Bobbie is not only an AMAZING photographer she is a woman who is grateful for her life despite the many challenges she has been handed.
My journey at the Walker Family Cancer Centre began in 2018, when I felt a lump on my left breast. Tests revealed I had HER2-positive breast cancer, initially diagnosed at Stage 2 but upgraded to Stage 4 because of its aggressive onset.
"It's pretty scary when you think it came that fast. I had a mammogram one year prior that came up clear.
I had a mastectomy followed by eight rounds of chemotherapy so aggressive and had to give myself a shot in the stomach for eight days following the treatment to stimulate the production of red blood cells. I had already started 14 rounds of Herceptin infusions to target any floating cancer cells but that had to be put on hold as was being treated for congestive heart failure.
I try to think positive … it's either that or drop dead which is not an option. I have a 26-year-old son with autism in my care. In spite of everything I felt the need to give back to I wanted to give back to the centre for taking such good care of me.
I don't know how to make crafts and I don't paint and I'm not real swift about doing anything, but I have all these pictures and I thought, I'm going to make calendars. Which I did.
Using my photography, capturing the beautiful scenery on Dufferin Island and around the falls, I made and sold calendars to benefit Walker Family Cancer Ctr in St. Catharines where I continue undergoing treatment.
Every penny raised was donated and whatever money I spent making the calendars was my own contribution. This is my way of thanking the doctors and nurses at the centre and other patients she's met through Facebook who have been supportive.
In just the first two days of selling my calendars on Facebook, I unexpectedly had raised $900 in sales and is making me feel (Cont'd at Right)



like I'm paying it forward because so many people were nice to me. And I feel I am truly doing something useful with all these pictures I take.
It didn’t stop there… I have since produced jigsaw puzzles, and other items to raise money for the centre. It truly saves my sanity especially now that I am currently doing the second stage of my chemo. I finished heavy duty stuff and now am doing a different infusion treatment. The congestive heart failure I developed from these treatments is small price to pay for breathing.
I am just trying to do something positive. Creating these items and sharing them in such a wonderful, paying forward way gives me the love and energy to keep moving forward.
(Bobbie’s calendars, etc., can be purchased as an 8x10 for $5 or a 5x7 for $3. They come in three themes with photos of Niagara Falls, nature scenes or cardinals. You can also help her fundraise for Walker Family Cancer Centre by visiting her Facebook Page or contacting her by email.)