Do as they do

Portrait of Lise Villeneuve for the Memo-mamo campaign.

Lise Villeneuve - 55 years old

I’ve been a journalist for 25 years. I’m used to living with the adrenaline rush and stress brought on by deadlines. I was made for constant action and motion. I owe my life to the organized breast cancer screening program offered to women aged 50 and over in Quebec and I have made it my personal mission to promote this extraordinary prevention tool by talking about it to the people around me and encouraging women — friends, colleagues and acquaintances — to face their fears and get their control mammogram as soon as possible. I’m also the mother of two daughters, who are becoming more magnificent human beings every day.

Do as Lise does. Get your mammogram!

"I have feared many things in my life, but never breast cancer. This disease seemed so foreign to me, so far remote … until one day in February 2020, just as the pandemic was looming over us, when I was told that the mammogram I had undergone when I turned 50 had revealed cancer in my left breast. My world came crashing down as the planet came to a standstill and I had to fight both an internal and external enemy."

Do as Lise does. Get your mammogram

[The Memo-mamo logo appears on screen on a pink background. Lise Villeneuve is sitting in a chair. The camera cuts to her standing to have her microphone adjusted. The camera cuts to her sitting and a person touching up her make-up. Then the camera zooms in to focus on Lise. She talks to the camera throughout the video.]

Words on screen: Lise Villeneuve. Journalist, diagnosed in 2020.

Lise: My name is Lise Villeneuve. I’m 55 years old. I’m a journalist and mother of two daughters. I was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in February 2020, just before the pandemic.

Words on screen: The letter from the Quebec Breast Cancer Screening and an illustration of the letter.

I received the letter in April 2019, I had just turned 50. I was going through a separation and was in the process of moving. I didn’t bother with the letter. Like many other women, no doubt, I put it on the fridge and left it there.

I’ve been scared of a lot of things, but never, ever, ever, ever of breast cancer. It just wasn’t something I worried about.

Over the summer, a close friend from university was diagnosed with breast cancer. And the following fall, in 2019, I received a second letter from the breast cancer screening program, inviting me to come in for a mammogram again.

I thought to myself, “I’d better go, because I have a close friend who has breast cancer.”

I made an appointment for a mammogram in December 2019.

Words on screen: How did the mammogram go?

It went well. But then I got a call two days later saying, “You need to come back before Christmas.” The doctor who did the scan had barely finished when she said, “There’s a lump. It’s a tumour.”

Words on screen: The breast cancer diagnosis

And then I was diagnosed in February 2020, without knowing what was coming, the pandemic that would hit Quebec in March 2020.

I was lucky enough to have my operation in February, when the world was still normal. Then, when I saw my oncologist at the end of March, the pandemic was well underway. I asked him, “Can we wait until after the pandemic to do the chemo?” He thought that was pretty funny. He said, “No, you start next week.”

Actually, it was found on the left side, somewhat towards the top of the breast, but very deep in the tissue. So, I couldn’t have felt it myself.

Mammograms are so accurate because of how they’re done and because of the quality of the images. Mammograms can detect tumours that are as small as a pea, around 4 mm. So, a mammogram absolutely saved my life.

Words on screen: Do as Lise does. Get your mammogram!

Words on screen: We take your health to heart

[The Canadian Cancer Society logo and a pink ribbon appear in the centre of the screen.]

Words on screen: For any questions about breast cancer screening, contact us: 1-888-939-3333 and the Memo-mamo campaign website cancer.ca/memo-mamo

Portrait of Dr Mona Ben M’Rad for the Memo-mamo campaign.

Dr Mona Ben M'Rad - 50 years old

I am a woman, a mother and a doctor. Breast cancer gave me the opportunity to be on the flip side of the doctor-patient relationship, and it was a painful but transformative ordeal. My experience of the disease, the treatments and the physical and mental suffering I went through showed me that I had the inner resources and the outside support I needed to deal with it. I want to inspire and help people living with cancer by getting involved with CCS.

Do as Mona does. Get your mammogram!

"My body is my best friend; it has been my constant companion from birth and will be until my last breath. My body was so brave when it faced the violent storm of breast cancer and its treatments. I promised it that I would respect it, honour it, feed it good food, give it a good night’s sleep, accept it with all its scars and imperfections, and love it just the way it is, because it is my proud vessel in the ocean of life."

Do as Mona does. Get your mammogram

[The Memo-mamo campaign logo appears on screen on a pink background. Dr Mona Ben M’Rad sits down in a chair. She stands as 2 people adjust her hair and make-up. She is seated as another person adjusts the cushion on her chair. Then the camera zooms in to focus on Mona. She talks to the camera throughout the video.]

Words on screen:. Dr Mona Ben M'Rad. Physician and survivor, diagnosed in 2018.

Mona: My name is Mona. I’m a physician. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. I discovered a lump in my breast by chance. I’ve undergone surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and today I’m cancer-free and in good health.

Words on screen: Tell us about breast cancer

Mona: In terms of frequency, it’s the leading cancer among women in Canada. That means that 1 in 8 women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer. There was a major spike in mortality in 1986 but since then, there has been so much progress in terms of screening and treatment that mortality has fallen by 48%.

Words on screen: Early detection improves survival.

Mona: In the 1990s, when you were diagnosed with breast cancer, you had an 82% chance of survival. Now it’s 89%. These are extremely reassuring figures, which should encourage us to undergo early screening to improve our chances.

Words on screen: What did you learn about breast cancer?

Mona: Throughout this journey, I’ve realized that I’ve been able to develop resources that I didn’t have at the start, resources of resilience. By overcoming obstacles that seemed insurmountable, the experience of having climbed this mountain has given me enormous strength.

It has also changed me as a professional. Being on the other side of the fence has allowed me to really go through this experience of chronic illness that I thought I understood, but didn’t understand at all.

I live my life trusting in life, and I’ve noticed that progress in breast cancer screening and treatment has been absolutely spectacular. Things have come a long way in just a few years. So yeah, I trust life completely.

[Mona smiles, stands up and moves out of the shot. The scene ends.]

Words on screen: Do as Mona does. Get your mammogram!

Words on screen: We take your health to heart

[The Canadian Cancer Society logo and pink ribbon appear in the centre of the screen.]

Words on screen: For any questions about breast cancer screening, contact us: 1-888-939-3333 and the Memo-mamo campaign website cancer.ca/memo-mamo.

Portrait of Suzanne Maillé for the Memo-mamo campaign.

Suzanne Maillé - 57 years old

Hi. My name is Suzanne Maillé, an administrative agent at the CISSS de Lanaudière. I’ve been married for five years and in a relationship with the same man for 42 years. We have three beautiful children and we recently welcomed two granddaughters. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2011. I’m involved with the Memo-mamo campaign because I think it’s very important to talk to people and make them understand the importance of getting a mammogram.

Do as Suzanne does. Get your mammogram!

"After I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I made a decision to stay positive because I wanted to know my future grandchildren. Getting a mammogram only takes a few minutes and can change a life. When I was diagnosed, I was quickly attended to and everything has been going well ever since."

Do as Suzanne does. Get your mammogram

[The Memo-mamo campaign logo appears on screen on a pink background. Suzanne Maillé and her daughter Audrey sit down. There is a table with daffodils between them. People adjust their clothes, make-up and microphones. The scene ends.]

Words on screen: Suzanne Maillé. Diagnosed in 2011

Suzanne: Hello, my name is Suzanne Maillé. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2011. I was 44 at the time.

[Suzanne touches Audrey’s knee and Audrey smiles. The scene ends.]

Suzanne: I’m here with my daughter Audrey.

Words on screen: Audrey. Suzanne's daughter

Audrey: I’m Audrey, Suzanne’s daughter. She’s about to become a grandmother to twin girls.

Words on screen: The diagnosis

Suzanne: In September 2010, I suffered a burnout. It was because of work really. There was nothing else going on at home. Then, the following January, in 2011, I had to make a gradual transition back to work.

Suzanne: I realized that there was something different and I had two lumps. I went to see the doctor and he said, “For the time being, you’re not doing a gradual return to work. We’re going to give you a mammogram.”

Words on screen: Telling family and friends

Suzanne: It wasn’t easy with the kids because I thought that at age 16, 11 and 5 – a girl, a boy, and a girl – it wasn’t the best idea to tell them all at once with each one having their own level of understanding.

Audrey: It was prom time – one of those big moments in life. And there was a lot of change. In the back of my mind, I was having my head shaved for my mom at my prom. That was my first idea. She didn’t want me to do it.

Suzanne: No, her hair was halfway down her back. So, I said, “You can do a lot of things for me, but you can’t cut your hair because prom is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Words on screen: Sources of inspiration

Suzanne: It’s not always easy, but staying positive seeing the light at the end of the tunnel makes it possible.

Audrey: I never felt that she was a different person or that her energy, her zest for life, had changed as a result. It was just really good to see her being her despite it all.

[Suzanne smiles at Audrey who is out of shot. The scene ends.]

Suzanne: From the start, I was always very positive about life, about almost everything. So, I told myself – I'm going to get a bit emotional – but I wanted to see my grandchildren. It was important to me.

[Audrey, who is out of shot, takes her mother's hand in hers. The scene ends.]

Suzanne: I thought, “I’m here to stay. I don’t know how long, but I’m gonna stay and I’m gonna see my grandchildren.”

Suzanne: Then we got to the point where ...

Audrey: We got to the point where it happened.

Suzanne: Having grandchildren – two granddaughters.

[Audrey and Suzanne smile into the camera while music plays. The scene ends.].

Words on screen: Do as Suzanne does. Get your mammogram!

Words on screen: We take your health to heart

[The Canadian Cancer Society logo and a pink ribbon appear in the centre of the screen.}

Words on screen: For any questions about breast cancer screening, contact us: 1-888-939-3333 and the Memo-mamo campaign website cancer.ca/memo-mamo

Marie-Hélène Luly - Ambassador to the Haitian community

My name is Marie-Hélène Luly, a physician by training who has spent 20 years working on popular health education and raising awareness among multi-ethnic communities in Quebec about such diverse issues as sexual health, chronic disease management and prevention and healthy lifestyle habits. In February 2013, I became actively involved in breast cancer screening among women from Montreal's ethno-cultural communities. As I am well aware of the multiple health disparities that these women experience, I decided to grab the wheel and promote equitable and optimal access to health services and care for these human beings whom I consider to be the backbone of society!

Portrait Marie-Hélène Luly for the Memo-mamo campaign.

For these women we love and cherish, for these heroines who sacrificed their entire lives to bring us into the world, take care of us, defend our rights, advise us and comfort us; for these mothers, these grandmothers, these sisters, these aunts and these friends who are so precious, I want to celebrate life today, with them. So let’s come together and encourage them to get their screening mammogram so we can help them improve their health and increase their years of happiness by our side!

Alix Ortega - Ambassador to the Latin American community

My name is Alix Milena Ortega and I am passionate about service and raising awareness on wellness and quality of life. A doctor by training in Colombia, I currently work as a naturopath and homeopath in Canada. Many of my personal and professional experiences led me to become actively involved in breast cancer prevention. I firmly believe that education and early detection are essential to saving lives. As an ambassador for the Canadian Cancer Society, I am committed to promoting healthy habits and prevention tools that enable women to take care of their health.

Portrait of Alix Ortega for the Memo-mamo campaign.

The early detection of breast cancer is crucial because this is the stage where it is the most treatable and the odds of recovery are highest. A simple mammogram can identify tumours before they can be felt, allowing for early diagnosis, which saves lives. Prevention is your best defense: getting regular mammograms, along with regular self-examination and medical visits, is essential to safeguarding your health. Timely action makes all the difference!

Kaimei Zhang – Ambassador to the Chinese Community

I am of Chinese descent and immigrated to Quebec 18 years ago. I’m a teacher by profession. My first work experience in Quebec was raising awareness among women of Chinese descent about the importance of mammography to detect breast cancer. This allowed me to build ties with women in the Chinese community.

Portrait of Kaimei Zhang for the Memo-mamo campaign.

Mammography can find breast cancer when it is so small that it can’t be seen with the naked eye but can be effectively treated without the need for aggressive therapies such as chemotherapy or mastectomy. It is the most reliable detection tool for a cancer that has an excellent prognosis when caught early.

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