On Wednesday, March 26, 12 models will take the stage at Yorkville Village to showcase the latest spring fashion collections and raise money for Wellspring.
Hosted by Jeanne Beker and presented by RBC Wealth Management, Well Dressed for Spring is a fashion event like no other. Each model has a unique cancer story, whether they have had cancer themselves or cared for a loved one with cancer.
To purchase your ticket or to contribute to one of the model’s fundraising pages, visit: https://give.wellspring.ca/event/welldressed/
Meet our Well Dressed for Spring models below!
Laura Isidean
After undergoing multiple surgeries and seven years of hormone therapy to treat her breast cancer, Laura Isidean is now doing great. Even though it isn’t an experience she wanted to have, Laura says cancer awakened her to the fragility of life. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, so treasure every moment.
During the most challenging time in her life, Laura accessed Wellspring’s crucial support services, such as nourish, cancer exercise, and yoga, which not only supported her physical and mental health but also gave her what she and her family needed most at the time: hope.
Laura said Wellspring gave her the tools she needed to cope with cancer, not only during but afterwards, too. Laura plans to live her life to the fullest while giving back along the way, including volunteering on Wellspring’s Board of Directors. Laura and her daughter Siena are modelling for Well Dressed for Spring to help spread the word about vital cancer support. You don’t have to go through this journey alone—Wellspring is here for you.
Paul Sharp
In early 2016, Wellspring Board Member Paul Sharp should have been celebrating his wife Nicole’s pregnancy with their first child. But one month after the exciting news, they were faced with the unthinkable. Paul had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Throughout the nine months of Nicole’s pregnancy, she supported Paul daily as he underwent gruelling chemotherapy and radiation. He often feared that his treatment would be unsuccessful and that he wouldn’t be alive to support Nicole in raising Luke.
Thankfully, Paul discovered Wellspring, a safe haven which helped him overcome his fears and worries around his diagnosis. He recovered physically and mentally through a variety of Wellspring services, such as reiki, meditation, exercise, and counselling.
And like a beacon of hope at the end of a dark tunnel, their son, Luke, was born one month after Paul’s treatment was completed. Paul is now 8 years cancer-free and wants to use this opportunity to thank the Wellspring donors for supporting him and others whose lives have been touched by cancer.
Winnie Go
Winnie didn’t anticipate how aggressive her breast cancer treatment would be. She certainly didn’t expect the treatment to last over ten years. Like so many people who have lived with cancer, dealing with the changes in her appearance was one of the toughest challenges she faced.
While losing her eyebrows and eyelashes was a difficult obstacle, Winnie said it taught her the most valuable lesson – that beauty comes from within.
Cancer can make you feel less desirable, less beautiful, and less confident. But it doesn’t mean you are all of those things! Attitude makes all the difference. Be grateful for what you have – and smile!
Winnie says you cannot change, control, or choose which cards you are dealt with. But you CAN choose how you deal with them. That’s why she is walking for Well Dressed for Spring—to remind everyone that there is hope no matter what lies ahead, and you are beautiful!
Elizabeth Deacon
A person’s 70th birthday year should be filled with excitement and adventure. For Elizabeth, this was the age her life changed forever— when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily, she had an incredible support system through it all. Her three daughters, Emily, Norah, and Grace, dropped everything to be by their mother’s side, showering her with unconditional love and support.
Elizabeth joined Wellspring, where she met with a peer support volunteer who helped her through her toughest days. But Elizabeth has always felt positive throughout her cancer journey. It’s how she has and continues to look at life. Wellspring’s peer support recognized this, which kept her going.
Though Elizabeth’s 70th birthday was not what she planned, it taught her something vital: that hope is essential to well-being. Elizabeth is six years cancer-free, but the experience taught her never to take her health for granted!
Shelley and Taylor Hough
Taylor remembers the day she got the news like it was yesterday. Everything was numb. It was as if the earth had stopped turning. Her mother, Shelley, had breast cancer.
Shelley says nothing was more important than having the support and love of her family. They all took turns being there when she needed help; pumping her up when she was low; even cleaning her house while she was undergoing chemo.
All these tough times brought the Hough family closer—including Shelley’s lovely husband, Ross, her son Curtis, and his fiancé, Lauren, and, of course, Taylor and her wife, Em.
Shelley is on the other side of cancer now and wants to remind you to book your mammogram as soon as you are eligible—she credits it to saving her life.
Taylor wants to remind you to tell your mothers how much you love them. Because you never know when life can change.
Lyndon Fournier
Cancer has touched so much of Lyndon’s life.
When his wife and life partner, Joanne, was first diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 41, the news was heartbreaking. However, after successful treatment, she lived a beautiful, cancer-free life for ten years. But 14 years ago, the cancer returned; this time, it was aggressive. Joanne tragically passed away at 51.
Before Joanne’s passing, pancreatic cancer claimed the life of Lyndon’s brother-in-law. And sadly, Lyndon’s sister, Laurie, recently passed away from aggressive liver cancer. But he will not let cancer take away his HOPE. Through every heartbreak caused by cancer, Lyndon remains positive. He understands the importance of community during difficult times, and that’s why he’s volunteered at Wellspring for over 15 years. Lyndon is modelling in memory of his loved ones, and for anyone who is currently on the cancer journey, he wants you to know you are not alone.
Jon and Kat Durst
Kat was only 34 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. She and Jon were supposed to be starting a family. And with the complications from treatment, they weren’t even sure if it would be possible anymore. Kat says Wellspring gave her the tools to navigate what her life would look like after cancer. It helped her heal. Jon says he was going through the same journey as Kat but with front-row seats. While he found himself in denial at the start, Wellspring helped him share what he was going through as a caregiver. But it was Kat’s strength that he says was the most impressive and powerful thing he has ever witnessed.
Thankfully, like a light at the end of the tunnel, Jon and Kat now have two beautiful boys. Although cancer appeared in their life again in 2020 with her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, both women are living cancer-free today. Kat says even though cancer sucks, she feels it’s given her a different perspective on life and allowed her to connect with individuals on a deeper level. She wants everyone to see a firsthand example of how Wellspring can help an individual get through a really difficult time in their life and now support it so others benefit in the future!
Ally Cooper
Ally didn’t realize just how hard it would be to recover from cancer physically.
After undergoing a double mastectomy due to breast cancer in 2023, Ally struggled with simple everyday movements while she was adjusting to her new body. Recovery took months.
Luckily, Ally found Wellspring shortly after her diagnosis, and later signed up for the Cancer Exercise Program. Through the tailored eight-week program, she learned new exercises to rehabilitate her body and regain strength and stamina. Every day, she noticed her body adapting, and after completing the course, she felt like a new person. Ally is determined and committed to doing everything she can to prevent a recurrence, including continuing to take more Wellspring programs.
Ally says there is always a ‘before’ and ‘after’ diagnosis. While it’s not a journey she wishes anyone to have, it gave her a fresh perspective on life: life can be hard, but it’s also joyous and wonderful!
Jill Johnson
In 2011, Jill was preparing for the meditation and yoga trip of a lifetime. But one day before she was due to depart, she received life-changing news. Doctors had found a lesion on her lung.
Despite not knowing what the future held for her, she decided to go ahead with her trip, which was an awakening experience that mentally prepared her for the news to come. When she returned home, after a series of tests, it was confirmed that Jill had a cancerous tumour.
Though the diagnosis blindsided her, she is proud of her graceful approach. Jill was determined that this cancer journey was just a bump in the road. She still remembers the kindness of her incredible support network. Neighbours, colleagues, and friends would show up unannounced with meals, groceries, and offers to walk her dogs. Jill learned the meaning of community during cancer treatment. Although she wishes she had known about Wellspring then, she uses every opportunity to spread the word. Thankfully, Jill’s cancer was caught early and was completely removed during surgery. She is 14 years cancer free!
Orla O’Connell
Last year, Orla was diagnosed with Stage 1 triple-negative breast cancer. Her entire world, as she knew it, had turned upside down. She had only just turned 30.
After a successful mastectomy that thankfully deemed her cancer-free, she was in constant pain, and grief and anxiety started to take hold. But Orla found Wellspring, which helped her to escape from the dread and fear of cancer. It gave her a chance to relax and reset. She said that while we have our doctors, nurses, oncologists, and support network, Wellspring programs are a vital part of a cancer patient’s journey toward mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
Although some days are still filled with fear, Orla refuses to let cancer control her life. She promised herself and her partner, Hitesh, to never take life for granted, to always live life to the fullest, and not wait for anything. Orla has an important message. You are never too young to get breast cancer. Please check your breasts regularly, and if you have a family history of cancer like her, get tested. It’s what saved her life.
Loren Resendes and Shruti Johri
Shruti and Loren bonded over a deep understanding of what it’s like to live with cancer. Shruti was only 14 years old when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1995. Her cancer journey shaped her entire future. She was just getting started, and at 14 years old, she learnt quickly that life, in all its beauty and unpredictability, can change instantly. She had her whole future ahead of her, and cancer unfairly took it away. Loren was diagnosed later than Shruti, in 2021 with uterus cancer, but that came with another set of terrifying obstacles, like breaking the news to her family. But they all decided to make an unbreakable pact. With their unwavering support, Loren would tackle this cancer head-on, with strength and determination, and her family would be by her side every step of the way.
Rona Saldanha
When Rona was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Follicular Lymphoma, her Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy treatments left her with side effects that were physically and mentally unbearable.
Then she walked through the doors of Wellspring. It felt like a sanctuary—a place where she could be herself and be with people who just got it. It was a safe home where people shared laughter, tears, tips, and tricks to help her through another day in the maze of health challenges.
Rona has taken nearly every Wellspring program, each providing its own motivation and strength and helping her on her difficult days. She said Wellspring also helped her become a kinder version of herself. By being at Wellspring, she has found her mission and her passion: to tell Wellspring’s story and encourage others to join this “heroic organization”.
And for all Wellspring supporters, she says this: “You are the Givers… the Givers of Hope, the Givers of Healing, the Givers of Life. Thank you for helping me to start living again.”
