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After being diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, Kay knew she needed to talk to someone. With a great job and good health insurance, Kay had the financial and medical aspects of her treatment under control, but she still needed emotional and practical support.

Thomas, one of her coworkers and a cancer survivor himself had recommended that Kay speak to an oncology social worker at CancerCare. Kay started individual counseling right away with Angelique, who helped her navigate the psychological challenges of a cancer diagnosis and the journey of treatment.

For Kay’s 40th birthday, she decided she needed to give back to CancerCare. She set a Facebook fundraiser with a goal of $2,000 and asked her friends and family to donate money to the organization instead of giving her a birthday gift. Only after a few weeks of fundraising, Kay raised over $22,500.

As Global Director, Instagram Creative Shop, part of Kay’s personal mission is to build a younger generation of fundraising using social media outlets like Facebook. “There’s a cultural shift in the way we give back,” says Kay. “Using social platforms is a way to get young people involved, whether that’s donating money or just spreading awareness.”

Even with a large amount of resources available to her, Kay still thinks CancerCare’s free supportive services are imperative to anyone affected by cancer. “I have benefited from CancerCare’s services tremendously, and I owe a lot of it to my social worker, Angelique. From helping me navigate the medical knowledge, to emotional support, their services have been so important,” said Kay. “CancerCare is one of the few organizations that focus on patients and families WITH cancer.”