Participant profiles

Carissa Smith has been involved in the BRIGHT Run since 2015. Last year marked her first time wearing a pink participant T-shirt. And this year, Carissa is our survivor spokesperson!  Carissa was the first person to arrive on event day at Dundas Valley...

When Victoria O’Connor was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 23, she was shocked. She had no idea someone that young could get breast cancer. Victoria was born and raised in Dundas, now lives in Brantford and works as a paralegal at a Hamilton firm. The 31-year-old...

For Gerri Nyman, the most important thing about the BRIGHT Run is that it provides hope. “Our whole focus as a team (Let’s Bust a Move!) in the past couple of years has been HOPE” she said. Gerri, a retired registered social worker with experience in child protection...

Dr. Juliet Daniel knows that breast cancer research is crucial – and she knows it from two sides of the equation.  As a breast cancer survivor, she knows she has benefited from research performed in the past. As a researcher, BRIGHT Run funding helped her get critical...

Steve Ewoniak, a married father of two, was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2018. It was a life-changing experience. Steve noticed a small lump on his chest and his wife, Kerri, encouraged him to get it examined immediately. The same day that he went to his...

Lisa Balsdon knows cancer from both sides. As a radiation therapist, she has spent 25-plus years treating cancer patients at the Juravinski Cancer Centre. As a breast cancer patient herself, the Waterdown resident appreciated a whole new dimension of cancer treatment....