would eventually raise a total of $2,100 from a total of 30 donations.
Despite setting a modest goal for herself, Lavoie ended up raising more than anyone else in Saskatchewan. She was accordingly presented with an iPad from the Canadian Cancer Society in the Battlefords. It was given to her at a surprise ceremony at her workplace at Innovation Credit Union.
