Going dry for loved ones

Go Dry is a fundraiser that challenges you to go alcohol-free for the month of January while raising funds for the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). By participating in Go Dry and quitting drinking for a month, you are setting your health goals for 2025 and giving yourself a reset following the holiday season.

You could also notice some great health benefits from going alcohol-free, such as sleeping better and having more energy. We all want to stay happy and healthy for the new year for our families and friends. People like Kathy Andrews not only show how rewarding it can be, but how we can be examples and advocates for the health of others.

In 2016, Kathy was in the shower when she felt a lump in her breast. And to this day, she still remembers what it felt like to hear the news when the oncologist told her it was cancer, and it was aggressive.

When you hear ‘it’s cancer’ – it’s like a train hitting you. In the moments that followed, all the saliva disappeared from my mouth, and a movie of my life started to play in a loop in my mind. And I’ll never forget the drive home from that doctor’s office – with my mind racing with questions like ‘how will we make the money work,’ ‘how will my little boy and my husband cope without me,’ and ‘how will I make the most of my time left.

Her cancer treatments consisted of two months of chemotherapy, a year and a half of taking the drug Herceptin and two surgeries. After this difficult ordeal, she was thankfully cancer-free.

For seven years, Kathy was in the clear. But after getting an MRI proactively to ensure her health was on track, she found out that the cancer had returned. This diagnosis was even more terrifying. So, Kathy decided to make more changes to her lifestyle, to be healthier for herself and loved ones.

Radiation treatments have stabilized her condition. But to make sure her condition didn’t worsen again, she did a complete lifestyle audit to reduce her risk as much as possible going forward.

Like after her first diagnosis, Kathy ate healthier, exercised regularly and prioritized her mental health.

But this time, she also cut out alcohol from her life completely. She remembers this was not an easy task, because of how common drinking alcohol had been throughout her life up to this point.

“Whilst my parents were not heavy drinkers, my mom was actually a teetotaler, pretty much every dinner table I sat at had a bottle of wine on it. Whether it be at a friend’s house or extended relatives. Wine was seen as sophisticated. Good for your soul, a great companion to meals, and in moderation, good for your heart.”

Drinking alcohol raises your risk of developing head, neck, breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, stomach, and pancreatic cancers. Although it was difficult at times, she reduced her risk and soon experienced some of the benefits.

There were certain times where I would enjoy a glass of wine like on a Friday with my friends. Sometimes travelling on holidays. But once you cut it out, you realize alcohol actually doesn’t make you feel that great anyway. It makes you feel tired. It can interrupt your sleep. So, what I’ve realized is that there’s so many benefits to not drinking that I don’t miss it at all.

Now, after feeling the benefits of an alcohol-free lifestyle, Kathy is more motivated to set a good example for her son. She makes sure that there is no alcohol at the dinner table and tries not to glamourize drinking for him. And she is grateful that her family stood by her, so they can all live healthier together.

I think one of the things that I’m most grateful for is a partner who has allowed me to prioritize exercise and healthy eating. We do that very much as a team and hopefully we will all model that for my little guy. I have stage 4 cancer, so I don’t take for granted how precious every moment on this earth is and I hope to be blessed with many more meals with my son and my family and hopefully one day my grandchildren.

In 2024, Kathy shared her story at the World Cancer Congress in Geneva, Switzerland. She hopes people left empowered to take action to educate people around the world on the link between alcohol and cancer. And she hopes people don’t wait to change their own lifestyles for the better.

Go Dry is not offered in the province of Quebec.