National Cancer Survivors Day: Stage 4 cancer patient advocates for survivors [Video]

To call the day she was first diagnosed with cancer “a pretty crazy day” might be putting it lightly, but it’s how Lindsy Matthews describes the moment her life changed forever.

“When a nurse looks at you and says, ‘I’m sorry, it’s cancer,’ the emotions bubble up inside of you,” she told CTV News Channel on Sunday. “It’s disbelief. I had a nervous giggle and then, of course, tears. Because you just know from that moment on, your life is no longer what you thought it would be.”

As Matthews reflects on the beginning of her ongoing journey with cancer, people in countries around the world are observing National Cancer Survivors Day, an annual celebration held to honour patients who have been through the often difficult and traumatic experience of living with cancer.