Starting over in a new country
In 2019, Yasmeen Akhtar and her 3 children emigrated from Pakistan to Canada. Sponsored by her husband, Yasmeen hoped to improve their lives with the opportunities in their new home. Yasmeen was an accomplished doctor in Pakistan, and she was ready to begin working in Canada. However, to practise medicine in Canada, she had to retake all of her exams, and the pandemic caused further delays.
She went through 5 years of requalifying as a doctor, dealing with financial issues and the challenges of starting over in a new country. Just as Yasmeen was close to restarting her medical career, her life took an unexpected turn.
In April 2024, Yasmeen found a lump in her breast. As a doctor, she became concerned and immediately tried scheduling an appointment with her family doctor. She was told she had to wait over a month. Knowing she couldn’t wait that long, she went to a walk-in clinic that day instead.
If I had waited a month for a family doctor appointment, I don’t know what would’ve happened. I knew I had to be proactive. You can’t delay when it comes to your health.
After an ultrasound and biopsy, she was referred to an oncologist who delivered the devastating news: Yasmeen had a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer that was spreading quickly.
“My diagnosis was devastating. When you’re an immigrant, you come here for your dreams,” Yasmeen shares. “I worked so hard and I was on the cusp of restarting my career when I got my diagnosis. I went from a feeling of hope, to feeling incredibly burdened. I didn’t think I would get better or return to my normal life.”
Facing the challenges of treatment
Yasmeen began treatment almost immediately, starting with chemotherapy. The experience was extremely difficult. The treatment made her very sick – she developed severe allergic reactions, lost her hair and eyebrows within days and struggled with intense side effects. She had to stop the second round of chemotherapy because her body could not handle it. This left her anxious about the cancer getting worse.
Yasmeen had surgery next, where her doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. This required a second surgery. The uncertainty, risks – including the possibility of permanent lymphedema – and the months-long waiting periods for appointments were very difficult.
“I wondered ‘Why did this happen to me?’ I felt perfectly fine and energetic. My diagnosis impacted not only me but my whole family. I remember starting chemotherapy and thinking, ‘What will happen to my children? How about my career?’" Yasmeen says. On top of her health struggles, Yasmeen had to deal with this difficult time without her extended family nearby. She relied on her husband, who was already busy caring for their children and working as the family’s only income provider.
“I didn’t want to tell my family back home. What could they do? They were so far away,” Yasmeen shares.
Despite this, Yasmeen’s family, both locally and back home, supported her through her treatment. She is very grateful for the care she received from them, her new friends in Canada who cooked and supported her family, and her healthcare team, who always eased her concerns.
Finding relief with Wheels of Hope
Radiation therapy and rehabilitation for lymphedema became part of Yasmeen’s daily routine for months. Because she couldn’t drive and her husband was working, the cost of getting to her treatment became an issue. Her only option was to take $45 Ubers from her home in southwest Calgary to the cancer centre every day for several months.
The Canadian Cancer Society’s Wheels of Hope program eased her worries about travelling for treatment. Volunteer drivers were able to take her to and from her appointments, allowing her to focus on recovery rather than the financial and logistical challenges.
“My husband is the sole breadwinner, so my diagnosis was really devastating for us financially,” Yasmeen says. “Before registering for Wheels of Hope I would have to pay for an Uber which cost me $45 to travel from my home to the cancer centre. This service was easy to register for, and it was simple to book a reliable driver.”
Wheels of Hope eased everything for me. I didn’t have to worry about parking, gas, or transportation […] Whenever I booked a time, the driver was at my door – not even one minute late, ever.
Yasmeen's life after cancer
Today, Yasmeen is cancer-free. By August 2025, after 1.5 years of treatment, Yasmeen finally completed the active treatment phase. Her cancer experience left her emotionally and physically changed, but also grateful for her family and friends in Canada and Pakistan, her healthcare team, the kindness of volunteers and the support of her new community.
“Since treatment finished, I’ve been feeling very good. There are some differences now, but I’m very grateful that I’m feeling more normal. I still feel some fatigue, but I’m grateful that I’m going back again to pursue my dreams and return to my work.”
Help us change the future of breast cancer
1 in 8 women in Canada are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and we need your continued support to make sure they live longer, fuller lives. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an important time to raise awareness and help fund cancer research and support people affected by the disease.
The Canadian Cancer Society provides a national compassionate support system for people with breast cancer and their caregivers, including free wigs and breast accessories, rides to treatment and lodges for those who need to travel for care.
The research CCS funds help make life better today and transform the future of cancer forever. As a donor, you give hope, support and enable life-saving advancements in treatment to people facing cancer.
You can help change the lives of people like Yasmeen.
With research, maybe there could be better treatment options in the future for people like me.
Help create a future without cancer
With support from readers like you, we can continue to make a meaningful impact for people affected by cancer.
We are determined to increase survival, stop cancer before it starts, and improve lives. But we can’t do it without you.
If everyone reading this gave just $5, we could achieve our goal this month to fund the most promising research, compassionate support and transformative advocacy. Please give today because every contribution counts. Thank you.