OLDS — Bergen resident Sarah Gunderson fought a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer and has been cancer-free for a year now.
She says she was able to beat the disease through her own faith and determination as well as support from family and friends.
Gunderson is one of about nine speakers who can be heard during The Conversation Has To Happen (TCHTH), a series on depression and suicide prevention offered in Olds.
In previous years, The Conversation Has To Happen was a one-day seminar. However, for the second year in a row, due to current COVID-19 restrictions, it’s being offered in a variety of media.
For the next couple of weeks, interviews with or profiles of TCHTH speakers will be featured in The Albertan as well as on the radio stations 96.5CKFM and Rock 104.5 in Olds.
Gunderson, 37, was diagnosed last year.
It wasn’t easy.
During that battle, Gunderson had two surgeries, then four months of chemotherapy, two months of radiation and then two more cancer surgeries.
On top of that, she and her husband Rory have three kids aged nine, seven and three. Plus they have a ranch to run.
So there was lots of stress and pressure on several fronts.
“Cancer is not easy, to say the least. It’s kind of a roller-coaster ride with lows and highs and kind of getting through, day by day,” Gunderson said during an interview.
“I kind of just kept telling myself I was going to get through it. I was healthy, I'm whole, I'm healed. Just kind of press forward.
“I’ve been one year cancer-free. I mean, the thought of re-occurance is always on a person’s mind after you’ve had cancer, but I’m kind of committed to living to be my best self and kind of consider every day as a gift,” she added.
Gunderson was born and raised in the Didsbury area and worked as a social worker in Olds and Didsbury for 14 years.
Now she has a new job. She's a social worker for Wellspring Calgary, an agency that provides support for people living with cancer and their families.
“I help other people who are going through cancer with some financial assistance, like applying for government programs, insurance claims, prescriptions, those sorts of things,” she said.
“But the really exciting thing is that now they’re servicing rural Alberta.
“All of their programs are now available online, because often when you live in a small town like Didsbury or Olds, the cancer supports are a drive away, so we’re so happy to have that support and service we’re able to offer to people in rural areas.”
